Coping with Anxiety & Nurturing your Mental Health

My mental health is something that I've struggled with over the past 5 years of my life. I can't remember life where I didn't feel overwhelmed with anxiety in intense social situations. Although I know that I don't suffer as badly as others, my anxiety hits me like a tonne of bricks every few weeks and I struggle to cope. I sometime find it hard to reach out to people when I feel this way - my family, friends and boyfriend are extremely supportive but I've always felt that I'm bringing more unnecessary stress to their lives when my anxiety is at an all time high. Over the years, I have made slow and steady progress with bringing my mind back to a safe, calm place but I definitely have had a few hiccups. I thought I'd just write this little post to share coping mechanisms, things that I'm doing right now to de-stress, lower my anxiety levels and what you could try to help overcome those little blips too.

Living in a world that can be full of negativity can become tough. I struggle to cope when people comment hate on my videos, leave a nasty message on an Instagram photo or just general people judging me in public. There are moments when I'm so confident in myself and what I'm wearing that I don't give a f*ck what other people are doing to try and get me down. However, when I'm in a state where my anxiety is defeating me, I find it extremely difficult to block all the negativity out. Therefore, I've designed a little scheme to help bring myself back to the positive me - the one who doesn't give a SHIT about whether someone dislikes my outfit, the one who is only out here to please myself, the one who is completely fearless in everything I do and most importantly, the one who is always true to herself. There are many times where I feel pressure to do things for others; whether that be creating online content for people who say they watch my videos as an escape, meeting a friend because I'd arranged to do it in advance or doing a favour for someone that in essence takes a toll on my own mental health. I find it extremely difficult to let others down, which in turn has a negative effect on myself. I'm working on being a little bit selfish so that I can work on my own problems before I try to fix something else. That's not to say I don't love doing all the above - I have the biggest passion for creating videos, I love meeting my friends for fun days out and of course, love helping people in times of need, but I just need to slow my schedule down so that I have time to breathe. 

HOW I COPE WITH MY ANXIETY

When things get too much for me, the anxiety kicks in quick. Here are a few of my top tips to de-stress, look after your mental health and keep the anxiety at bay. 

1. PUT YOURSELF FIRST. This sounds like a stupid, cliche point but I doubt most of you reading this can agree that you put your mental health above everything else. Subconsciously, we push ourselves to reach goals, help our loved ones and fit in as many things in a day so that we can check them off our to-do lists. Sometimes all you need is a night off. Kick your feet up, put that to-do list away and just relax. I'm the biggest guilty culprit of this one because my 'me-time' usually involves me editing content, as I love it so much. However, I realise now that I seriously need a break from my laptop/social media because it DOES NOT count as relaxation time...I just need to listen to a podcast or read a book so that I have time to just focus on something that doesn't involve me working!

2. EXERCISE. One of the greatest tips for me right now when it comes to de-stressing, is doing a workout at the gym. It honestly relieves so much stress and tension whenever I go...it's crazy! I never thought I'd be saying that as I'm physically wearing my body out - I always thought that it would make my situation worse but it honestly makes me feel so much better. The endorphins kick in, I find myself just focusing on being healthier and working on my body and there is no uni work or social media involved. It's a wonderful time to mentally relax for me and it's doing me a whole lot of good when university work gets tough!

3. BREATHE. I'm getting good at this one..hehehe! But on a serious note, this has been great in the recent months to bring my head back to rational thoughts. When I work myself up and get into an anxious frenzy about whatever's going on at the time, my body inevitably ceases up. My heart beats so quickly and it feels like I'm about to enter one of my dreaded panic attacks; however, by just thinking about breathing and taking deep, slow breaths, I am able to think rationally again without having to mentally explode beforehand. The deep breathing allows my mind to think logically and fight against the lil nasties in my brain telling me I can't do this, when realistically I'm MORE than capable!

4. OPEN UP. For me, this isn't something I massively struggle with because I'm at the point in my life where I openly talk about my mental health to my family, friends and boyfriend. I, of course, want to break the stigma surrounding mental health and want to make people feel like they are NEVER alone. Therefore, when things are getting too much, I will reach out to someone so that they know I'm struggling. At first, I can find this difficult because I hate worrying my parents or feel like I'm adding something negative to their own troubles but your loved ones will support you no matter what. I am more than aware that my family/friends will be there and listen to anything I have to say, especially when I'm struggling with my mental health. If you open up, you will feel a lot better in yourself and relieve a lot of built up tension.

5. GOOD BODY, GOOD MIND. By this, I do NOT mean that you have to be your version of 'aesthetically pleasing' or 'body goals'... I just mean that you have to nurture your body so that you can achieve a nurtured mind. Tidy your working environment, go to bed an hour earlier, eat a nutritious meal and go for a relaxed walk in the countryside. If you treat your body right, then it will have an amazing effect on your mind. Whenever I look after my body, I can instantly see an improvement in my mental health so I'd definitely recommend if you are lacking a good night's sleep or haven't been achieving a balanced diet.

Outfit Details:

Jumper - NEW LOOK
Jeans - PRIMARK
Hat - MISSY EMPIRE
Shoes - MISSGUIDED
Watch - MVMT

Do you ever notice you're pushing yourself too much? Do you find that you need to give yourself more breaks?

Lots of love