Hey guys!
Hope you’re having a good day in spite of the horrible weather haha!
As any of you who follow me on Instagram will have seen, I recently did an interview with Extra.ie about being groomed and how it has effected me.I did the interview to raise awareness about grooming and to show how easy it is to happen and what the tell tale signs of it are.
Over the years I’ve tried many things that have (and some that haven’t) helped me mentally so I thought I’d share with you guys some of my top tips for keeping your shit together!
1: Counselling
I started counselling when I was a few days shy of my 17th birthday and over the years have realised how good you feel after talking to a trained professional in a room for 50 minutes once a week. If done outside of the HSE, counselling can be expensive but done on the HSE can lead to a long wait time which isn’t ideal when we as a country are facing one of the biggest mental health epidemics in young people ever. Alternatively, organisations such as Pieta House and Samaritans are there for people with Samaritans being a 24 hour free call number which has teams based in several countries so is accessible wherever you are in the world.
2.Alcohol
While we’re a society that are told to look after our mental health and take things easy, we’re also a society that relies heavily on alcohol to socialise and have fun which is pretty ironic.
Alcohol is as a massive depressant and can often leave you feeling worse then you did in the first place. Instead of planning a messy night out with friends to ”forget what’s going on”, why not go for a walk or run (depending on your athletic ability obvs) to clear your head or, if you’re feeling up to it, go to the gym and do a run/jog on the treadmill. Your mind AND body will thank you for it later.
3.Friends
Your friends are like an extension of your family who are there for you no matter what. Either message into the group chat and suggest a group get together and catch up and have a laugh. I found the best times I had when I was down was when I had a laugh with friends rather than talking about whatever was going on at the time. Talking and just being stupid can make such a difference to your mood.
4.Music
There really is nothing like finding a quiet place to sit , relax and listen to music. Whether it be a playlist of your fave chart hits or classical music, it has been proven to enhance your mood and decrease anxiety. There’s nothing like a bit of Britney to calm you down right??
5.Organisation
I find my anxiety is at its highest when I don’t have any control over certain circumstances which is natural as you can’t be prepared for EVERYTHING. One thing I have learned though is that you can be prepared for what you know is going to happen. For example, the night before you go to work or college, have your bag packed with your wallet/purse, work/college ID and things such as books or notebooks that you may need for your day. I always make sure to pack a portable charger and mains charger in my bag just in case my phone dies and I’m not able to plug my phone into a wall to charge it.
Doing other things like having your outfit planned for the next day can relieve the pressure on you. Or if you’re like me, have an outfit planned in your head and have it hanging together in your wardrobe so you’re not spending ages looking for that shirt that makes you look fab or those shoes that are like putting clouds on your feet.
6. #TreatYoself
There truly is no better feeling that treating yourself every once in awhile. I always find shopping makes me happy (Have you heard a more white girl thing??). Other things like getting your hair done, throwing on a face mask or putting on some tan can change your mood INSTANTLY and gives you that boost of confidence that we sometimes all need.
I hope you found these six tips useful and my meager attempt at comedy funny!
Keep an eye on my social media (which I’ve linked below) to see what I’m up to and when my next post is going live.
Til next time,
Conor xo
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