5 MENTAL HEALTH TIPS FROM SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL BUT LIKES TO PRETEND SHE IS AND LOVES TO TALK.

 

Image2

(image via www.maqoba.com)

How’s everyone handling day 18 (For me… I think? It feels like days and time no longer exist so I could be wrong) of quarantine? If we put aside the actual virus and fear of ourselves and our loved ones contracting it.. I kind of thought I would be unaffected by this, if I’m being honest. I work from home already and I’m an introverted person who doesn’t enjoy being social or going outdoors which means I basically already live the self-isolation lifestyle so what could change? I’m not sure if it’s the stress of the situation, if I’m somehow absorbing the collective emotions of others, or if I’m just going through a rough patch mentally and it has nothing to do with the pandemic at all but it turns out the answer is A LOT. Work has slowed down but so has my motivation to accomplish the tasks that I still have and continue to recieve. I’ve been feeling aimless, exhausted, hungry (so hungry), shut off, etc. which is strange because like I said, my actual day to day life has barely changed at all. It’s been more of a mental shift, I guess. I’m trying to give myself a break, allow myself to rest and recuperate, allow myself to be unproductive, and let myself actually enjoy ‘me’ time which, so far, has just been eating junk and watching TV. (Shout out to Ben & Jerry’s and Netflix for keeping me going. 😂)  I have literally nothing to update you guys on, I just wanted to check in and remind even my introverted, socially anxious friends who work from home that it’s ok if you’re feeling this way and that you’re allowed to feel whatever you’re feeling even if you didn’t think you would feel anything at all like me or you think someone else has more of a right to feel it. If you’re struggling, I did an interview with @maqobainc listing my top 5 mental health tips before this happened that might be helpful so I decided to share them here!

Continue reading

COVID-19 | CORONAVIRUS

(art via @femalecollective on instagram)

Relax, this is an old picture of me in the middle, I’m self-quarantining as everyone should be right now! 🦠 I know that everyone is scared right now, so am I. I am not immunocopromised but I do have some of those “underlying conditions” that the news is talking about. It doesn’t make me any more likely to catch the virus, but it makes my chances of beating it significantly less than the average person my age. I have severe asthma and COPD. Both of these are chronic lung conditions that affect my respiratory system which is dangerous because this is a respiratory virus that attacks the lungs, leaving even healthy people who have recovered from the virus with damaged lungs and reduced lung capacity. So yes, I am scared for myself and scared for my Mom, Dad, and Grandpa who are all more likely to succumb to the virus than I am. Please listen to the warnings. Stay home (if you can), don’t drink (weakens the immune system), wash your hands, keep a 6ft distance, wear gloves, don’t touch things, people, or your face unless necessary. PLEASE do not hoard supplies. I had to go to 4 stores looking for toilet paper because every store was empty. (If you’re in the same situation and live in downtown Sacramento, Gold Star Mart on 10th and S st. has four packs for $3.99 and single rolls for $1.99 right now.) This is a time to be selfless, be generous, protect yourselves, protect each other, and to HELP, not harm. ⠀

Continue reading

VALENTINE’S DAY

Img_3439

(photo via @tristamateer on instagram)

Valentine’s day is just around the corner and it’s really bumming me out. It’s weird because I’ve never really cared about Valentine’s Day much. I never disliked it! We all know it’s a money holiday but I still thought it was a sweet day for couples like an anniversary and I liked it. If I was single, whatever, I’ve spent 24 Valentine’s Days single and I never died. If I was with someone it meant a gift and maybe dinner out or a movie night in bed or something. It’s never been anything super special and I think it’s only hitting me harder this year because I miss my ex boyfriend. I don’t even like calling him that, it really sucks. At this point we’ve been separated longer than we were even together and you would think it wouldn’t be so hard still but it is.

Continue reading

EXIST LOUDLY

8fe95785-e8b2-4459-b1bc-55083858c5d7

(photo via @hellosunshine on instagram)

I’ve talked about this before so it’s not exactly revolutionary for me to say that I want to start being more of myself on this page. Not that I haven’t been in the past, but I’ve only been a part of myself because the truth is– myself is not “brand friendly.” Myself is not necessarily accepted by my peers on Instagram, either. Every time I write a caption opening up about my life, my struggles, my passions, or post a story that isn’t super cute, about products and my pets, or where I talk about difficult topics I get a few negative comments and DMs (expected) but I also lose followers which for a small creator who relies on her Instagram to support herself is hard and it encourages me to shut off more and more of myself and only show the cute, colorful, happy parts of myself and my life and hide away the rest.

Continue reading