With the hustle and bustle of daily life we sometimes forget to unwind and look after ourselves. For a few days myself and my boyfriend have been away to a woodlands near York to help us escape and unwind for a few days.
It was especially important for me to do this as for some reason my anxiety levels have been very high recently. I noticed how much it was effecting me and knew I needed to do some self care. When you’re constantly on edge and struggle to switch off because your mind is overthinking and overcomplicating situations it’s no fun. I think it’s especially important for people who have hidden differences to take some time out and relax as our brains are working 10x harder than everyone else.
Being so determined can mean our brains get very frazzled at times and given the visual nature of our way of thinking make sleeping hard. But for me the hardest thing has always been forcing myself to realise that it’s not selfish to look after myself or look after my own mental health and wellbeing. I always feel so guilty like I should always be on call helping other people with their struggles in life and putting myself bottom of the pile. When things get all too much it’s important to find things which work for you, these might be advice from a counsellor or therapist, medications although this is a very personal decision, and methods which work for you.
Relaxing and switching off
Here’s some strategies which I have found helpful:
Having a few hours completely social media free
Taking some time out to have a bath, paint nails, read a book.
Getting outside and enjoying nature and breathing in the fresh air.
Trying to rationalise my thoughts as best as I can
Taking 5 minutes out if I feel very anxious or overwhelmed in a situation to get myself together.
Realising it’s ok not to be ok sometimes and not beat myself up for feeling bad.
Realising it’s not selfish to look after myself.