Sometimes pressure gets to you. Not in the way that you feel obligated to do something or influenced by an external force, but in the dense, heavy, tired form of the word.
Things may be getting to you and building a thick weight atop your shoulders. You feel stressed, agitated, defeated. Naturally, you look towards help when it becomes too much. Reaching out to the people you trust, admire, and love, yet don’t feel any satisfaction in their efforts to help. You receive words of advice and what seems like stale wisdom or sympathetic directions, but nothing of real substance that clears away whatever it is building up inside of you. This, in turn, may lead to further discomfort, as you now have the initial cause of distress and the additional burden of dealing with it alone. So, what now? What can you do for yourself when you feel like no ordinary options can help you?
Breathe.
Of course, this is the first recommendation. It always is; inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose, sure. “Long, deep breaths.” As cliche as it is, do this. Close your eyes and put your hands on your head if you need to. Truly take a moment to slow down your heart rate, return to the first thing your body learned how to do, and decompress the tension in your chest. Good, proud of you.
Find some inspiration.
If you feel like you are clogged and stressed and nothing anyone could say to you will help, take a day and get some new perspective. This inspiration can come in a countless amount of forms, shapes, and sizes. A change of environment may work wonders and turn your massive worries into irrelevant doubts. The right playlist and a bomb set of headphones can easily soothe your troubles and inspire a calmer or stronger mindset. Other forms of inspiration can be found from film or books or a stranger’s inspiration quote board on Pinterest (dramatic quotes are everyone’s guilty pleasure, right?). Whatever your source may be, look for resources that will return you feeling a new wave of strength, hope, and guidance to get through your battle.
Give in to yourself.
Sounds odd, right? What this really means is do what you seriously just need to do. Whatever it is that will get you through the day, the week, the class, anything. Now is the time to be selfish and look after yourself. If you need to take a drive on your own to work things out or get some space between you and what’s bothering you, just do it. Do it for yourself and give in to whatever you think will give you some sort of refresher. Sometimes all it takes is either time or some distance to remind you of who you are or what really matters.
Get moving.
No one should ever tell you to work out, fact. More importantly, no one should ever tell you to go work out whilst you are in the middle of a very, very bad day. However, it is general knowledge that exercising releases stress hormones and produces endorphins to improve people's moods. That being said, moving your body when your mind is at a dead end doesn’t seem like that terrible of an idea. If running isn’t your thing, slow it down and try some relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation. These practices allow you to de-stress in a serene environment and take time to reflect on everything going on in your head. In addition to this, these activities allow you to release all the tension and pressure in your body and walk away feeling lighter and hopefully more enlightened. ;)
Let it out.
Sounds so simple. But really, if your body or mind feels dense or heavy or overloaded, unload it. Do this in anyway that feels good for you. Some people find their peace in writing, releasing all of their thoughts out of their mind and being able to look at them from an outside source, on a piece of paper in front of them. Other types of people need to just talk it all out. Valid, do it. Rant, cry, yell, do whatever it is you need to do to just release the tension and thoughts you’re feeling, even if you’re not sure where they’re coming from.
Trust in yourself.
The fatal “let it be.” Everyone says it, because let’s face it, it’s easier said than done. It’s hard to trust in yourself when you’re not sure what to do. It’s easy to feel out of control and lost when nothing seems to be helping you. But you’re still you, and you’re still strong. Whatever it is you’re going through at the moment will be hard until you start to let go of it, or rather it let’s go of you. Until then, all you can do is remain on your own side and have some faith. You’ve survived everything else thus far and you will overcome this too.
Whatever memory or idea these words evoke in you, I wish that they reach a place of comfort as well. Everyone goes through low times and everyone should be there to help when they can. And with certain people or things in mind, these thoughts are the best I can do to reach out and offer the advice and encouragement so many deserve to hear.
