i love you guys and care about your well-being so here's a list of things that could maybe help you, i don't know. but, if you guys ever need anyone to talk to, feel free to message me. stay alive frens! |-/
coping with anxiety:
1. lot of times with anxiety, it feels as if you're suffocating, physically and mentally. a way to help with this is to practice breathing exercises. some include:
• breathing with a gif by sinking your breathing to match the movements of the following gif
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• another exercise is Co2 balancing. often times if you breathe too often or quickly, your body will be disposing more Co2 than in-taking. you can preform this technique by cupping your hands (or a paper bag) over your nose and mouth while breathing. make sure you don't over do it, breathing fresh air atleast every 20 or so seconds, because too much carbon dioxide is dangerous as well.
• the third technique is timed breathing. often times, people preform this with a six-seven-eight pattern. (breathe in for six seconds, hold for seven, release for eight)
2. often times, i control my anxiety by fiddling. you can do this many ways:
• bouncing your leg. it might not work of everyone, but bouncing your leg can help get rid of nervous energy.
• doodling. drawing is a simple, easy way to control your anxiety. by drawing, you can distract your mind from whatever is causing you distress.
• busying your hands. common ways of doing this is by playing with your keychains, popping your knuckles, counting your fingers, etc. there are endless ways to distract yourself with your hands, and there are even objects made specifically for fiddling.
3. medication and therapy. i know not everyone has access to medication or therapy, which is why i listed the other techniques first. for many people, getting medication or visiting a therapist helps them cope with their anxiety, but for some people it doesn't.
coping with depression:
1. if you're depressed, you probably feel as though nothing can go right. you might feel as though you've lost all hope, or maybe you have hope but don't see the point. a way to cope with depression is with a distraction. you can do this by:
• listen to or creating music. whether it be taylor swift or five finger death punch, (which if you've read this book, it's probably tøp or something similar), as long as you enjoy it. with music, you can either relate to or express your feelings to others.
• going outside. yeah, i know. yikes! but i promise, you might appreciate it. whenever i need to clear my head of any thoughts, i often take my dog for a walk. i live in a pretty quiet neighborhood, so im able to block out anything other than myself and nature. even if you can't go on a walk, you coule just grab a book and read on the porch. or even just open your window, fresh air can give you a fresh mind.
2. distance yourself. whether it be a person, or even a topic that is bothering you, you don't have to deal with it!! here are some ways to do so:
• log out of social media. doing this helps me take a moment and address the needs of myself, rather than others. if you're like me and worry too much about your Instagram feed or Snapchat streaks, log in once or twice a day finish what you need to do, then log out! this technique is good for giving you time to care for yourself rather than society.
• stop talking to someone. if someome is causing you pain, why would you suffer through it? stop talking to them, hun. out of 7 billion people, i promise they are not going to matter as much as you think they are.
3. take care of yourself!!!!!! i can't stress this enough! if you're not living in a good environment, how do you expect to be happy? here's how you can care for yourself:
• shower every 1-2 days. i get it, some days you just don't want to. but i promise it'll make you feel better! even just a warm bath can help. treat!! your!! self!! girl, slip some tea in that bath, or maybe your favorite bubble bath or bombs. whatever you like.
• wash your face. nobody feels good with dirty skin, i promise. even if its just a splash of water, washing your face a couple times a day can really help. maybe even try a mask once a week.
• drink water n eat healthy. nothing feels better than hydration and a full belly. (try not to stuff yourself with junk foods, cause those can just make you feel worse, but a couple won't hurt!)
coping with self harm:
1. whether you're mentally or physically causing yourself pain, it's not a good thing to do. here are a few tricks to help you deal with your bad habits:
• imagine as if what you did to yourself was happening to someone you loved, you wouldn't want that to happen, would you? so why would you do it to yourself?
• (i learnt this trick from a post i saw on eenstagrem about my boy tyjo, and yeah.) the rubber band trick. although this one still causes you pain, it's not as damaging as other forms of self harm (don't get me wrong, it still has it's downsides!). you wear a rubber band around your wrist and snap it lightly everytime you think of self harming. (if you're using a hair tie don't use the ones with the metal piece!!!) going back to anxiety, this is also a way i coped with my anxiety because it gave me a sense of reality i guess.
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so, yeah. i hope some of this helped (: if you have any other advice, feel free to out it in the comments! also, let me know if this helped any of you (:
