Coping with Christmas Cheer

As the holiday season sets in, it is hard to be feeling down and in the dumps. Everywhere you go you see the words joy, cheer, happiness, and holiday plastered on every wall. However, if you are feeling down lately, which could be possible due to seasonal depression and/or just being a stressed out college student, you can take advantage of the liveliness all around. The holidays are a time where friends and family members can show their love and care for each other. There is no better support than to feel loved. I know a lot of my friends are excited to go home and see their families and friends.

However, sometimes you can feel very lonely as you’re surrounded by these people. Don’t let yourself become upset due to being bored or lonely. Take the intuitive and ask others to spend time together with you. If you are worried about what to do, especially if you’re on a tight budget, check out my friend’s awesome blog here for some delicious treats to make.

The holidays are an exciting time for everyone. Enjoy your holiday, relax, and be sure to take time for yourself. Don’t become upset or lonely. Think of things to be grateful for. (If you need help with that too, read Emily’s blog.)

Keep Calm & Cope On!

Reaching Out!

It can be very hard for someone to reach out for help when they feel low. Some have a large ego and take their pride very seriously and don’t want others to know they have emotions. These people usually don’t realize it but it causes a lot of unneeded pain and stress to their lives. It isn’t good to keep your emotions bottled up because then it is only a matter of time until they blow up, and who knows what would happen then. The best option these people can do to save themselves is to reach out.

Sometimes, reaching out to a friend can solve the issue. It is important to let your emotions out. Confine in a close friend and tell them how you are feeling. Even if it doesn’t seem like a big problem, it will still help you out. I know a problem I sometimes have when I reach out to a friend is I think I am bothering them with my problems. I imagine they have busy lives and have their own troubles they need to worry about so I shouldn’t annoy them with mine. I’ve recently learned that if they are a true friend of yours, they will be there for you no matter. They will be a person you can console in and they won’t feel like you are annoying them. Read one of my previous blog posts for more thoughts on reaching out to friends.

Also, there are people out there in the world who work for a living to help others feel good about them. This is where it is hard for people to reach out. Some people have a mindset in their head that if you need to see a counselor or a therapist then you’re crazy, too depressed, or are losing it. It shocks me that people would feel this way because if you need help, then you need help. I am not ashamed to say that I started going to therapy for depression when I was in 8^th grade. I was just 14 years old and I was attending a therapy session every week for one hour. When I was going through a really hard time I had to start going twice a week. If I never started going to therapy, I would not be the person I am today, or as strong as I am today. After sometime, certain circumstances made it so I couldn’t go to therapy any more. It was a hard transition, but I did okay. Coming to college I thought I would be fine. That wasn’t necessarily true so I went to the counseling center here at Eastern. I’m so thankful I made that decision. Everyone is so welcoming and kind. I love my counselor.

From a Christian stand point, there is always God. He is always here for us no matter what. He will never leave or forsake you. His love is stronger than anything else, and His powers will always overcome any obstacle you’re facing. 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

If you need other support, do not be afraid to reach out. You will feel better and feel more in control of your life, I promise.

Keep Calm & Cope On!

I'm so overwhelmed!!!

Everyone keeps saying how they hate “this time of year” or “well it is that time of the semester.” I am a freshman in college and this is my first semester, so it’s hard for me to really understand what everyone means when they say “this time of the semester.”

However, I think I finally know.

Right now, I have so many papers due within a three day time span. I know finals are right around the corner. To top it off, I am a mess of emotions right now too. Everything is so overwhelming. It feels like lately it is go, go, go, and don’t stop or else you’ll get behind. Everyone is asking so much of me, but how I am suppose to give my all to one person or subject, and still have enough energy and time to give to everyone and everything else.

THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO WITH SO LITTLE TIME.

It will be okay. I know it will. I know that is so cliché to say, but it’s true. One thing I have learned to do is manage my time better. I’m still not the best at it. It is a working progress. However, what I have done so far has helped me to be in control more. I did this at the beginning of the semester and then lost it. I know managing my time is a great way to not feel so overwhelmed. I’ve learned college isn’t like high school where you can just skip a day of school and not have to worry about turning in a paper. In college, even if you don’t go to class, you still have to submit that paper. Crazy, right? That is why it’s so important to stay on top of your work.

Lately, I have been super emotional. I’ve been dealing with many other people who are constantly asking me for advice and telling me about the problems they are having. Within the past two weeks, I’ve been so caught up in trying to help everyone else; I haven’t paid attention to my emotions enough. Now, they seem to be hitting me all at once. You must take time for yourself. Your health is important. It is most important actually, and it’s okay to love yourself. 

Keep Calm & Cope On!

Best Friends Forever!

“As we grow up, we realize it becomes less important to have a ton of friends, and more important to have real ones.” 

        Friends are the greatest. They are who you spend some of you greatest memories, accomplishments, and failures with. Friends are there for you when you need a “pick me up.” In many instances, I have depended on my friends for comfort and support. i know I wouldn’t be where I am today, or even who I am today if it wasn’t for the great friends I have.

        I have lost some of my greatest friends my senior year, and it was heartbreaking and really difficult for me to go through. However, since coming to Eastern I have found the greatest friends that I could EVER ask for. They have given me more love and support than any of my other friends have. I tend to believe there is a reason as to why everything happens. I know I lost friends so I can gain even better ones with coming to Eastern.

        The support I receive from my friends is tremendous. There have been several instances since coming to college where I have felt pretty low about myself. From past experiences, I have learned to reach out when I feel that way. I was hesitant to do that at first since I didn’t have a close relationship with anyone at Eastern yet, but I am so thankful I did. I put myself out there and received so much comfort in return. I will forever be grateful for all God has given me since coming to Eastern.

       Throughout high school I would often say “I have no friends.” Looking back now, I was wrong. I did have friends, but they weren’t always the best ones and didn’t give me a great friendship. I often felt alone and that I was putting more effort into maintaining a friendship than they were. It was hurtful knowing I cared more about the friendship than they did, but I learned great lessons from it. I learned how to be a great friend to others. Also, I learned when enough is enough and when certain people are not benefiting me.

        My advice to you, if you are feeling alone, reach out to someone. Make friends and become part of a community. Even if it is just one or two friends, you will feel so much better. Having a support system from friends is the best feeling in the world. Once you find “your” group of people or friends, grab them tight and never let go.

Keep Calm & Cope On!

A Letter to the Girl Who Feels Worthless...

         Waking up and getting out of bed can be the hardest obstacle you face for the day. You wake up, look in the mirror, and you see a waste of space. You don’t see a girl who is “wonderfully and beautifully made.” Your existence feels just as important as the dirt on the bottom of your shoe. How are you supposed to go on with your day and be successful when you feel like everything you do is pointless? What do you do when you feel like your life has no purpose? You are just a number to add to the population on the ten year consensus. You wake up and hope that this will be the last day you feel this way or something really positive and exciting will happen to change your mind set, but then you wake up the next day feeling the same way. No matter what you do, no matter who you talk to, no matter how hard you try to “fake it until you make it” you can’t shake off this large, heavy coat that drags you down deeper every single day. Eventually, you feel exhausted and emotionally drained. You catch yourself in a blank stare at the floor when you should be taking notes and focusing on school so you can get those straight A’s to make your family proud. But you don’t get those straight A’s. Then BOOM. There it is. 

Worthless. 
Useless. 
Stupid. 
Underappreciated. 
Undervalued. 
Insignificant. 
YOU ARE NOTHING.

 It is just one big never ending circle. How do you escape? Can you escape?

*********************************************************************************
        
        Woah. BACK TO REALITY. That is not true. Even if you feel like that description is an accurate representation of your feelings, it is not true at all. None of it. Don’t let yourself believe those things. Once you believe them they become your daily thought process. I know because I have been waking up feeling this way lately. I’ve been working to try to fix the way I think, but it has been very difficult.  I’ve learned from some of the experiences I’ve been through with negative people in my life that the reason I feel worthless is because of them and their own insecurities. I have no reason to feel the way I do, other than the fact that other people have told me I’m worthless so many times that I have engraved it in my mind. Now I just need to reroute my mental process and change my cognitive thinking. I hope that if anyone reading this feels this way, you step back and look at your life. Look at your experiences and look at what you’ve accomplished. Compare the negatives to the positives and I promise you the positives will always come out on top. You might not believe me now, and it might be a hard concept to grasp, but I promise you it’s true. You ARE wonderfully and beautifully made. 

Keep Calm & Cope On!

It's Okay to Cry

Usually when you see someone crying the in corner, it’s seen as weakness.  Many people try to hold back their tears in fear they will be ridiculed or judged. However, CRYING IS OKAY. Not going to lie, I cry almost every day. (Which may be a little excessive, but I don’t mind it.) It might only be a tear or two, but it I still cry. When I’m really, really emotional my crying will be a lot worse. Seriously, crying is okay!

Crying, along with laughing from my previous post, can actually be healthy for you. For one, when you cry your tears help you to see better and they clean out bacteria in your eyes. Also, crying can help to fix your mood. This happens by lowering a possible high manganese level, which would originally cause anxiety, stress, and irritability. Even more, tears are the most beneficial for you. They help to clean out your nose and your eyes. If enough tears get into your nose, it can loosen up mucus and help clean your nose of bacteria.  It might sound very technical and confusing, but it’s just how the body works. In all, crying has health benefits that will allow you to feel more at ease if you need to cry.

                

           Many people bottle up their emotions and they become a ticking time bomb until they blow up. Crying can help to relieve these bottled up emotions. Crying every now and then will help to feel better before completely blowing up. It is very unhealthy to keep everything to yourself so my advice is to just cry it out.

            Crying is a way that I cope with my problems majority of the time. I cry when I’m happy and when I’m sad. When I know I need a really good cry I will take a long, hot, and relaxing shower. If you’re a person who is afraid to cry, just give it a try sometime. You might actually feel better in the end.

*Sometimes a good cry is just what you need to release all the hurt you have built up inside.*

Keep Calm & Cope On!

Laugh it Out

One coping technique that has worked for me throughout the years of my struggles is laughing. Laughing is a free and fun way to enjoy you. Usually, I laugh with the help of my friends, but I always enjoy making myself laugh as well. I know it might sound really simple and doesn’t seem like it would actually help if you are feeling down, but trust me, it does. However, I don’t want you to think a serious mental illness can be laughed off, because it can’t. Allowing a dosage of laughter into your everyday life will indeed make you feel better. The sound of raging laughter is more contagious than a cough, yawn, or sneeze.

Even more, there are great health benefits to laughing as well. First, laughing relaxes your whole body, relieving stress and tension. Your muscles will be relaxed for about up to 45 minutes after a good laugh. Second, laughing reduces stress hormones and increases immune cells, creating a stronger immune system, keeping you healthier. A final example is that laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. In all, laughter makes you feel better. It adds extra joy to your life, improves mood, and relaxes your body.

I love to laugh. I love to make others laugh. If I need a good laugh, I usually got to YouTube and type in “funny animal videos” or “babies laughing” and I usually find a good laugh. If you need a good laugh, visit this website that has great jokes that will make you laugh! (They make me laugh, at least.)

Here's a video of funny dogs! :)

Keep Calm & Cope On!