Aubrey Cline, blogger
Sometimes keeping-up with your mental health is difficult. As college students, we all experience a range of ups and downs that affect our mental health at the end of the day. From the big class assignments we may have forgotten to turn-in, the quarrels we may have with our roommates or significant others from time-to-time, to the events of the long-awaited weekend rage; our mental health is at a cost. Now, that might sound scary to some – the cost of making our brains ‘happy,’ however this looks different for everyone. What works for your friends’ mental health might not be what works for you and that is OK! Knowing where to start is what is most important. Below are some mental health tactics that I personally use when things get tough – whether that be in my academic life, my personal life, or simply if I am just ‘meh.’
Logging onto Spotify and listening to my favorite podcasts. Listening to a podcast is definitely my main-squeeze. To me, listening to a podcast that mainly talks about a specific detail of what I am feeling or experiencing gives me the absolute feeling that I am not alone in what I am going through. Above all, I can relate to what I am listening to, I can disagree, I can form opinions, I can cry it out, and clean it up all while not saying a word to anyone else. Although I do believe talking to someone you trust, eventually, is a good mental health tactic, this is a good way to start forming clear thoughts about your feelings before you are ready to take that step.
Some podcasts that I have been listening to:
Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
On My Mind with Ava Jules
Aware and Aggravated with Leo Skepi
The Holistic Hippie with Jessi Hoey
Talking to someone I trust. Like I said above, this step comes when you are absolutely ready. Sometimes when we are hurt, upset, and caught in the moment of what those feelings are for us we can ‘word-vomit’ to the wrong people and potentially hurt others feelings and/or say things we do not mean. As humans, we are not perfect. I have done this – I am sure you will do this. It really takes patience and practice to get to a place where you can mute in the moment reactions and save them for the people we trust sharing our feelings with.
Taking a walk/going to the gym. If you are someone that feels like you need to physically work-out or walk-out your feelings; this tactic is perfect. For myself, being able to get out my feelings and build my confidence at the same time wears out the physical tenseness I feel when I am upset or angry. Put your gym playlist on or another favorite, a podcast, or take in the peace that silence offers.
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