6 November 2018
Abby Jadali
Exercise
When we exercise, endorphins take over our body by making us feel happy. I know that not everyone enjoys exercising, but sometimes doing something small can go a long way. It can be anything from weight lifting, to running, to yoga and even stretching. Moving your body can allow yourself to think about other things and not worry about the things that are eating at you.
Power Naps
We all love naps, I am sure of it. Some of us need naps about an hour after we wake up, while other wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go. But who am I kidding, that almost never happens! Taking about an hour or less out of your day to lay down, close your eyes and nap can help you recharge and take on the rest of the day.
Friends
Hanging out with friends is a big deal for a lot of us. As humans we sometimes crave the physical moments we have with friends or partners. By working on homework together, watching Netflix, eating out or just hanging and talking, having a moment in the day to be with people you care about will make you feel so much better.
Animals
Most of us have animals, whether that be a cat, dog, hamster, lizard, fish, etc. A lot of the times, animals can sense how people are feeling and if that feeling is negative, they want to make them feel better. So, if you are not feeling good, i.e. stressed, anxious, depressed, go home and cuddle your animal, talk to your animal, just be with them. If you do not have an animal, go to a friend’s house who does have one and let their animal take care of you.
Cleaning
Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Why would we want to clean?” I will tell you why. Cleaning forces you to do something for at least an hour; cleaning forces you to pay attention to something other than your anxious thoughts. Whip out the cleaning products, bring forth the vacuum and get those gloves out because it is time to clean and think about nothing else.
Music
I think it is safe to say that for the most part, people love listening to music. All kinds of music from metal to classical can help a person come back down from being stressed and relax them. You can listen to music while studying, sleeping, cleaning, walking, and it will make you feel better to put your thoughts into something else.
Reading
One of the best ways to move your brain into a different hemisphere of thought is to read a book. This can be any kind of book from a novel, to a short story, to a poem, so on and so forth. When we read, we transfer ourselves into a different world, one that we do not normally inhabit and sometimes this can help mend the stress going on in your own mind.
Baths
By putting baths in here, I do not mean just a normal, fill up the tub and get in. What I mean is that you should get Epsom salts, bath bombs or bubble bath to put in your bathtub. These things have an aromatic sensitivity that you can smell which will calm your nerves and help clear your brain. Some of the main reason these things help is because, Epsom salt helps muscle tension, bath bombs look aesthetically pleasing and bubble bath brings you back to your childhood. All of these things aid in the calming of your anxiety and stress.
Organize
This is completely different from cleaning because organizing is much more finite. When we organize, we take control of our possessions and fix them to work for us. This feeling of control can really help your cognitive mind. When we start to stress out or become anxious, we may feel that our power is being taken from us, by organizing, we are able to take our control back.
Reality Check
One thing that you have to do when going through an episode is to understand that this will pass, you will turn in the assignment, you will see your friends, you will get some sleep. Life can be very hard, it can be very stressful, but as long as we don’t give up, we keep moving forward and we keep up with self-care, the stressful, anxious, and depressive moments that we feel will subside sooner than we think.