Feeling Anxious? You Are Not Alone.

Taking care of your mental health is SO important! 

Looking back on all that I’ve come through and all that I have endured – one thing I can say is anxiety is a real thing for me. Some days it is worse than others, but I have found myself in dark spots and really confused on what to do or how to get myself into a better state. After learning that this was a thing for me, I learned ways to work on it – but all I have to say is no matter what individuals look like on the outside, you may never know what is going on internally. I can be realllllllly good at putting a smile on my face – which most of the time I am in good spirits, but some days it’s called “faking it til you make it.” 

Realistically, anxiety was never really a major issue for me until about my senior year of high school, but it got really bad in the heat of nursing school. I found myself nervous and seeking out answers about almost everything whether it had to do with school or personal relationships, I was just overall nervous about everything. One of my biggest “symptoms” is that I would be 100% fine and then all of sudden it would be like a freight train was sitting on my chest and tears would just start flowing for literally no reason, or so I thought it was for no reason… Also, typically it is something I can’t hide because I get these massive red blotches all over my neck and chest. Embarrassing! It is like screaming out to others that something internally was wrong but I just didn’t want to talk about it. 

After a few occurrences of this, I’ve realized it’s SO SO important to take care of yourself. Let it out. Find who or what your outlet is. I have a few people in my life that I know at any moment I could reach out to and be like, I’m not okay, and they are really good at bringing me back to the ground. 

So that’s the first step in figuring out what works best for you whether you struggle with small or large anxieties and/or depression. Find those who you can count on – small circles are good. Really. Everyone always says you need about 3-5 people to count on consistently, and I 100% can speak truth to that. Do not get me wrong, I have SO many close & distant friends, but it’s very important to find those select few you can reallllly count on. 

Step two. Find an outlet. Figure out activities that will immediately put aside what’s causing you to be anxious or feel off. For me, that’s the gym. I know at any moment that I am feeling off or am really worked up about something, I’ll take myself straight to the gym which then really helps get me a clear head. 

Step three. Take some time for yourself. Reflect on yourself. What’s going well, what is not. Think about everything you have been going through. These could be small or big trials and tribulations and work through each of them one small step at a time. Figure out ways to resolve these steps and what is going to make you feel the most content in terms of your own personal self. Spending time alone or in your own thoughts can be the hardest thing to do, but it is also the most helpful because realistically you are the only one who can separate yourself out of what you are dealing with. 

Step four. Talk to God. In my lowest moments, I usually open up my bible app and get to reading. (The app is super helpful because you have it with you anywhere you go, so it doesn’t matter what is going on it’s right there). Pray. Pray about what’s happening. Talk to Him like a friend and you’ll realize He is your friend too.

All in all, mental health struggles look SO different for everyone. We all come from very different backgrounds and our daily lifestyles look very different for everyone. So this is just a reminder to take care of yourself. Think about what you are feeling and take action. Look out for others and just be kind to those around you. You may never know what’s going on internally.