Self care Sunday

Hello and happy Sunday y’all! Can you believe we are almost 50 days into the new year? I’m not sure about you, but it has definitely felt like the longest 50 days ever! It may still be the beginning of a new year, but it’s definitely getting to that point where we have beat ourselves into the ground from the hype of a new year. We try to keep up on that new gym membership, to push ourselves harder in our career, or maybe tackle that new hobby we always wanted to try. All these new goals and standards; so what do we do? We add them to our already hectic lives.

The beginning of each new year we set ourselves such high standards and goals we want to accomplish. We try to keep up with that “new year, new me” mentality… which quiet frankly I thinks a load of crap! Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to create a “new you.” Many of us have gone through obstacles in life that have built us into the person we are today. And, I’m sure many of us will go through multiple obstacles over the course of this year, if you haven’t already gone through one yet. We over come many hills and thanks to that we are all able to create a life that best suits our needs. But because a new year has started, many of us feel the need to change or push ourselves harder. Which in return sometimes takes a toll on us.

My professor pointed out the other day that we had hit the “mid semester slump.” Many students are doing the “zombie” walk around campus and are going through the motions of school. This tends to happen at this point in the semester because many students come back from Christmas break and are ready to hit the ground running to make this semester better than the last. Well, here we are half way through the semester and are hitting that slump. This happens with many people, not just students. They see “new year” and know this the time to start my life change. I am all for life change… change is a key element to growing and moving forward in life. But with change you need to understand your life needs and make changes accordingly!

I am one of those people who saw the “new year, new me” as an opportunity to make major changes in my life. But, I also knew with my background and what I’ve gone through I needed to take things step by step. My goals for this year were pretty big and sometimes I feel like I keep adding to that list. Since I knew I wanted to accomplish a lot I began planning out my days, day in and day out… really bad habit I have but I just like to utilize the time I’m given. When I’ve got my days planned out like this, everything begins to blur together but flows so smoothly. My major issue with this though is one tiny change up can throw my entire schedule out of wack and that’s where I begin to hit my slump.

I love to stay busy and push myself to achieve goals that I once thought were impossible. But, there is one thing that always steps in right as I’m reaching the peak of a goal and that is my anxiety. This is something I’ve struggled with for years and something many people I know struggle with as well. Ive personally been ashamed of it for a long time up until recently. Everyone has some type of anxiety they deal with at least once in their life. Anxiety comes in many forms, and believe it or not some of the things that fall under the “anxiety” spectrum might blow your mind. Some examples of different types of anxiety are: social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, separation anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder(attack), and many more. I’m sure many of you have heard of at least one of those or have dealt with one of them and you never knew it actually fell under the “anxiety” spectrum. That’s okay, most people don’t even fully understand what the term “anxiety” means.

To me, I view anxiety as a roller coaster. You are feeling good, everything is going great and then boom… you hit that point on the hill where you’re about to go over and have that short sense of panic. But, you make it over the hill and that sense is gone and it’s back to smooth sailing. Everyone has a different type of anxiety and with that comes a different style of roller coaster. I could have a ride that has two massive hills and the rest is smooth, while my best friend could have a ride that’s a bunch of bunny hills. With different anxieties, comes with different ways of coping and learning how to make adjustments within your lifestyle.

Maybe you’re the one who has anxiety and has no idea how to make the changes you need OR maybe someone you know has anxiety and you really want to reach out an help. This step can be extremely difficult from inside and out because again like I said everyone has different forms of anxiety. But everyone has to start somewhere with overcoming the struggle. Below is a list of ways you can cope or you can help someone cope with anxiety:

– discover your triggers

– find a place you feel comfortable when having an attack

– don’t be afraid to lean on those around you

– offer up a listening ear or just being in the presence of someone so they’re not alone

– talk to your dr about possible therapies or medications

– pick up a hobby that calms you like walking or yoga

– try natural supplements

– meditate or pray

– talk with the person to see what they need from you during those times

– take a break from what you’re doing

– learn about the anxiety type

– don’t assume what your partner/friend needs

I could go on and on with ways to start coping with your anxiety or ways to help someone cope with their anxiety. But everyone has different ways of coping and handling their anxiety. I had one thing throw me off of my packed schedule last weekend and because of that it through me into an anxiety episode all week. Thankfully I recognized what was wrong, worked on helping myself, and leaned on those around me so that I could get back up on my feet and pushing.

Yes, we may be almost 50 days into the new year already but remember there is still another 315 days. Don’t spread yourself too thin, don’t stress over unrealistic goals, and most importantly take time for your mental and physical health! You can’t kick your goals ass if you aren’t keeping yourself in the state you need to be!