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Why Does Organizing Help with Anxiety?

December 10, 2019 in Educate Yourself

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We’ve heard it before (in fact, we’ve even discussed it here): tips to help de-stress and relax often include getting organized. Whether that be through cleaning out your closet, getting a planner, or buying color-coordinated folders and binders, we feel some sort of satisfaction when things are put in their place, even if it isn’t relevant to what may be causing anxiety.

But why is that the case? Even considering organizing sends a calming rush sometimes. De-cluttering and putting things in order are popular activities in order to help with stress, and there have been several studies that have come up with possible reasons as to why this happens.

Clutter and messes can be a visual representation of the mind, which can therefore make your own disorganized thoughts that much more stressful. These visual stimuli can make it harder to focus because the business overwhelms the visual cortex. This is particularly true if the clutter has nothing to do with what’s currently stressing you out too, therefore making them task-irrelevant objects. Identifying what you need to focus on and complete becomes more difficult as a result.

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There are even health benefits associated with organization, and as a result, cleanliness. A survey found that those who make their bed and/or sleep with clean sheets are much more likely to get a better night’s sleep. Other studies found that those who keep a schedule, set goals for an exercise regimen, and keep a clean home are more likely to commit to being active.

On the mental health side, studies have established that there is some sort of link between organization and depression. In one study, women who felt that their spaces were cluttered and had “unfinished projects” were more likely to be depressed compared to those who described theirs as restorative. The former also had higher levels of cortisol, or the hormone that controls stress. Clutter can also make people self-conscious and worry about how others perceive them. The fear of being judged for a messy space can contribute to a worsened mental state, particularly because of the human need to be accepted by others.

The human body itself is incredibly organized and well-functioning. Our bodies love routine and order – think of circadian rhythms (the way that our behaviors follow a daily cycle). We know to sleep when it’s dark and complete activities when it’s light, for example. Some believe that our bodies strive to be organized inside and out, so having an organized and clean environment gives our bodies some peace of mind.

So, there are several reasons that a lot of wellbeing lists include cleaning up and getting organized. There are likely a lot more contributing factors, but next time you clean out your backpack or color code your closet, you can have a better understanding as to why that’s the case.

Why do you think organizing helps with stress relief? If you’ve tried it before, do you think that it works?

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Little Reminders

December 9, 2019 in Be Positive

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Nostalgia can be a powerful tool. Advertisers and Hollywood have taken note of this: a lot of TV shows and movies today are reboots and commercials tap into that childhood nostalgia in order to make the viewer associate the product with a simpler time. Positive memories and remembering happier times is comforting, a warm sort of feeling that can remind you that things can be good, because they have been that way before.

There’s a reason why tapping into these memories and creating these warm, fuzzy feelings is so successful beyond marketing. Studies have shown that looking back on happier memories can have a positive impact on mental health, to the point that it can be used as a way to aid with depression. Nostalgia and happy memories, particularly those that have happened to you, can have an almost instant effect on mood and can promote generally increased well-being.

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One popular way to spark that positive feeling that comes with remembering a good memory is through a Happiness Jar. The instructions are simple: once a day, take a slip of paper, write down something good that happened to you that day, and place it in the designated jar. Happiness jars are there to remind you that there are good things that can happen each day, no matter how small. When there are moments or days that you’re not feeling your best, if your mental health isn’t at its strongest or you’ve just had a bad day in general, you can use the happiness jar to read about the good things that you’ve logged before. Reading these can recall these positive memories, and lead to the positive emotion associated with nostalgia, including reduced feelings of threat.

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Happiness jars can also boost creativity. You can always keep it simple and use whatever container you have on hand with a few pieces of cut up paper next to it. You can also use it as an opportunity to have some fun: you can paint or decorate a mason jar with stickers or ribbon, or you can buy nice stationary to write down your memories for the day. Whatever approach you take, happiness jars are there not only for you to have a source of instant joy when you need a pick-me-up, but they’re reminders that good things can happen every day, no matter how small.

Would you consider keeping a happiness jar? Have you kept one before? Do you think writing down small, but good, things can affect your mental health?

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New Places to Write

December 6, 2019 in LINKS

If you’re in school, you’re likely aware that the next couple of weeks are devoted to finals. Depending on what kind of classes you’re taking, you may have papers to write.

If you’re not in finals mode, you’re probably still writing in some way, like if you’re jotting down quick ideas, journaling, or creating to-do lists. Writing for organization can help reduce anxiety by having a space for everything that you want to achieve laid out in front of you. For others, writing is therapeutic, where you can have a private space to write about how you’re feeling that day or over a certain period of time.

The classic journal is always an option for scribbling down thoughts and ideas, but in the technological age, the convenience and the fact that we spend so much time on our electronic devices already can make computers and cell phones much more ideal options. Another classic is Microsoft Word, which for some, can feel like the only option to get things written down. Unfortunately, while effective, it may not be the best fit for all of us, or we may be so used to it that we feel like we’re not getting the best results. Some may even associate Microsoft Word with school and graded assignments and feel anxious or intimidated by working in it.

The spaces where we work can make a huge difference, whether it be our physical location or where we’re staring for hours on end. If you’re looking for something new, here are a few writing systems you can install, and the best part? All of their main features are free, and are available as phone apps too!

Google Docs You’ve likely also used Google Docs at some point, since Google Drive is pretty much the Gmail equivalent of Microsoft Office. It can be really convenient, since everything syncs up to your Gmail and you can access it on all your devices. It’s also great for collaborations and group projects, since you can add others to read and edit the same document too.

Evernote Evernote is also a cloud, letting you access anything you’ve written on all your devices with the same login. You can organize similar documents under the same folder to keep things de-cluttered, and Evernote is also connected to Google and Siri so you can update things using your voice.

Bear Like the other two, Bear can be used for a variety of things, from checklists to prose. Te variety of things available from Bear can seem endless too: you can change color schemes, link notes together, and use a markup editor. You can also have the app take over the entire computer screen so you’re not distracted by other things too. Unfortunately, however, it’s only available for Apple products.

Do you like to write? How do you think writing, whether for fiction or nonfiction, can help with mental health? Do you have any other recommendations for writing apps?

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Selfies

December 5, 2019 in Social Media Guide

An easy target for those criticizing how adolescents use technology today is by mimicking them taking a selfie. The image can feel much more familiar than you may want to admit: your phone in your hand, arm stretched out in front of you as you angle and turn both it and your head as you try to find the most flattering shot. You take a few, get unhappy with nearly all of them, then repeat the process with different lighting, by changing your hair ever so slightly, and so on.

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Some have raised their concerns about how selfies promote vanity. For example, in a survey conducted among plastic surgeons, a little more than half said that their patients’ motivations was to look better in selfies. There have been reports that selfies promote narcissism, but some argue that people who already have more narcissistic traits are more likely to take selfies to fuel it. Selfies can be a way for adolescents to explore who they are (something that youths have historically been doing), and as a way of boosting their confidence and self-esteem, and some studies have shown that teenagers feel better about themselves when they take selfies.   

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Selfies aren’t just an independent activity though. Social media gives us the opportunity to share the photos we take of ourselves with others. The frequency in how often people put images of themselves online can affect those who are already vulnerable to or may already be diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). It doesn’t help when filters start coming into play. Because of the ways that certain filters soften and blur the face, sometimes adding a little bit of makeup or slightly changing features, it can cause people, especially adolescents, to fixate on what they consider to be “improvements.”

Photoshopping used to be the go-to method to “enhance” photos, but the software can be expensive, it takes time, and there are a lot of features to navigate. Meanwhile, you can simply swipe through filters on Instagram and Snapchat to see what looks the most flattering, and tools like Facetune make the editing process a lot quicker. This “Snapchat dysmorphia” has led to an increase in people requesting things such as plastic surgery and fillers to change their look, and instead of bringing photos of celebrities or others they want to resemble, they bring in photos of themselves with a certain filter.

However you feel about them, no matter how many you may or may not take, selfies are here to stay. There’s a healthy way of going about how you perceive yourself and others when both taking and looking at them, and like most things on the screen, what you see very rarely represents reality.

How do you feel about selfie culture? Do you post or take them often? What other ways do you think taking selfies and posting them can positively or negatively affect mental health?

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TV Shows and Content Warnings about Mental Health

December 4, 2019 in Educate Yourself

Television shows have been including trigger warnings for years. You may have noticed the box in the upper left corner with a not just a suggested age warning, but a few letters underneath to indicate if there’s violence, sex, heavy language, or suggestive dialogue. It’s also those black screens that show up right before the episode starts, sometimes included with a stern, male voice warning about more specific content in the episode that may be disturbing and that “viewer discretion is advised.”

These sorts of messages have ranged from warnings about bright, flashy images that may trigger epilepsy, depictions of mass shootings, to graphic violence. Generally, content warnings rarely get into specifics about why they’re there and simply state that the episode includes content that is not suitable for all audiences, which isn’t incredibly helpful if you’re not sure what the disturbing material might be.

Content warnings have started to become more specific however, particularly with warnings about mental illnesses. The most notable, and controversial example, is with 13 Reasons Why, which has been the center of many conversations about how and if mental illness can be responsibly and respectfully portrayed on TV and film. The last few episodes of the first season included content warnings, with the last including one specifically talking about an explicit portrayal of suicide, and the second season included an even stronger content warning before the entire season begins. The Politician, another Netflix show, does the same with a message about the show having elements that may be “disturbing” for those with mental health struggles.

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HBO is taking one step further: the channel recently announced that many of their shows are going to include these content warning screens but with specific mental illness depictions that are going to be shown in that episode. This affects current shows such as Euphoria, which, like 13 Reasons Why, has a large adolescent following, as well as completed shows like Girls and The Sopranos. But where content warnings are usually meant to tell those who may be affected that this episode isn’t for them and to skip it, HBO wants to use theirs to encourage a conversation about mental health. In their words, viewer discretion isn’t advised, but “viewer conversation is encouraged.” 

The channel hopes that the specific mental illnesses listed before the episode and the “doctor commentaries” about those illnesses that supplement them will help spread awareness and help those watching not just learn more, but have the ability to break the stigma around mental illnesses.

What do you think about content warnings before TV episodes? Have you ever seen any with warnings about situations with mental illness? Do you think these are effective or that having a conversation because of them are possible?

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Navigating Work Stress During the Holiday Season

December 2, 2019 in Be Positive

No matter where you are, whether it be in school and/or work (or any other situation), the time in between Thanksgiving and winter break, no matter how long, can be hard to navigate. Suddenly everything feels like it’s in overdrive: going from a longer, likely lowkey break to having a ton of assignments due within the span of a couple of weeks can seem, and is, overwhelming. The same can be said for work, where things can feel extra stressful during a time that’s supposed to be celebratory and relaxing since it’s the holiday season. Those working in retail have a whole other level of stress given the rise in people shopping and extended hours that they have to work.

Needless to say, despite being “the most wonderful time of the year,” the time between Thanksgiving and winter breaks can be the most stressful too. If you’re experiencing intensive anxiety symptoms when you’re in class, doing homework, or at work, know that this is completely normal. It may not seem that way since it’s the holiday season and people generally tend to be more cheery and relaxed, but the truth of the matter is, holiday anxiety and stress exists.

While taking a break amongst the chaos that is finals and extended work hours is frankly impossible, if you’re able to, you can try to find at least a couple of minutes for yourself. This can be done by taking a few deep breaths or practicing other kinds of deep breathing, organizing the things around you, or even just checking your phone. You may even need to take a small walk to at least another room to refresh yourself by having a change of scenery. 

The next couple of weeks are going to be rougher than normal for some. Whatever extra work you might be dealing with during this time, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone in your stress and the feelings of being overworked, overwhelmed, and worried about this time never coming to an end and the worry about these feelings never going away are incredibly valid. Along with finding quick and simpler coping mechanisms among the chaos to ease some of this stress, remember that this time doesn’t last forever and that break at the end of the month that you deserve will come.

What’s this holiday season like for you work-wise? Do you feel like your workload now is more than usual? What kinds of quick and easy coping mechanisms do you have for stress relief? 

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The Problem with “Good Vibes Only”

November 25, 2019 in Be Positive

Positive thinking can be powerful. Not only does it have a beneficial effect on mental health, but studies have also shown that there are positive physical effects too when it comes to conditions such as heart disease. Besides that, positive thinking can improve your mindset, the energy you feel and give off, and how others react to you.

That’s probably why you may have seen an influx of posts, tweets, and people in general trying to encourage positive thinking. Phrases such as “good vibes only,” “choose happiness,” and “smile more” have all become popular, showing up on t-shirts, coffee mugs, and signs to put on your bedroom door. Spreading positivity, for lack of a better word, is positive, especially in a climate where most adolescents feel that mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are the biggest problems within their generation.

But here’s the thing. Encouraging only positive thinking can cause people to think that in order to be accepted, they have to push away the negative things that are bothering them and pretend that they don’t exist. If someone is going through a hard time, they simply have to “choose happiness,” change their mindset, and everything will be okay. However, if people realistically cannot do this, they can feel worse about themselves because they’re not doing positive thinking “correctly.” And while it’s good to be optimistic, one study found that only thinking positively tricks the brain that what you ultimately want has already been achieved, therefore, you’re less likely to put effort into things. 

Like most things, it’s important to find a balance in how you think and perceive the events and people around you. Only negative thinking is incredibly harmful, and only positive thinking is both impossible and can make you feel guilty (which ironically can lead to more negative thinking). One approach you can take is “mental contrasting.” Here, you first take a few minutes thinking of something you want, it happening, and how that makes you feel. After, you take a few minutes to think of the obstacles that can occur. This encourages those doing the activity to realize that the things we want aren’t guaranteed, but achievable. 

It’s totally fine to want good vibes around you and to try and surround yourself with people that give off warm, friendly energy. But what’s also important to remember is that acknowledging and feeling those negative emotions give you the opportunity to know where you need to introduce positive thinking. It’s also important to remember that both negative and positive thinking have a relationship with each other. It’s like self-care: it’s good to do positive things for yourself, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of ignoring the bad when the bad can actually be used as a supportive tool too.

What do you think about how positivity is displayed on products and on social media? Do you think a balance between positive and negative thinking is possible? How so?

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Taking a Break

November 22, 2019 in LINKS

Though we’re constantly on our computers, sometimes we need to have a brief distraction from whatever task we’re currently focusing on, whether to jump start our motivation or calm any stress that the assignment is causing. The reasons we’re working or need a distraction may vary, and just like needing distractions for different reasons, the things we seek out to relax and ease our anxiety differ from person to person.

It can be easy for these distractions to build up however, and before you know it, it’s two hours later and you’re deep into the social media feed of your choosing. The options below offer brief online distractions that shouldn’t last more than a few minutes. This way, you can get some quick me-time in before continuing with whatever task you have at hand.

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Want a complete escape?  The website Do Nothing for Two Minutes from Calm.com wants you to do exactly that for, you guessed it, two whole minutes. The timer on the screen counts down the 120 seconds against a sunset sky, and if you try to move your mouse or keyboard, the timer starts over, making sure you don’t touch your computer for the duration. Obviously, it can’t stop you from going on your phone or talking to a friend next to you, but no cheating! Whether it be staring at the calming screen or closing your eyes, these two minutes should all be about doing absolutely nothing.

Want some support? In a classic meme style, The Calming Manatee opens up to a random cute image of manatees with reassuring phrases. Think of the “Hey Girl” Ryan Gosling meme, but instead of the actor, it’s a positive aquatic animal. The red button at the bottom of the page generates a new, similar meme, providing as little or as much reassurance as you need.

Want to think about what to eat for dinner? BuzzFeed’s Tasty is the most well-known cooking channel, popular for its quick videos preparing a variety of dishes that can take hours in a couple of minutes. It’s just one of several video channels that features food preparation against an aesthetically pleasing counter and catchy music; similar channels like Spoon University was created specifically for college students, and TasteMade has a whole playlist where food is made…but miniature in a tiny “kitchen.” Be careful though, because though they are short, it’s easy to build them up and watch them in succession. And of course, it can make you really, really hungry.

What do you do for distractions when you take a break from assignments? Do you think breaks are needed, or do you prefer to completely finish your work before doing something else?

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Do Notifications Heighten Your Anxiety?

November 21, 2019 in Social Media Guide

It could be a notification about anything: a text from your best friend, an email, or a DM on Instagram. No matter what it is, getting that alert via vibration and/or ding! can send a wave of brief panic through your body, even if it’s a trivial random news notification about five new recipes to try this week.

If you ever feel those anxious symptoms when you get a notification, you’re not alone. Although people are already constantly checking their phones and usually waiting for some sort of notification, actually receiving one can send the mind spiraling. There are tons of reasons that notifications can trigger these anxious feelings. For example, you might think that an incoming text means that you did something wrong and the person texting you is calling you out on something. An email could potentially be from a professor telling you you flunked an assignment or a rejection letter from somewhere that you had applied to. You might even get anxious over the fact that a notification could be your crush liking your recent Instagram post and what that implies.

Then there’s the other side to receiving notifications. Now that someone’s reached out to you, your mind may start worrying about how to respond. If it’s not someone you don’t talk to frequently, it can be even more stressful thinking about how you respond in order to maintain whatever relationship you want to have with them. What about timing? Now that you have received the notification, would it make sense to respond right away? What if that person responded to you hours after you reached out? What does that mean about your relationship?

These moments of panic that come with receiving notifications can be triggers of social anxiety and can cause catastrophic thinking. We worry about what someone potentially has to say to us, we worry about how to respond, we fear ruining a relationship, and so on, just because of a simple bubble that appears on our lock screen.

One easy solution to avoid these feelings can be to completely disable notifications. This is definitely a possibility – it’s been tried and studied before in a “Do Not Disturb” challenge where 30 people turned off alerts for a full 24 hours. While those who participated felt less distracted and checked their phones less often, they still felt some sort of anxiety about not just missing out on communicating with others, but also felt anxiety that they were missing important or urgent information.

Not unlike temporarily deactivating apps as a way of doing a mini social media cleanse, you can turn off notifications for certain apps. If you’re in a group chat that overwhelms you, you can put them on do not disturb and check it periodically. This doesn’t mean that you’re not receiving notifications, but what it does is gives you the power to look at, respond to, and process notifications at your own pace versus feeling rushed to do so all within that millisecond that you receive a push notification.

Notifications can be fun to receive, but they can not only cause stress, but keep you glued to your phone with the hopes that you’ll receive one. Disabling them, or even some, can help ease your mind and give you more control over your phone and social media usage.

Do you have notifications disabled for any of the major social media accounts that you use? How often do you check your phone? Do you feel anxious when you receive a notification, and if so, what do you get anxious about?

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Why Self-Care Sometimes Isn’t Fun (and that’s a good thing)

November 20, 2019 in Educate Yourself

At first, “self-care” sounds pretty straightforward. You’re taking care of yourself and doing things that make you feel good about yourself. This is often associated with relaxing and the images of face masks, bath bombs, doing yoga, and reading with a cup of tea. Self-care can also include cleaning out your closet, watching your favorite show when work or homework gets too overwhelming, and, of course, “treating yourself.”

All of these things are completely valid forms of self-care (we’ve talked about a good majority of them too). However, while they feel great, self-care is not just about doing things that feel good, but are the actions you take to make sure your emotional, physical, and mental needs are being met so you can function and go about your daily routines as healthily as possible.

It’s one thing to take care of yourself and have a “me-day,” but while that feeling is great at the time, sometimes it’s only just a distraction from what’s really bothering you. And this is where self-care isn’t as fun. In order to meet those basic needs, you may have to confront the things that are upsetting you and causing mental strains that can lead to burnout, heightened anxiety, or explosions at other people from pent-up frustrations.  

Sometimes confronting these things and taking the steps to change habits and ways of thinking can be harder than we want to admit. Trying to change bad habits ranging from biting your nails to smoking are a form of self-care. Going to therapy and talking to a therapist about things you may have buried is a form of self-care. Making the effort to follow through with plans and socializing when you usually try to find ways to stay home instead is self-care. By tackling these barriers and working through things that can seem scary and difficult at first, you’re taking the steps forward in order to become a better you.

Self-care for everyone looks different. It can be both fun and terrifying. And to get a little cliche, self-care can be going out in a storm to see the rainbow that shines after.

What do you think self-care is? Have you ever had a difficult conversation or been in a difficult situation that you found actually helped you after?

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