How to take a break and preserve your mental health
By: Bisola (Bisy) Busari
Happy World Mental Health Day!
When things get overwhelming, days like this remind us to take time to disconnect and check in on our mental health. Just like most, I’ve struggled with my own mental health, and found that it is really hard to juggle the constant stress of being a student. In my struggle, I found myself looking for ways to help with my mental health, and I can say from experience, I have successfully found my own healthy ways to take a break or address the feelings I felt. So, today, I present to you: 5 things to help you disconnect!
Before I deep dive into the list, I would like to tell you that you are not alone in your hard times, because whether you know me or not, I am rooting for you from the sidelines! Now, some of these problems may be a bit bigger, and taking a break may not be the best way to solve it, so if you need any more help with your mental health, do not shy away from speaking to someone who can help you.
If any of your issues are a lot more than you can handle alone, feel free to contact these numbers/resources:
Suicide help line - 9-8-8
Good2talk - 1-866-925-5454
ConnexOntario - 1-866-531-2600
Take time to breathe:
Your breathing is actually one of the best ways to calm yourself down. It may sound crazy, but when you constantly have something stressful troubling your mind, taking a breath in and out, helps to remind you of the present moment. For me, breathing reminds me that hard times will pass, just like the breath leaving my lungs when I breathe out. So, take time to breathe.
The best way to do breathing exercises is to find a quiet space, and sit or stand in one place. Slow movement, like swaying, can help lots and make you feel a bit calmer, but if that’s not for you, be still. Allow the sounds around you to drown out and just breathe intentionally. Breathe in, hold that breath about 2 to 7 seconds, and breathe out. Repeat this until you start to feel that weight come off your shoulders. Even if you're not feeling upset, it's still important to practice intentional breathing. So, close your eyes, sit or stand wherever you feel safe, and feel your chest take in air, and let it out. And remember, you are ok, and this problem won’t stick to you forever.
Listen to your Favorite song:
Listening to music can make you feel ten times better after a long, hard, stressful day. One of the best ways to do this is to find a quiet spot or go on a walk and just be absorbed by the melodies playing in your ears. Let it take you away from your issues for some time and ground you in the present moment. That break is always needed, and it makes life feel a bit like a movie, helping you remember that hard times will pass. Sound frequencies are amazing and really can change your mood. Music is a spiritual experience, so try your best to listen to a song that makes you smile, rather than a song that reminds you of the “depths of despair”.
Go on! Listen to your favorite song, dance around, and even practice your breathing to the tempo of the track!
Journal:
Sometimes, your emotions sit on top of your chest as a roof sits on top of a house. Work feels like a chore, sleeping feels like a chore, school feels like a chore, everything feels like a burden! All because you're carrying a roof over your head, that isn’t protecting you from anything, but in fact making everything worse. Breathing and music don’t help, and you just continue to move on in life like you don’t feel the weight on your chest growing bigger.
Holding things in never works, so write it down. Take time out of your day to write how you feel. Don’t leave out a thing. Forget the aesthetics of it. Just express how you feel, because at the end of the day, there is nothing pretty about a bad mental health state. Once you write your feelings, it's like your issues and stress make more sense in your own words. When we write, we find ways to describe things so that it makes sense to a reader, which is why journaling is so important. We learn how to put our feelings into words. You don’t need to give it to anyone to read; you just need it for yourself. So go write it down!
Go alone but not lonely:
Being alone isn't always seen as the best option, but sometimes the anxiety we are feeling is caused by constant exposure to people. So, if you're overwhelmed and talking to someone doesn't seem like what you're looking for right now, then spend some time alone! Go somewhere. Anywhere. Alone, not lonely.
Take yourself out! Go to that restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to! Go to that concert to hear your favorite album, go to that event, take a day trip somewhere, and do it all alone. Take that time to reflect. You can practice your breathing, journaling, and even listen to your favorite song! Take the time out to really figure yourself out and do what you would like to do for a day! Nothing’s wrong with loving yourself so much that you would want to take yourself out. It’s literally just self-care! Go have fun without the opinions or presence of others, to go and get to know the real you.
Talk to loved ones or the people around you:
Being alone is a great way to handle mental health, but that all depends on what you are struggling with. Sometimes, loneliness may be the exact issue. If you tend to isolate yourself, the solution for you is to talk to someone and remember that you can’t do anything hard alone!
It is easier to carry the pain with others than to carry it alone. Sometimes disconnecting means connecting with others around you and disconnecting from the everyday thought that you doing things alone is just the way it has to be. Go tell someone you trust.
Someone that won't judge you. Contact someone around you, or if not, reach out to a Sheridan Counseller, that is more than happy to help you go through your problems!
Well, that's all the steps I have for you today! I hope that these 5 Ways to Disconnect help you take a break, relax, and remember that the bad times will pass! Dealing with mental health struggles can be difficult and can affect you so much. Always remember to take things slow, and you are strong and can handle it!
As you move forward into your school year, I hope these steps follow you throughout your hard times and remind you to take a break when things get hard. Never forget you're ok, and everything will be ok.
Enjoyed your read? Well dive in for more!
Take a look at some of these blogs about mental health, student experiences, and tips and tricks on how to stay grounded!
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