Mental Health Monday

Attempting to Keep Away Seasonal Depression

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Cold weather is coming so you know what that means… seasonal depression.

Which if I am being honest with myself, seasonal depression comes around during any other season as well. This past summer was so miserable that I couldn’t do anything that I normally do outside because of how hot it was so that really sucked.

The past few weeks have been a whole lot better. Even though I have been sick, I have been a whole lot more productive because I haven’t been feeling so down with constant 90 degree weather

With that being said, I want to do some things this new season to try and keep the seasonal depression away.

1. Stop isolating myself.

The biggest thing I do when I feel sad is isolate myself from friends and family. I won’t want to do anything (except play games or watch TV) or really talk to anyone (even via phone). This season I am going to have myself go out and be social at least once a week. I am going to hang out with a friend at least once every 2-3 weeks.

2. Post on YouTube weekly or bi-weekly.

I want to do this because for one, it is one of my favorite hobbies. For two, I want to keep myself busy by being creative. I believe this can help my brain keep going instead of feeling so stuck. When I don’t post on YouTube it usually begins with the reasoning being I’m going through it. Going forward, my YouTube video’s main motive is going to do things that will make me happy. For instance, if it’s a regular vlog, I will choose little things to do that I know will help my mental health such as self care, journaling, cleaning, decluttering, drinking/eating something good, etc. I do also plan to do some workout challenges as well. The first one I am going to do is a two week ab challenge.

3. Write something every day.

I really love writing. I saw this post online that writers should write something every single day. Whether it be for a book you’re writing, in your journal, a letter, a blog post - anything at all. It is a good way to keep your creativeness flowing.

4. Get some morning air.

I read somewhere that the morning sun/air is the best for you than any other time of day. One thing I do like about the cold season is how the cold air wakes me up in the morning. On some mornings I am not running late, I am going to sit outside for about 5 minutes and just reflect.

5. Workout regularly.

I have been working out 2-3 times a week. I want to start working out 4-5 times a week while having active rest days. I hope to start going to the gym more often after work while also doing some workouts at home.

6. Keep a journal.

I don’t write out my feelings enough. I definitely need to do it more. Journaling is one of those things I’ll think about often, but for some reason never do. I am going to try to put into my morning and/or night routine at least every other day.

7. Get enough vitamin D.

This cold season I am definitely taking/drinking vitamin D regularly. This past November through January I was hit with a whole lot of dizziness, shakiness, nausea, and just to the point of almost passing out. Turns out, I had low vitamin D. After I got it straightened out, I didn’t have dizzy spells like that again. I try to still take vitamin D even in the summer, but I have been slacking here lately. I heard that vitamin D can have a whole lot to do with depression as well. A vitamin D a day helps keep the depression away.

8. Keep a schedule.

Lastly, I have noticed that when I don’t keep a schedule, especially a productive schedule, my life seems to spiral sometimes. I seem to be more productive in the morning time so I plan to take extra time in the morning to work on something creative - even if it’s only for 15 minutes. I am going to schedule in everything I talked about previously to try to keep most of it a daily occurrence.

Well, that’s it. Above are 8 ways I am going to try to keep the seasonal depression away this year. Do you have anything else to add? What are some of your favorite ways to keep yourself out of a funk?

Different Techniques I Have Been Trying | Mental Health Monday

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These past few months have been rough for me – which is why I was absent for a while. I felt like I was in a hole that I could not climb out of.

I slept. A lot. I would either wake up, go to the gym or work then come home and get back in bed. It was a very depressing cycle.

It got to the point where even my friends started noticing something was wrong with me. Always asking if I was OK, and if they could do anything to help; in which I always replied no.

The thing about depression is a lot of times the person who has it does not know why they have it. To my knowledge, there was not something that triggered it a few months ago. It just happened. I have a chemical imbalance in my brain and sometimes the depression just hits me like a freight train.

But finally – finally – I have been able to pull myself out of the hole I fell into. For the past two weeks, I have been doing quite well actually. I have been trying different techniques that I am going to talk about below.

At the start of the week, I have started writing out what all I want to get done by the end of the week.

On a sticky note, I write everything I want to do through the week. This list will usually include posting YouTube videos and blogs, self-care, finishing a book, movie, or tv show, and things I want to do around the house (such as clean certain areas or plant flowers). I then try to at least mark one of those off my list every day. The days I get the most done is Monday through Wednesday so I try to get as much done on those days as I can.

My best friend has started a rewarding system, and it’s working.

It all started with me wanting to take more pictures. He said that if I took xx amount of photos then he would reward me with a king-sized chocolate bar, which is my weakness. My brain then took that and ran with it. It also helps that my best friend believes in me and motivates me. The second thing we talked about is me posting YouTube videos again. This time the reward would be him coming to visit me. After not posting in so long because I was not motivated to do so, I have posted two videos in a week and a half. My goal is to post one or two videos a week.

I have been getting more fresh air.

After the gym, I have been going to a nearby outside track and walking a couple miles. I think the fresh air really helps clear my head. Fresh air is something I have severely been lacking in the winter. I truly believe in seasonal depression.

I have not been motivated all the time, but I still force myself to start.

The biggest problem I have is starting. Editing a YouTube video sucks, but when I start doing it, I’m focused on finishing it. The same thing with cleaning, reading, writing, exercising. I used to wait for motivation to strike, but now I am just forcing myself to start. That’s when I get motivated; plus my best friend encouraging me helps too. For me, motivation comes after – not before.

Do you have some things that help you stay out of a funk? Stay/get motivated?

Finding Motivation Again|Mental Health Monday #6

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2020 has definitely been a weird and long year. The events of the world has changed our lives forever.

I went into 2020 being confident that this year was going to be MY year. My year actually started out with an unusual amount of panic attacks. Honestly, I understood why I was because I was undergoing a lot of stress with my personal life and the fact that I was graduating in a few months with no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

After I graduated, my mental health went further downhill. The only things I did with my days is go to work, go to the gym, and watch Netflix – not necessarily in that order. You would have thought that going to the gym would have improved my mood, but the gym high did not last. I had been coming home and watching Netflix for hours until I went to bed.

Even though I was struggling for six months of the year,  I finally came out of my slump a week ago. Depression is weird. I can go into a depressive episode for no reason, and I can also suddenly come out of one. I told myself that I needed to be more productive, and I finally did something about it.

I’ve started doing a checklist again. I feel so accomplished when I mark something off of my checklist. This past week I have been trying to get at least half of my checklist done before I turn on Netflix. This will typically put my at starting Netflix sometime after five o’clock. Below is an example of what my typical list consists of.IMG_2455.PNG

I’m hoping this motivation stays for at least a little bit. I’m going a week strong.

Wish me luck.

Mental Health Monday #5

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The main thing I struggle with is motivation. My mind is really good at convincing me to not do something even though I know I would regret not doing it later. This happens frequently with schoolwork, getting up early, going out, working out, and meditating. I know these things will make me feel better in the long run, but I still find it hard to get myself to do it.

I did have a good week of self-care. I was pretty consistent with my morning/night routine, being productive, meditating, and even exercising.

This week is my spring break, and I am excited to enjoy my time out of school. I won’t be lazy though! I am mostly going to be working this week so I’ll have a little extra money next paycheck. I do have a ‘Spring Break 2020 Bucket List’ that I will be posting about soon. I am still going to be productive even though I am on a break.

I know that sometimes doing nothing is a form of self-care too. The only thing is that when I do nothing, even for a day, it starts to take a negative toll on my mental health. I need fresh air and positive people at least once in a 12 hour period.

These next couple of months are going to be rough. I am graduating in exactly two months. I am so scared. I am not going to get everything done. I also don’t know what I am going to do after graduation, but I am not as worried about that.

I just hope I stay sane.

I’ll update you on my sanity next Monday.

Mental Health Monday #4

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My mental health has not been good, but I am finally doing something about it. I have come to realize this past week that I do not take care of myself enough. My motivation has been almost nonexistent. I knew what things would help my mental health, but I did not have the willpower to do them.

I have decided that to try and motivate myself this week by vlogging my week of self-care. Self-care comes in many different forms. I picked out a few for this week, and I plan on doing several each day. I am making a YouTube video out of it because I am hoping it will keep me continuing to do some of the same self-care every day. Plus, I haven’t posted a YouTube video in a while.

My plan for this week is to do my morning/night routine, exercise, meditate, mindfully drink coffee, drink more water, take a walk outside, jam to music, and be productive so I won’t be stressed out later.

Today I have done quite a bit of my self-care. I got up early this morning and went to the gym. I meditated afterward. I have drank more water, but not as much as I wanted to. I will get better about it tomorrow. I mindfully drank coffee. It was nice. I was even extremely productive today! I got some schoolwork done, and I got A LOT of my internship work done. Today was actually a down day for me, but I still pushed myself to be better.

The way I feel is not going to change overnight, but I am super excited to see how this week goes. I will, of course, continue doing more self-care in the future, but making a video is certainly a much needed push.

Mental Health Monday #3 (on Wednesday)

KelliLeave a comment

Another week, another mental health Monday. You may have noticed that it is in fact, not Monday, but I was so busy (and tired) on Monday and Tuesday that I forgot all about writing a post.

This past week has been rough. My anxiety has been at an all time high. I’ve had multiple panic attacks (I’m mostly ok now though). This past week was definitely a down week for me. As I said in my last post, I did go to my counselor last Thursday. We concluded that all this happened because of my thoughts, and that is something I can work on.

Essentially, I worry too much.

She did give a few suggestions on how I can help this issue. First of all, we noticed that even when I say something positive I follow up with something negative. For example, I told her a plan how I was going to get everything done that day that I needed to, but I followed up with “well, probably. We’ll see how it goes.” I’m working on just doing what I planned to do. I have a bad habit of losing motivation.

My goal is practice not thinking so much . Overthinking, I mean. My anxiety has been so high because I overthink every little thing. The dialogue in my head is never quiet.

One thing I have not been doing even though my counselor said I should is to not drink coffee or tea. She said other things too, but coffee and tea is the only thing I drink out of what she listed. I have not stopped drinking either one of those. I know they don’t help my anxiety, but I drink one of those every single day.

I’m still trying to exercise and meditate every day because I know it would help, but it’s hard to find the motivation to do either of those.

Does anyone have self-motivation tips? Please tell me.

Also, don’t get me wrong. I do get everything done, but I want to get everything done before the last minute. I hold off doing everything, and I am thinking about it the entire time. You may think that if I worry about it all the time then I could just do it then, but it doesn’t always work that way. I can’t concentrate long enough to get most things done unless I am in a time crunch.

 

Mental Health Monday #2

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I have been super busy this past week, and I feel like this week is going to be even busier. I’m not going to lie – because of how busy and stressed I have been, I’ve had a breakdown or two. I am in my last semester of school, and it is so stressful making sure that I have everything I need to graduate.

On a positive note, I have been sticking with working out! I have worked out 5/7 days this past week. I am super proud of myself, and I hope to keep working out as I know that it makes me feel better about myself. There was a few times that I got up early and went to the gym or just worked out in my room. When I go to the gym, I try to have a list of workouts that I want to do so I won’t get there and be scratching my head on what I want to do next. In my dorm room, I have multiple different websites that I use to do workout videos. There’s beachbody (not free), blogilates (free), YouTube (free), and FitOn (free).

The reason I’m talking about working out so much is because it has helped me so much. As I think I said in my last Mental Health Monday post, I have noticed that exercise and meditation have helped me become happier.

Doing those things aren’t the only thing I have been doing. Since last semester, I have been going to counseling at my health center on campus (so it’s free). I feel like I have made progress. My counselor helps me realize that the thoughts I have are “irrational” – my words, not hers. I actually have a session this Thursday so I will let you know how that goes! My main problem is that I have a negative way of thinking. While I have come a LONG way, I still have a long way to go.

Here are some things I want to work on this week:

1. be more social/get out of my comfort zone

2. work out regularly

3. use less negative language toward myself

4. be more mindful

5. eat healthier

Do you have any goals for this week? How are you going to practice self-care?

 

Mental Health Monday #1

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On Instagram, I follow the hashtag “#Mentalhealthmatters” because I love reading motivational quotes and people’s stories. I was scrolling through my Instagram earlier when I see a guy that had ‘Mental Health Monday #2’ as the start of his caption. (His insta is nickfituk). This post struck me differently than the others. Every Monday he is going to post a blog about mental health, and that is what I decided I wanted to do too. (You should join in on Mental Health Monday also!)

Mental health is a part of everyone. Sometimes it can be good mental health, but then sometimes it can be bad. I’ve dealt with a lot of bad mental health in my life. I don’t always know why it is there. It just shows up in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, I think I am slowly getting out of an episode. I have been more productive and slightly happier these last few weeks. I think I mostly needed a break from school. I was severely isolating myself.

For 2020, my main goal is to take care of myself better. Sometimes I get so frustrated with  myself because I know things that would make me feel better, but I talk myself out of doing them anyway.

Two of the main things that improves my mood is exercise and meditation. Exercising has been a bit more difficult here lately because every time I run, I feel like passing out. I’ve been dealing with a sinus problem since November (and yes, I’ve been to the doctor). There are other workouts that I can still do, I am just still trying to force myself into a routine. I want to start getting up early and working out/meditating.

I am hoping writing this post motivates me to do better. I will update you on if it did or not next Monday!