How to Reduce Anxiety in These Trying Times

I am so excited to be featuring Pooja as a guest writer on my blog. Pooja writes on lifestyle, travel, mental health, beauty, blogging advice, six word stories, and inspirational posts along with other occassional posts. Click on the link at the end of this post to check out her blog.

Hope you enjoy this post.

How To Reduce Your Anxiety In These Trying Times

Anxiety is something that a lot of people are forced to live with and the situation we are faced with currently has given a lot of people symptoms of anxiety. It is obviously no surprise that people are anxious at the moment but there are some ways that can help reduce your anxiety:

One step at a time- I think it’s important to take everything one step at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself whether it’s with the news, changing your routine or anything else. Overwhelming yourself can really increase your anxiety and so can sudden change. Even if it’s not possible to completely maintain your routine try to maintain it to an extent and try to keep yourself busy and distracted.

Yoga and meditation- Yoga and meditation can make a huge difference for anxiety and mental health in general. It can really help you stay calmer even during anxiety inducing situations. However, yoga and meditation like most alternative medicine/therapy does take longer to work then medication. You have to do yoga and meditation for a few weeks before you start to see the results but if done correctly and long term it can make a huge difference. There are also a lot of resources online that will help you out if you are a beginner and aren’t quite sure how to start out.

Breathing exercises- Like yoga and meditation, breathing exercise can be a very helpful alternative to medication. Some breathing exercises can actually work instantly to stop panic attacks and reduce anxiety. There is a lot of information on different types of breathing exercises online and you can try multiple to see which ones work for you.

Surround yourself with positivity- Negativity can really impact your mental health and with everything that’s on the news right now it’s important to not let yourself fall down that hole and get obsessed with negative news. Although it’s important to keep yourself informed it’s also important to not let the negativity overwhelm you. Try to also surround yourself with something positive- read inspiring stories, listen to positive music, read inspirational quotes.

Seek professional help- If you feel really overwhelmed and feel as though you are finding it difficult to deal with it on your own please seek professional help. Therapy can make a huge difference and can really help you deal with your anxiety in a healthy manner.

I want to thank Onome for letting me post on her blog! If you enjoyed this post feel free to come over to my blog www.lifesfinewhine.com for more mental health posts.

How to Set Healthy Boundaries in a Relationship and feel much happier

Our relationships should be protected by setting healthy boundaries.  You need to establish boundaries because of the need to have balance in your relationships. We have various beliefs and values that might come in the way of a friendship/romantic relationship. It is important that our feelings are expressed clearly to our partners, friends, family members, and even Co-workers. 

You should not feel the need to compromise your standards because you want to please the other person in the relationship. That would only cause dysfunction in the relationship and lead to an unhealthy relationship. Once there is a mutual understanding however, there are respect and space for a relationship to thrive. Let’s look at some ways that you can set healthy boundaries in your relationship and feel much happier.

1. Identify your boundaries before setting them – It’s important to take time to know those things that might cause an issue in the relationship. Evaluate and look at those areas that you need to work out with your friend, or partner. 

2. Communicate the small things –Define your boundaries no matter how you might feel about it.  The little things count. For instance, you may need to tell your friend to work on their manner of approach when resolving issues in the relationship. Maybe they may not realize how they act, however, pointing it out to them will provide clarity and reduce misunderstandings.

3. Let go of your fear of being judged – We are all born differently and it is totally okay to be different. This does not give us permission to act in a certain way that may be detrimental to the well-being of others, but it means we can be our true and authentic self. Don’t shrink back in fear that people might judge you for being yourself, instead, express yourself boldly.

4. Give space for correction – After setting your boundaries, allow a few mistakes. It takes time to see results immediately after setting boundaries. Don’t get irritated when it seems as though your boundaries are not being respected. Instead, keep reiterating it until you notice a positive change.

5. Be Firm – Stay through to the course to see that the boundaries you have set are followed. It can be easy to overlook your set boundaries because it might look too hard for the other person. However, follow through to maintain your stands.

Healthy relationships must thrive on setting healthy boundaries. As an individual, you might feel that overlooking things will make your relationship work. However, you are responsible for your life, and you have the right to define boundaries in your relationships.  Don’t compromise your authentic self because of fear. While you give space for correction,  utilize your power to keep speaking about the reasons for setting your boundaries to provide clarity in the relationship. 

Take these steps today and You will realize how dramatically your relationships improve.

How to Eliminate Insomnia and Maintain better sleeping habits

Sleep is one of the essential parts of mental health.  It is compulsory that you develop an excellent sleeping habit to be in a good mental state.  You might think that sleeping less than 7-8 hours a day would not affect your body functions. However, this will make your health deteriorate. The good news is that you can change this by improving your sleeping habits.  Below are some steps to eliminate insomnia and achieve better sleeping habits.

1. Keep your rooms Ventilated- There are many factors to be considered before you sleep. This includes the amount of Carbon dioxide (CO2).  A study shows that when the concentration of CO2 is high, it affects the body and causes thinking, coordination, and sleep deprivation. You must ensure that your room has enough air to have a comfortable sleep.

2. Turn off gadgets that generate blue light- Our body receives signals from our phones, laptops, iPads, or devices that have blue light in them.  This blue light reduces sleepiness.  Once the eye detects the source of light, sleep is affected.  Staying away from your phone, or TV screen before bedtime is an effective way to get better sleep.

3. Include sports in your preparation for bedtime – Exercising an hour or two before bedtime is a great way to fall asleep. A study shows that 8 weeks of aerobic exercise can significantly increase sleep quality in middle-aged women. Other studies have shown that there is a tremendous improvement in sleep quality in men and women after physical activities.

4. Declutter your mind- Sitting back and clearing up your mind with careful meditation or soothing music right before you sleep increases sleep quality. Journaling might also be a creative way to get your feelings out.  Rather than going over the same negative thoughts repeatedly, you can use these methods to make get rid of those thoughts.

5. Pay attention to your beddings – Ensure that your foam is comfortable for sleep. Using bed sheets for a long time without washing them might not produce a pleasant sleep. If you need to change your bed sheets and pillowcases, before bedtime, don’t hesitate to do it. 

6. Avoid eating heavy meals before bedtime – Your body needs enough space for digestion before sleep. This improves your sleep quality. Alternatively, you could eat healthy foods such as a banana, an apple, or energy bars. However, this must be done a few hours before bedtime.  Ideally, 4 hours before bedtime is the best time eat for easy digestion.

7. Practice a routine – What are your favourite things to do before sleep?  A long bath? Brushing your teeth, or reading one of your favourite books? Find out what works best for you and practice it consistently before bedtime.

These are the building blocks to get you to experience a positive impact on your sleeping quality. With consistent practice, you will notice a dynamic change in your mental health. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you need to put in the effort to see the change happen. Cheering for you as you apply these steps to your daily life.

A Fresh Start

Before we go into the main content of this post, I will briefly share a little about myself. I have always been fascinated by the art of writing and telling stories. I had demonstrated my interest in reading literature and writing poetry from a young age. Writing is a form of expressing myself in words.

I have a deep love for spirituality. Having been influenced by Christianity from a young age, I can boldly say that it is an integral part of me that I cannot live without. My faith is not only based on what I have heard, or seen, but based on personal revelations with God. It is truly sweet to know Christ.

Also, I have a strong desire to know more about mental health, and this started when I discovered how deprived I was of emotional peace. I used to wonder why I easily got offended, and emotionally disturbed while performing simple daily activities such as doing the house chores or running errands for my family. I recall snapping at every little thing. At first, it seemed like I could outgrow it, however it grew worse. I realized that something was wrong. Being bullied from a young age caused me to be terrified in speaking up for myself because I felt what I had to say was not relevant. I began to lose my self-confidence. This affected my outlook on life. It took a great deal of vulnerability to share my stories with other people and take baby steps to start healing. In the midst of this, I found Jesus and one way of letting my heart out. That was writing. A pen and a book seemed to do the magic. I decided I could share some of my stories with others through writing to inspire one or two persons out there that you can achieve anything you are set to do irrespective of your mental state or your health history. This was part of my reasons for starting this blog.

It took a huge amount of time to decide if I was going to start this blog. I had wondered if I was good enough, or had enough to share. I struggled so many times to find the conviction of the Holy Spirit to help me launch this blog. It was that intense.  Until I decided that I was going to make a move, and even if it did not work as I expected, I would know that I tried than not trying at all.

I believe that I am on a journey of rediscovery where I am knowing who I am in Christ. I have seen God’s love and how he has transformed my life into a testimony. I was once lost in religion rather than his love. Once I started opening up to him about my life, he started to show me how to live well.

Through the course of this blog, I will share some ways on how you can grow in faith and live your life to its fullest potential. I would like to add that I am not perfect. Just like every other Christian, I find difficulties in trusting God sometimes but I believe God has called each of us to spread the word, hence I choose to be obedient by being a vessel.

Also, you will understand some basic ways in which you can navigate your mental health and get more familiar with mindfulness through valuable insights that will be shared from some of my experiences.

You will also go through the journey of how to improve on the standard of your life and become a better person through tools I have used (Still using) for my personal growth.

Ultimately, I am positive that you will learn a thing or two from the blog. I promise to bring you relevant content as much as I can. You can expect a post from me every week at least until I get more familiar with this blogging thing. I appreciate you for coming this far in reading this post. Please subscribe to get news updates on upcoming content, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Stick with me, and stay blessed.

Love,

Onome Erikewe

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