Balancing school, work, relationships, and family can be very hard especially on students. There are days you will find yourself worrying in bed or zoned out during conversations due to that overwhelming and annoying voice in your head called overthinking. Personally, it is hard when you are such a huge overthinker, as it can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. As a college student as well, those feelings get in the way of completing important tasks related to school or family. When these emotions start to get hard, it is vital you have a set group of friends that can help you through it, or that you engage yourself in an activity that can help reduce your stress and bring you back to the present.
Being able to pick up the phone and text a friend can help repress those overthinking feelings that lead to an anxious mindset. Having a friend that you can hang out with will help brighten up your mood in so many ways. I’ve found that the best way to help combat these feelings of anxiety and depression is to do your favorite activities that make you happy. Whether that be staying in and watching a movie or going out and partaking in some well needed retail therapy, it is a step closer to helping you destress and calm yourself down. Personally, having a retail therapy day with friends has always helped brighten my mood and being able to go out, get coffee, and chat is such a good mood booster to myself and my mental health.
Something that has been super popular for helping gather all those anxious and worrisome thoughts is journaling. Journaling is a way to manage your stress, where you can write down your thoughts and feelings and take some weight off your shoulders. You can write about anything you feel has caused you specific stress to help you deal with it, or you are able to write about anything you want that will help you take your mind off those feelings of stress and anxiety. Journaling has helped me tremendously. Being able to jot down all my thoughts and feelings has helped me express my emotions and understand them. Journals that give random topics also have helped a lot. Being able to think outside the box and write about fun ideas such as traveling is a great way to get your mind flowing and helps fight those anxious thoughts.
Relaxing music, essential oils, and eating your favorite snacks can bring you a sense of serotonin. I believe it is a great way to reduce your anxious feelings as well. Being able to hear, smell, and eat all your favorite things is such a great way to bring a little bit of relief back into your mind and help you relax and keep a positive mindset. In general, being able to do anything to help keep your mind off those irksome thoughts will help you combat your anxiety fast and efficiently. Try going for a walk to breathe some fresh air, read a book where your mind can get lost in a different world, eat some good and nutritious food that will make you happy, or clean and declutter to alleviate some of that anxiety from your mind and body.
Having a morning routine can help your anxiety from piling up on you. Being able to stick to a routine and practice it every day will bring calmness into your life. Some tips for a morning routine include stretching your body when you wake up, drinking a large glass of water, practicing meditation, and breathing, and opening your windows. These small actions can help uplift your energy quickly, and help your anxiety calm down. Having a predictable and repetitive routine in the morning will help reduce those feelings of stress and help with depression by creating structure in your everyday life.
If you ever find yourself in a position where you are dealing with anxiety, take up one of the tips or activities that can help ease your thoughts and bring a sense of relief and happiness back into your mind and body. Remember to call up a friend or loved one to not feel alone and feel like the world is against you. At the end of the day keeping a positive mindset will help you battle constant anxiety and depression. Take life one step at a time and enjoy all the little things life has to offer with those you love.
Amazon links to amazing journaling books that include prompts to help get your mind creatively flowing are linked below. Additionally, some Spotify playlist that personally have helped me through feelings of anxiety are linked below as well.