Within the past year and a half, there has been an explosion of mental health talk and the different ways people cope with mental health issues/stressors. It’s understandable when one considers the pandemic, the 2020 US election, constant bad news, etc. It’s no wonder more and more people started to experience mental health stress or had their already present issues made worse.
I included.
I’m one of the many people who already deal with a mental illness daily. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder about six or seven years ago, started medication immediately, and then went to therapy about a year after the official diagnosis. After a year of therapy, my therapist “graduated” me from needing weekly appointments, telling me that I can contact her whenever life can become just a tad “too much”. For a while, things were fine, and I made sure to handle my anxiety with the tools my therapist gave me. Then, the pandemic hit in March of 2020. I had a very…delayed reaction. I don’t know if that came from having anxiety already, but eventually it hit like a truck. It was made worse during the holidays when the prospect of not seeing my family became reality. I contacted my therapist and went from there.
I luckily had many tools already at my disposal for dealing with bad mental health days, but with 2020 and the start of 2021, I had to add a few more to my arsenal. I’ll list some examples that I hope can help others, and maybe ease the stress of life and the world.
Favorite Ways of Dealing with Anxiety/Bad Mental Health Days
- Music – music is one of my favorite ways to escape the world! Whether it’s heavy metal or R&B, music has helped me many times to escape the world for a few moments.
- Reading – books are another great escape for me. And it doesn’t just have to be published novels, it could be stuff online or a favorite magazine!
- ASMR audio/videos – this one isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve ever heard of Auditory Sensory Meridian Response, then you might be aware of the HUGE catalog of videos on YouTube. ASMR is when a person listens to certain sounds, watches certain gestures or hand movements, or certain situations that cause “tingles” to go from the top of your head down your neck. My usual experience with ASMR is either to help me go to sleep or to help me focus (which doesn’t work out often because I will pass out).
- Exercise – I know this one will have people groaning, but I’m not saying to exercise like a bodybuilder or the usual gym rat. Just taking a simple walk around the neighborhood can be enough to help you forget about what’s bothering you. I like to do this while listening to music as well!
- Spa Treatments/Self Care – this can be doing your nails, shaving, taking a bath with your favorite bath bomb, etc. Showers and baths before bed also help with going to sleep for me, my muscles are nice and relaxed and I’m ready to curl up under the sheets.
- Video Games/Movies/Entertainment – the same concept of a book or music; getting lost in a different world helps in forgetting the current one! And there are so many pretty visuals in these products!
- Distancing from Social Media – this one thing has helped me the most. I don’t think a lot of us realize how deeply we let social media/the internet affect us and our lives. During the height of the election and the pandemic, I found myself deleting my Twitter, my Instagram, my Snapchat, my Tik Tok, and limiting who I saw and what I saw on Facebook. And it wasn’t just one certain person or belief, it was anyone I considered to be posting something harmful to my mental health. For a while, my FB feed was just photos of fat cats from a group I joined that posts LITERALLY just cute, fat cat photos. Unless you absolutely must use social media for work purposes, take a step back from it all and see if it helps with any stress or emotions that may be causing issues
- Talking with Friends/Family – if you have good relationships, talking about things with friends or family members can be a helpful exercise. Having someone willing to listen to whatever is bothering you is a blessing. You don’t really want an answer to the problems you face but venting and giving the space and consent to vent is a nice way to lift some weight off your shoulders.
These are my main ones, but not everyone’s the same! Everyone has their comforts and quirks and ways to handle stress (in hopefully healthy ways). I hope, if anything, you can take some of these ideas and see if they help you with your stress or mental health days!
