Hello, my lovely friend,
What do you do to make yourself feel better when you are stressed? For me: I either read, write, journal, walk, drink a cup of matcha or green tea, light a candle, listen to music, watch an old episode of my feel-good shows, or do yoga.
Today, while I was trying to write a review, I went on a trip down the 'I am not enough' lane without even realising it. My brain kept telling me that no one will read this review, you are late anyway, you sound stupid, and so on.
Sometimes we don't even realise how stressed we are because we have made peace with our messes.
If you are reading this, I want you to take a moment and check in with yourself. How are you feeling?
I hope you smiled today. If not, please do something (even if it is for 5 minutes) that will make you feel safe, content, and loved.
If you don't know what to do? Here is a list of things that I suggest you try
- Drink a glass of water.
- Write. Don't worry about anyone reading it just write it all down. Even if it doesn't make sense, even if you doodle or draw on paper - just spill it all out. Make spelling mistakes, make grammatical mistakes, and write. Burn it if you want (safely) but give it a try.
- Feeling overwhelmed with pending work? Make a to-do list of the smallest task and then tick it off when you do them.
- Exercise. It is a magic pill that can cure your mind and body. Yoga, walking, running, boxing, so many options.
- Draw, paint, or colour. There are adult colouring books on the market check them out.
- Talk to someone you haven't talked to in a while.
- Count 10 things that you are grateful for right this moment.
- Have you ever tried writing a love letter to yourself? Sounds too much? You don't have to do this. I am just putting it out there. Sometimes, I write a letter to my future self and write something motivating in it. Whenever I go back to read it, it makes me feel loved and understood. No one will ever know you better than yourself.
- Find one hour just for yourself. Find something that brings you joy doing or something you used to enjoy doing but forgot about. If you are a busy human, wake up an hour early or sleep a little late. I am a night person and I love night walks while I listen to music or an audiobook.
- Enjoy a cup of your favourite beverage - tea, coffee, or juice. I am in love with matcha these days. Chamomile tea helps with stress and anxiety. Try to avoid caffeine if you are feeling anxious.
- Eat your favourite food but don't binge.
- Connect with nature. See the sky, go to a park or a beach.
- I love long night car rides with windows down, music, and good company.
- Hug someone.
- Pamper yourself. Manicure, pedicure, face mask, sheet mask, moisturise, bubble bath, favourite pajamas or dress if you plan on going out.
- Do the 10-step skincare routine.
- Make a happy list. Every little thing that makes you happy. Your phone, pen, socks, drama, movies, hairclip, everything you can think of.
- Cook.
- Clean.
- Meditate.
- Light a scented candle. Play some music.
- Do a dance party.
- Read a light book.
- Listen to a podcast or an audiobook.
- Watch a feel-good show.
Some Resources You Can Look At
My Spotify feel-better playlist (It's a long list of soft songs I listen to when I want to feel better. If you have any song recs let me know.)
There are so many places you can listen to podcasts: Apple has an inbuilt podcast app, then there is Spotify. However, my go-to app or website for podcasts is Google Podcasts or Apple Podcasts.
Of course, there is a huge library of free workouts, yoga, and meditation on Youtube.
Pinterest board for little reminders.
I listen to audiobooks on Scribd. It's Spotify for books, with a huge library of unlimited books I can access. I highly recommend it.
I will soon make a list of feel-good dramas, other shows, and movies. But for now, here is a link to my recommendations category please post a comment or send me a message with what you are in the mood for and I will give you a list of dramas and shows you can watch.
Krati Joshi
Is there anything else? Let me know.
We all need a community and a support system if you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed please drop a comment under this post let's cheer each other up.
