Monday 9 December 2013

A Helping Hand - Stress, Anxiety and Depression

Hi everyone, even though I really wanted to write a new post this week it's just not been happening and that's partly because I've been feeling a bit down.  So I decided to write about it, kind of!!
Sometimes in life things get tough and for some of us, it can get very hard to get through and cope with everyday life without feeling down, depressed or having anxiety and panic attacks. Anyone who knows me would easily agree that life has certainly been tough at times and has given me many trials. Thankfully I've always had certain people in my life to turn to (you know who you are!) And I will always love them and be continually grateful for there support.  But of course there are times, especially when you're on your own or when talking doesn't help, that you need other things to help calm you and get you through the difficult times.

So I've written this list of tips and ideas that I personally do to help me, in the hope that it might help some if you!  :-)

Of course talking to a close friend or relative can help put your over-active mind at ease but if not sometimes writing your feelings down in a diary/journal can help.  It doesn't have to be a best seller or even make any actual sense and who cares about spelling mistakes, it's just a way to get your feelings out.
Or you could write a story, poem or song!


Sometimes I even find talking to my pets helps to, they are always there for unconditionally and playing and laughing with them is amazing therapy and after all, laughter is the best medicine!

Which brings me to my next tip - YouTube!  Need I say more :-)  Find the funniest videos you can and watch them until you're laughing your socks off!  I could happily recommend anything by Jim Chapman (very funny guy), Marcus Butler (this video actually had me in tears of laughter!) or of course
Bunny Meyer (Grav3YardGirl) - not for everyone (apparently), she's kind of a Marmite-type person, you either love her or hate her!  Personally I love her to bit, she hilariously funny and never fails to cheer me up.  She has also suffered a lot with depression and anxiety problems and has done several videos on how she copes with it. And she co runs a great group on Facebook called The Swamp Family (yeay fellow Swampies!!)  Which is home to now over 17,000 Swamp Family members and it's a great place to chat, share ideas, thoughts etc with other like-minded people of all ages, many of whom suffer with similar anxiety issues,  It is now a closed group but you can email Cassie Martin to join and you can find a link to that here :-) The Swamp Family.

Shopping, never fails!  Even if you can't afford a spend, you can still enjoy window shopping or even trying things on.

Treat yourself; have a relaxing bath, do your nails, get your hair styled (nothing too drastic, you might regret it when you're feeling better) or watch a funny movie or even an action movie (no soppy ones or sad ones, it might make you feel worse!)

Go for a walk, let the breeze blow away all the negative feelings.

Think of one of those jobs you've been putting off, a craft project, decorating something, sewing, anything where you have to really put your mind to it and concentrate and when you've finished you'll feel a real sense of achievement too!

Exercise, in whatever way you like.  Not one of my personal favorites but I do love swimming.  Exercise is great for getting the adrenaline going and will make you feel so much better.

Sleep, it can be very restorative and you'll wake up feeling refreshed.

Of course the one main thing that helps me, more than anything else, is listening to my favorite music!  It could be your absolute favorite to make you feel good or try something more up-beat and energizing.  It never fails to help me (even if it takes a while to start), it's the one thing I can always rely on to get me out of a bad mood.  One of my favorite ever sayings is 'When Words Fail, Music Speaks', so true!  And if no one else is around, I sing my heart out too :-)


So, I hope this will help some of you a little if you struggle with anxiety issues too!

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