A to Z of coping skills

 Hey readers,

I think more then ever we need to look after our mental health especially as we are going through a lockdown. 

I have devised A to Z list of coping skills that may be of use. I use some more than others so you have to test out what works for you. 

The key message in this post is to make time for you and look after your mental health. 

A - be assertive - learn the art of saying no without feeling guilty. 

B - breathing is so important and as someone who suffers from panic attacks learning to use your lungs fully will really help calm you down when you are panicking. 

C - call a relative or friend that you can talk to about the way you are feeling. 

D - Distractions are fantastic to give your mind a break and gives you the chance to think about something else. 

E - exercise is a great way to burn off some of the frustrations and can make you feel better that you are doing something positive for you.

F - be flexible with your thinking and options. 

G - gratitude list is a great method to try to focus on positive aspects of your life. 

H - healthy eating can help a lot by having a balance and nurtures diet. 

I - ignore people who are annoying you, focus on people who believe in you. 

J - jumping can help as a form of exercise such as a trampoline.

K - keep it simple, don't make it complicated and appreciate the small things.

L - laughter is a beautiful thing and watching a stand-up comedian or funny videos on the internet can really take your mind off things to smile. 

M - meditation is a technique where you can focus on here and now and train your mind to stop wandering off. 

N - Get out in nature as it is so good for your mental health and can give you some enjoyment. 

O - go outside which I know during lockdown is hard. But you can walk once a day for exercise and that will help massively for your mental health. 

P - Getting in the habit of positive self-talk can be really useful to help you train your mind to think more positive. It is hard work but sticks with it and it makes a big difference. 

Q - quiet time is important because it gives you time to recuperate and relax.

R - read a positive quote can help make you think of happy things in life.

S - brainstorm some solutions - just by writing out ideas can help clear your mind. 

T - tension exercise is great if your get was anxious and relax your muscles. There are lots of videos on Youtube that can run through how to do step by step. 

U - understand that feelings are ok and you are human and feeling like this is ok. But remember feelings change all the time. You are in control of your thoughts and have the choice to listen to them or not. 

V - visualise on a board with things you want in your life can be a therapeutic activity to do. You can look back when you need to see positive aims that you want to achieve.

W - write your feelings in a journal, it can be a simple as writing one positive thing that has happened in the day. 

X - exhale out all the bad stuff and breathe in all the good stuff.

Y - yell as loud as you can into your pillow.

Z - zone out and relax whether it be with a book or a movie, something that you can focus on other than your own thoughts. 

Hope this has been helpful. Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X

You know your skint when...

Hey readers,

Sometimes now and again we all worry about money. I have been totally skint but I am so lucky to not have to be in this situation. I am truly grateful for being in a more comfortable position.

 Here is what I experienced when I was totally skint for months due to poor health.

1. You raid the 1p money jar.

2. You watch more TV than normal because you can't afford to do fun things. 

3. You dread it when someone wants to go for a coffee and become anti-social.

4. You live of value food.

5. Choosing between food and electricity.

6. Sleeping the day away because of your cold and hungry.

7. Not sleeping because you're scared of how to survive off your income.

8. Nicking the toilet roll from local college because you can't afford it.

9. You were your coat at home because it is freezing. 

10. So thankful for Freecycle or else I wouldn't have been able to afford a bed.

11. You use brown tape to cover the hole on your shoe because you can't afford a new pair of shoes. 

12. You water down milk and hope no one notices. 

13. You hate the middle of the month as you worry about how you will survive till the end of the month. 

14. You live of pasta. 

15. If you are totally skint then eating toilet paper is the alternative. 

16. You use washing up liquid as a substitute for shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. 

17. You youtube how to sort out holes in your clothes.

18. You go to your local library because it is free and warm during wintertime.

19. You heart sinks when it is Christmas around the corner or any other time which involves having to find extra funds. 

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday photo 10/01/2021

Depression is...

Hey readers,

Here are some of the ways that depression affects me. I wanted to share them with you to raise awareness of the deliberating condition which I know a lot of people suffer with. You are not alone. 

1. Feeling too much.

2. Feeling nothing but flatness.

3. Crying over kindness.

4. Hating oneself so much.

5. Physically feeling sick. 

6. Wanting desperately to vanish.

7. Wishing I was dead.

8. Lying in bed all day and not got the energy to move.

9. Looking at the walls and losing track of time.

10. Being in a crowded room and feeling so alone.

Emptiness.

11. Angry at everything.

12. Feeling stuck.

13. Recalling memories.

14. Doubting everything.

15. Reflecting everything

16. Wanting to sleep forever.

17. Hating your spouse because they can just get up and go.

18. Denying it all.

19. Jealousy.

20. Laughing so hard you're neurotic.

21. Moving from one extreme to the next.

22. Obsessing about the what if's.

23. Isolating.

24. Alone.

25. Hopelessness.

26. Despair.

27. Fatigued.

28. Insomniac.

29. Loss.

30. No desire for anything.

31. Memory loss. 

32. Lack of sleep.

33. Loss of appetite.

 

34. Eating too much. 

35. Feeling scared. 

36. Low sex drive.

37. Recklessness.

38. Difficulty speaking clearly.

39. Avoiding social situations. 

40. Feeling guilty.

41. Dependance of drugs/alcohol. 

42. Negativity. 

43. Thoughts of suicide. 

44. Losing meaning on anything. 

45. Not bothering with your appearance. 

46. Finding it hard to maintain any type of relationship you have.

47. Self-harm.

48. Wishing you were nether been born. 

48. Poor hygiene. 

49. Find it hard to concentrate on ordinary things such as watching TV. 

50. Hiding from it all.

If your reading this and struggling there are places that can offer support. Below are free phone numbers you can call that will listen. 

Shout. 

You can text Shout with the word ‘SHOUT’ on 85258, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text support service for people who need mental health support. For more information visit Give us a shout.

Samaritans

 The Samaritans phone line is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you can call anytime on 116 123. For more information visit Samaritans.

Mind.

 Leading mental health charity Mind has all kinds of resources on their websites, including guides and practical tips for coping. The Mind  For more information visit Mind.

NHS.

 The NHS website offers resources for people to help identify how they are feeling and where to get urgent help if necessary. It has a series of mental wellbeing audio guides to help you boost your mood as well as lots of information on depression, anxiety and more. For more information visit NHS.

Cheers for reading. X

How to save time when moving house.

Moving house can be stressful, as there are a lot of things to think about, however, there are some tips to be able to save time.

How to save time when moving house.

It’s always a source of stress and anxiety for people to make a big move. In this case, the move is litteral.

There are a lot of things to think about when moving. Listing those things in a to-do list can be helpful and has actually been proven to help relieve stress for movers.

It is advised to list things in the correct order.

What to think about when moving house

It is a stressful process. Which is why at Switch Plan they have advised on ways to save time when moving house.

Here is a list of useful tips:

• make a list of task in order of priority

• take them a day at a time

• take enough time to get everything settles

• think about leaving the house you live in now in terms of tasks, and then when those are done, think about the tasks required to move somewhere new

What about energy suppliers?

That’s a great question.

Setting up gas and electricity in your new home is not something to take lightly. And it should absolutely be on top of your priorities in your list.

There are two main cases:

You want to keep your energy supplier, or you want to switch.

If you decide to switch, it is advised to ask the help of a team of experts. At Switch Plan, they can guide you through the process of switching suppliers, even starting with helping you figure out if it is the right option for you.

They can:

• reevaluate your bills and your offer

• compare it to other offers you could subscribe to

• help you save money if need be

• guide you through the process of switching

You can learn some more about switching energy suppliers in this article.

How to save time

It is by using a platform who is filled with trained professionals that you will save the most time. 

They guide you through the process of changing suppliers should you choose to, or they guide you in keeping the same but notifying them of your move.

Spending time talking to customer services can be annoying and stressful.

The same way it is wise to use a moving truck to take care from start to finish of your move, you can use some help to take care of the rest.

Switch Plan will help you notify your energy supplier of the end of your contract on the day of your moving. They also guide you through notifying a new energy supplier or the same one of the start of your new contract and where and when it should start.

This way you can move in being rested and assured you will have all of your boxes and all the energy access you need as soon as you walk in the door.

Why New Year resolutions are bad!

Hey readers,

Well, it's finally 2021 if you hadn't noticed. All across social media and on the telly there is the whole idea of 'New Year, New Me' message. I personally think New Year's resolutions are a waste of time. 

Here are some reasons why New Year's resolutions are pointless. 

1. High expectations. 

I think a lot of people aim high with their goal setting which in turn means most of the time it is unachievable. Therefore makes you more like to want to quit within a couple of weeks.

This can be damaging to your mental health and could potentially cause destructive behaviour eg to want to lose 2/3 lbs a week. Then you don't achieve that goal for whatever reason because let's face it the average a person can lose is about a pound per week is much more achievable.

You set the high goals then means when you don't achieve the goal can cause you to feel negative and hopeless. Therefore resulting in the risk of wanting to cause damage by binge eating to comfort yourself.

I know I have done this in the past and then what happened was I actually but more weight on.

Obviously now I am not into dieting to lose weight for me it is more about my relationship with food. But it was a simple example to use. 

2. Pressure. 

There is too much pressure with New Year's resolutions - we aim high and want to get to goal so fast that we forget to remember that sometimes changing behaviour takes time, you make mistakes you learn and move forward.

The moment we fail we think that is it but you know what life is not linear and sometimes mistakes and that is the best way to learn.

This is because we set the bar so high and expect behaviour at a certain time. If we don't get what we aim for then it causes us to feel demotivated as a direct response in the all or nothing attitude. 

3. Restriction. 

This is because we restrict ourselves to the extreme that it means you constantly trying to tell your self you can't have anything which is more harmful.

Teaching yourself moderation is much more important and learn to reduce things in small steps rather than one great big no.

What do you think about New Year's resolutions? Do you like them or dislike? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below.

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday photo 03/01/2021