I am an overthinker and people-pleaser and naturally, I hate conflicts.
So, every time someone talks to me in a loud voice or there is some conflict at our home, my mental health takes a toll.
It is not something I am proud of and I am actively trying to change my behavior, but instead of being negative, I tell myself that such changes take time.
The past months have been hard for me both professionally and personally, and because of that, I could see a drastic decline in my mental health.
I was anxious and sad all the time, and it made it even harder for me to focus on my work, which made me even more miserable.
But a week into this negative spiral, I realized that I have to make some changes in my life ASAP otherwise, I’ll get stuck in this toxic cycle.
So, I tried a few things. Some worked and some didn’t.
Today, I’ll share with you 4 things that helped me a ton during this hard phase:
1. Taking a break
I was worried about work, and taking a break seemed the opposite of what I should have done, but I knew that instead of putting pressure on myself, I should take it easy for a few weeks.
So, I didn’t write much for about 3 weeks. The only thing I wrote was my weekly newsletters. And instead of writing, I read.
I re-read my favourite books and I loved it.
Every time I was too anxious, I would just start reading. It helped me from the overthinking spiral and negative thoughts.
And I caught up on my sleep.
2. The cliché stuff
I don’t meditate.
I have tried but never felt calm like people usually say they do when they sit alone with their thoughts.
But after a lengthy discussion with my husband, a fan of mediation, I decided to try it. My mind is still in chaos, but as per my husband, that’s the point.
You sit silently with your thoughts and try to calm your mind. You try to redirect your mind over and over again away from this negative nonsense.
And that’s what I have been doing for the past 2 weeks,
Now, even though my mind is in chaos, I look forward to my 10-minute meditation session. It’s calming somehow.
3. Physical activity
This is another cliché advice, but it works.
I have started going on long walks and I try to do 10-20 min exercise in the morning, and I feel so much better after it. Sometimes, when everything hurts, I would do simple stretching.
Trust me, it works.
I hate working out and I’m telling you that getting physically active saved my mental health.
So, start working out.
4. Brain dump
Journaling is great but I don’t like the fixed format many people use to journal. Jotting down 4 things you’re grateful for, 4 tasks for the day, etc. does not work for me.
What works is a brain dump.
I would just start writing what comes to my mind and I would not stop until I feel that it’s enough. So, some days it’s just 2 lines while other days it might be 5 pages.
This helps me get my thoughts in line and it also gives me a clear idea of what’s bothering me.
If you’ve tried one or more of these things in your life, tell me about your experience in the comments below, or hit reply to this email.
I’ll see you next week,
Sush
I love all the tips you shared here, Sushmita. And I'm glad you found tricks that helped you during this hard phase in your life. I also do all these things (Taking a break, reading, resting, walking, working out, and journaling). Instead of meditating on my own, though, I prefer guided meditation. Or I focus on my breath during yoga. I think something to be proud of yourself is that you continued to write your weekly newsletters. In the past, I stopped writing whenever I was going through a difficult time. So, you should be proud of yourself for that.