DEREK’S DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals. My blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental illness. Thank you!
Hello, all!
I may be a little loopy with today’s post, because I received my second dose of vaccine – Moderna – today. Well, no more loopy than usual LOL. So, please bear with me.
Anyway, I wanted to delve a little into stress, which is such a LENGTHY topic, and we could be here for days talking about it . But I do believe that stress can give way to all sorts of mental problems and unwellness. I know that when I am stressed, my mind can certainly play tricks on me, as the rap song suggests. I am not necessarily talking paranoia, but I do believe that when one is stressed, all sorts of thoughts can enter your mind. Depending on what the stress is or the root cause – i.e. perhaps you have lost your job – well, certainly from that the following thoughts can occur:
- Will I be thrown out of my house or apartment?
- Will I be able to find another job?
- Will I go hungry?
- Will I be living in the streets, i.e. will I be homeless?
- What will people THINK of me now that I have no job?
- Will I be able to support myself? My family?
And so on and so forth. Gosh, I don’t know about you, but I got stressed just THINKING about all of that!!! PHEW!!!
You are thinking – and/or obsessing – about whatever the situation is that is causing the stress. You are thinking about it over and over AND over again, ad nauseum to the point of your body feeling that tension, your mind racing. Gosh, your mind can be something else, can’t it? It can certainly be a tricky little bugger.
What I would like to know is how do you handle YOUR stress? I admit I sometimes go for the unhealthier habits, such as pouring myself a drink or my personal favorite — FOOD!!!! I am trying, however, to shift to meditation or music or simply sitting quietly. Not the easiest when the THOUGHT of that cheeseburger is so damn tempting!!
Oy! But sometimes I just sleep, and I think that is okay to “sleep on it.” I am not suggesting staying in bed all day, but I have found that if I just take a nap or go to bed, I am a bit clearer on what to do and how to handle the situation. Again, that is what works for me.
What works for YOU?
And let’s go there. I know that people turn to drugs, sex, alcohol, pornography, the less healthy choices. There is NO JUDGMENT HERE! This life is NOT EASY, as we all know by now. But let’s face it, stress is a “normal” part of life, darn it. Stress to pay the bills. Stress to do your job. Hell, stress to KEEP YOUR JOB. Stress to get through this damn pandemic. Stress to — well, you get the picture.
But we do not have to let it win!!!!
Now. Stop. Let’s all breathe. Breathing deeply, as I am learning, is one to halt everything in that moment and just focus on that. This can be a great way to refocus and calm down. Try it. Tell me what you think.
That’s it for today’s post. I hope you found some value from it. By all means, please comment and tell me your thoughts. Until the next time!
Take care and be mentally well!
