Self-Awareness

Hi guys, sorry I've been so quiet recently. There has been so much going on in the world and in my personal life so needed to take some time to myself. Which brings me onto the topic of this post: self-awareness. This post is going to be about how I noticed I was overwhelmed, needed to take a break and ways to overcome these feelings.

I'm back!!

What signs did I notice in myself?

I think it's so important to notice changes in yourself, both positive and negative. When it comes to negative changes it may not always be obvious what the trigger is or that negatives feelings are even there. Everyone has bad days and bad moods, but we need to notice when this becomes prolonged and starts interfering with your everyday life.

• Fatigue, tiredness and lethargy - basically lacking energy and motivation to do literally anything, even the things that I enjoy, for example blogging. All I wanted to do was lay around doing nothing and I felt exhausted!

• Headaches - I am someone who suffers from migraines a lot anyway, but I noticed I was getting a lot of tension headaches. This may have been connected to the tiredness and laying around all day.

• Loss of appetite - I would feel really hungry, have a few bites of food and feel full. I wasn't snacking as much as usual and wasn't craving food.

• Stomach upset - I suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) but can go months without flare ups. I always tend to get flare ups when I am stressed.

• General moodiness and not wanting to talk to people - I can be quite anti-social at times but would find myself feeling irritable and annoyed when people would try and talk to me

• Feeling anxious and panic attacks - I would get a tense feeling in my chest and start to feel very overwhelmed and shaky and after a few days of feeling this on and off, it led to a panic attack.

^ As you can see, some of these are symptoms and signs you may not be automatically associated with being overwhelmed, overworked and stressed. Please bare in mind everyone is different and everyone displays their emotions differently. People can have these signs for many other reasons - which is why it is important recognise changes in yourself.

How did I start to overcome these feelings?

Now this is still something I am working on, and I still don't feel completely myself but I've been putting in time and trying different things to get myself back on track.

• Give yourself a break - It's okay to have lazy days. I personally notice this can actually have a negative impact on my moods if I do this too often but sometimes, a lazy day binge watching shows and doing something lighthearted is needed

• Following from the previous point, go for a walk/do something that gets you out of your bed, your bedroom and/or your house if necessary. Staying in bed being consumed by your thoughts and feelings and can make you feel even more overwhelmed.

• Take a break from social media. This is particularly difficult during everything that has been and still is going on but you have to put yourself and your mental well being first. Spend some time watching your favourite show/youtubers, or listening to music instead.

• Acknowledge your feelings - if you're feeling these emotions, try and think about why. Try and recognise when these feelings started to identify the trigger. This will help you to understand and figure out what you can possibly try in order to overcome these feelings

• Meet up / speak to a close friend or family member. It does not have to be about what you're going through. It could just be a lighthearted conversation to lift your mood and take a break from your thoughts and feelings.

Going forward I will definitely try to take onboard the above tips a lot sooner, it isn't as easy as it sounds to do these things, especially when you're in a dark place and don't feel motivated. Seek support and talk to someone you trust and feel comfortable with. You do not have to deal with these feelings on your own. You know yourself better than anyone else, a good way to help identify changes and become more self aware, can be to have a diary or journal; something where you can express you feelings or document how your day was. You can read back through these and identify and patterns. If you have been feeling negative or low for a few days, this could help you identify why. This can also help you to recognise any positive changes too! Be sure to celebrate and be proud of the little wins. It may not seem significant to someone else but don't let that take it away from you! Reflection is key for self growth and self awareness, so do this any way you feel comfortable doing so. Again this could be by writing things down. Some people just like to take some time to sit in quiet room and think to reflect that way. When reflecting you will probably notice you've made a lot more progress in things than you initially thought!

Here is a link to some breathing exercises and gifs to help reduce anxiety;

https://twitter.com/neonweekends/status/1272307242596020225?s=21

Take a deep breath, take a break, and take as much time as you need!