Have you ever felt anxious or overwhelmed when standing in a crowd of people? If so, how do you handle these types of situations? Do you continue to stand around and feel anxious? Do you excuse yourself, find a quiet spot, and recover?
One piece of advice I received a few years back involves taking care of one’s mental health by “stepping away” from stressful moments to recuperate, or “center” one’s self.
For the past nine years I’ve been working in public service jobs—this includes positions such as customer service desk employee, retail sales associate, and so forth. One thing I’ve realized since that first year of working in a high-volume (or extremely busy) bookstore is that I tend to get stressed after a few hours of helping customers back-to-back. I believe this happens because I’m more of an “introvert” or “home-body” and tend to keep to myself. I do love going out with friends and having a good time but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m okay and content spending time by myself, not always being surrounded by other people. So, it only makes sense that I need to take a few minutes to recollect myself in order to handle all of the customers coming in and out of stores.
The act of “stepping away” is something that can be used in a variety of different situations. For example, if you’re in class and there are too many students speaking at once, causing your feelings of anxiety to increase, then it’s important to raise your hand and ask the teacher or professor if you can use the restroom or leave the classroom to stop by a near water fountain. Even if you aren’t actually using the restroom or getting a drink of water it’s important to realize when you’re feeling anxious so that you can “get some fresh air” or take a short walk whenever it’s needed – as long as you aren’t goofing off while doing so!
Try to remember that every person has a unique personality. Sometimes it’s necessary to acknowledge that, and to understand that it’s okay to take a step away from someone or from a group of people as a way to manage from those feelings of being overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious.
It’s important to take care of yourself and you shouldn’t feel bad or guilty if you need to step away from the noise!
In the meantime, check out App Games for Anxiety for a short list of fun ways to take your mind off stressful situations.
And this article talks more about pressing the “pause button” when you feel anxious.
What strategies do you use to calm down when you feel anxious? Which of these are similar to “stepping away”? Tell us in the comments!
There are days when anxiety can’t be overlooked or ignored. Often times it’s understood that if you have anxiety then you can’t sit still or think “straight” for more than a few minutes at a time. Anxiety also has the tendency to surface and show itself in more ways than one. You might feel more anxious and upset one day while feeling more sad and isolated the next. Either way, it’s important for you to know that you are not alone and there are ways to distract yourself when feeling overly anxious.
Personally, one of my favorite things to do when I’m feeling more anxious than usual is to engage in game-play. I’m a huge fan of video games and have since come to enjoy downloading and playing different games on my smartphone.
Image by Farid Hawami via Flickr
Did you know there are many games in the “app store” that are great for reducing anxiety and stress? One anxiety-reducing game that I’m fond of playing is “Polyforge.”
This game was created through Unity Technologies (a major game development company) and uses 3-D game technology to give players an amazing experience. While playing through level 1, you’ll notice that there’s a 3-D shape spinning around in a circle. Your job is to highlight the edges and sides of this shape with the small triangle that flows around the spinning shape. Piano music is also played in as background music and to add emphasis when the player hits the edges of each shape with their triangle marker. I am currently on level 60 (and am enjoying the soothing music as well)!
An article titled, “11 Games That Might Help You Reduce Anxiety and Stress,” released on Buzzfeed.com, focuses on games that reduce stress and anxiety. Most of these games are free for iOS and Android users, while others require payment upfront to download. A few games listed in the article (and a few cool games I often play myself) are:
“Pigment – Coloring Book”
A “digital coloring book” that offers players use different “colored pencils” to fill in white-space and blank areas with colorful tones and hues. Find out more about coloring for stress by reading this blog article: Coloring Books for Mental Health
“Pokemon GO”
A great way to interact with other users and make friends – since most users and game-players are usually seen outside frequenting public areas, catching Pokemon, and so forth. This game also encourages users to take walks while enjoying a variety of nearby areas (e.g., public parks).
“Neko Atsume”
Are you a cat-lover who’d love to have their own collection of cats? Then this game is for you! I recently suggested this game to an extreme cat-lover and they’ve come to love it!
When you’re feeling more anxious than usual you don’t have to feel “odd” or “strange.” One way to get your mind off things is to engage in game-play like I do!
Have you ever downloaded and played a game to help with your anxiety? What other coping mechanisms do you find helpful (or unhelpful)?
According to an article published on Psychcentral.com there are many positive health benefits to keeping a journal and writing in it at least once a day. For example, previous research findings support the idea that a healthy cycle of journaling strengthens immune cells- the cells involved in defending our body against diseases- and even helps to decrease symptoms of asthma.
pixabay.com
A few of the noted benefits from the article include:
Clarifying thoughts and feelings
Being able to know and understand yourself better
Reducing stress
Journaling can happen in many different ways. You can keep a document on your computer or laptop where you write your feelings out, go the old-fashioned way with a trusty pen and fresh sheet of paper, or even buy a decent-sized notebook or two where some of your best-kept stories can come to life (and maybe even grow into best-selling novels)!
I, myself find journaling to be extremely therapeutic. Writing my thoughts out on paper help me to sort through the restless chatter that goes on in my head. When I write things down and turn repetitive thoughts into poems I learn something new about myself each time; I learn about my own mental health and even come to better understand what makes me happy as an individual.
One thing I’ve come to realize about myself is that I love to journal during thunderstorms and have always found the sound of rainfall to be soothing. These sounds help me relax and concentrate on matters that I should be focusing on – as opposed to me constantly giving attention to situations that happened three weeks ago or even those which have yet to happen. Journaling has also helped me strengthen my writing skills and it even gives me another “artistic” outlet to lean on (besides painting) when I’m feeling creative.
Before throwing them out, one of my favorite things to with old journals is read through them to get a better sense of my own actions and how previous habits and/or thoughts have changed, diminished, or developed over time. Keeping a journal that you can reflect on in the future offers many rewarding experiences. You’ll be able to read through past experiences, correct your own writing errors, and even understand how a certain situation may not have been as big of a deal as it seemed to be while it was taking place.
One idea I have for you is to start a 365-day journal: buy one or two journals and write your thoughts out for a whole year. At the end of the year you’ll be able to reflect on everything you experienced and felt! A year too long? Try a month, a week, a day. Then let us know how it went!
When you hear the phrase “self-love,” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? How do you feel when thinking about this? What makes you want to practice self-love? What makes you feel like you can’t practice it enough?
In February 2015, national-award winning performance poet and author, Caira Lee, stood in front of a large crowd as she delivered a speech at Shaker Heights High School (SHHS). She opened the speech with a live performance, standing and delivering one of her poems to the audience. In this poem, she states what she would say to her fifteen-year-old self.
“I really have a lot of respect for you. ‘Cause time waits for no colored girl.”
As an adult, Lee now finds loving herself, as a woman of color, one of the hardest, yet simplest of tasks and she gives all the credit to her own religious practice of “radical self love.” She asked “What is radical self-love?” and explains that it’s when an individual comes to realize that the body and its flaws are assets that don’t need fixing and are advantages that one should build their life around and gain from. To Lee, it means:
“Looking in the mirror once a week and saying, ‘I am the most important person in the world, to me. I accept that person. I admire that person. And I will do everything in my power to see that person’s dreams come true.”
While the concept of “loving oneself” seems simple enough to grasp, it isn’t. Because we are systematically taught to dislike ourselves, to believe that we aren’t able to acquire anything and everything we wish to have – through the practice of vigorous work and repetition, and, as a person of color, it’s quite common to grow up in environments where one isn’t pushed to believe in their own positive mindset and kind self-talk.
In our world today, there are more and more people being told to believe in themselves, however there are less people actually doing so. In order for one to believe that they can achieve all that they dream of achieving… they must know that they are good enough. You, as the reader, must know that you are good enough. Your voice matters, your life matters, and you will, always, be enough.
“When you look the world in the face like you have a right to be here, you have attacked the entire power structure of the Western world. And they will call you egotistical but it is a lie and they are wrong.”
You are able to work, to attend college, to live a satisfying life. You are fully capable of performing at your best and obtaining your deepest desires. And if you are a student… you are able to take a moment to yourself, recollect yourself, cross off a few goals, write a few new ones, and so much more. According to Lee, self-love is “more important than any limitation that the administration can put on you” and when you aren’t fully loving yourself you are, in fact, failing at life.
Towards the end of her speech, Lee gives the audience an advance on what they can do to fully “reap the fruits” of embracing radical self-love:
1. What’s your thang?”
Find what calls you, what pulls you in, what makes you feel alive, content, and in control… and pursue it.
2. “If you’re black, know your history.”
This is crucial. Especially now. Discussions concerning and revolving around race are becoming more and more common in public spaces. And, it’s important to have a firm grip on who you are and where you came from. Not everyone knows about their roots. And that’s okay. But, at least, research, read about, and participate in discussions and activities that push you to learn more about yourself and discover important characteristics relating to your own individual struggle.
“Your blackness is what the [United States] has and will continue to misconstrue in order to get you to dislike yourself… and that’s real. You need to know that there’s another way of being in the world, alternative ways of living other than the way you’ve been living. And if you study black history you will know that.”
We all struggle. But not everyone struggles the same. Know your history. Especially if you are a person of color – and no matter which group you choose to identify with.
3. “Police the people in your head.”
Acquiring a new mind-set is nearly impossible. However, it is quite possible to develop positive thoughts through the practice of daily mantras and regimes. Not every thought you have is genuinely yours. As humans we read, write, listen to music, and so much more. We’re constantly hearing words and phrases and settling on the ones that sound best to us. A key to policing the “people,” loud voices, or negative self-talk in your head is by replacing negative words and concerns with positive ones, repeatedly, and engaging in timed meditations. All as a committed practice.
4. “Give self-love to others.”
Promote others to do what they want to do and tell someone they’re pretty. If someone seems to be having a hard time saying good things about themself, let them know how important it is for them to treat themselves as if they were their best friend. Tell them to be kind to themself. Tell them to actively pursure a loving relationship with every part of their being. According to Lee, “When you think highly of yourself, it really gets people into you.” Give self-love to others and create your own circle of positivity.“
“Someone has to start it so, I’m here. And I will see you at the top.”
What are some ways you promote self-love? Share them below!
When you’re upset, stressed or sad do you ever find yourself humming a familiar tune?
Research shows there are many positive benefits to humming. One article, recently published in Psychology Today, lists a few of the major positive outcomes when one spends at least 20 seconds a day humming.
A few benefits listed in the Psychology Today article are as follows:
humming eases stress,
makes you to feel more relaxed and,
provides you a sense of inner peace.
Also, read about one individual’s experience when they decided to try out humming by clicking here! And you can even make it into a trivia game with apps such as iHum Nation, Battle & Hum, or Let’s Sing. Try humming a melody and have your friends or family guess the song!
Have you ever tried humming? Do you have a favorite song that you hum? What are other ways that you cope with stress? Share some of your own techniques below!
Since “social media” hit the market, popular culture has become a major part of the average teenager’s daily life. Web articles support the idea that social media has become a major contributor when it comes to assessing increased anxiety levels and fragile self-esteem of teenagers.
According to ChildMind.org, teenagers are constantly engaging in cell-phone use throughout the day. Users are even “texting, sharing, trolling” and “scrolling” while studying or completing homework assignments. ChildMind.org states that teens are now spending more time engaging in cyber communications as opposed to sharing and experiencing in-person interactions with others.
This creates a communication barrier and interferes with a teen’s ability to successfully communicate issues or concerns to their peers, thus resulting in a poor lack of judgement. More and more teens are also starting to feel less confident in their own physical characteristics and abilities due to the high amount of photo comparisons (on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) being made. Dr. Steiner-Adair states:
“We forget that relational aggression comes from insecurity and feeling awful about yourself, and wanting to put other people down so you feel better.”
Relational aggression, or “the demand for power,” happens when teenagers feel the need to compete for “likes” online. For example, a teen might want to copy trends followed by popular Instagram models or comedians in order to receive the same amount of “likes” or attention as popular person. Teens may feel the need to copy others who are “internet famous” because they may already feel bad about themselves, or have low self-esteem, and want to be just as popular as the other person in order to become “happier” or more satisfied with themselves. This eventually leads to teens competing for attention, bullying one another online, and putting other people down so they can feel better about themselves. These factors, along with cyber bullying, contribute to the development of increased levels of anxiety in teens and adolescents. Many teens have even begun experiencing anxiety attacks for the first time.
So, how can teens cut back on and even lower the risks of using social media? ChildMind.org offers a few suggestions:
Speak directly, as opposed to speaking indirectly, to others and learn how to state beliefs and opinions without fearing or worrying about the response.
Don’t be afraid to build friendships offline which can help build direct communication skills i.e. talking face-to-face with another person.
Refrain from engaging in online disagreements and try to only post or leave comments that would be said just the same offline.
While these are only a few possible solutions, there are many more ways that teens and adolescents can limit the amount of negativity experienced online, as well as offline.
For more information on social media awareness, visit: ChildMind.org!
What are your thoughts on cyber-communication? Do you have any thoughts about social media awareness?
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