Mental Health Archives - Page 4 of 12

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Anxiety & Self Care

Morning you beautiful people! Today I present to you a guest post by the talented Josephine from Crazy Whole Life. Five years ago I would have laughed at the idea that I would be diagnosed with anxiety. A huge part of my identity was that I was someone who didn’t stress. I was the peacemaker in our family, the responsible oldest child, and the calm eye of every hurricane. So when I started having anxiety symptoms I assumed I was having a heart attack (one that went on for days, weeks, and then months). I went so far as to see a cardiologist, who declared my heart the healthiest in her office. She then began listing every symptom I had experienced in the previous six months. Yes, I said, yes, that too! When she was done she told me that those weren’t the symptoms of someone with heart trouble, but…

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Intrusive Thoughts and Obsessive Thought Loops

What’s an intrusive thought? An intrusive thought is an unwelcome involuntary thought, image, or unpleasant idea that may become an obsession, is upsetting or distressing, and can feel difficult to manage or eliminate.* We all have intrusive thoughts, although it’s something we don’t talk about because of embarrassment, shame, and well, guilt. They range from things like wanting to break everything when you’re walking by the dishes in Target, thinking you have a deadly disease because your stomach hurts, or replaying an event in your head over and over again. There are darker intrusive thoughts too. Thoughts like hurting the people you care about, even your kids, or going over a bridge and wanting to drive your car off of it – can you believe that those thoughts are normal and lots of people have them? Seriously! Brains are weird. Most people have those fleeting thoughts, and that’s all they are – fleeting.…

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Being Mentally Prepared For The Winter Months

It’s officially winter so I wanted to take some time to talk about how we can take care of our mental health. The impact of the winter on mental health can be greater than at other times of the year. Several factors can be causing this change such as shorter days and lack of sunshine. So, if you are someone who is struggling with this time of year then here are some suggestions for you to help you through a tough period. If your mental health is not affected by the winter then still read on because there are still some great suggestions! Coping Finding ways to cope with an increase in mental health issues is the most important thing to do. As soon as you notice symptoms, amp up your self-care! People who face difficulties with their mental health should keep coping mechanisms recorded somewhere so that they know they…

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My Favorite Winter ASMR Scenes

One of the gifts from the Gods as far as my anxiety is concerned are ASMR videos (ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response and it’s a euphoric experience that is usually triggered by visual and digital stimulus.) and ambient noise videos. When I get really anxious I start to have a sensory meltdown. Certain noises bother me and create anxiety but usually the worst part is silence. I can’t handle silence. It becomes a compulsive need to have some sort of sound around me and when it stops? I honestly feel like I’m about to have a panic attack. Thankfully my anxiety hasn’t been that bad in a while, but I still love these videos just because they’re relaxing or they provide good background noise when I’m working and don’t want to be overly distracted. If you have difficulty sleeping you might try listening to one to wind down to…

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