psychandme

[psychandme]

Mental Well-Being and Mental Health Awareness:

Hello! I have joined a mental health ambassador program in collaboration with a Certified Therapy practitioner. My job is to create awareness regarding mental health issues to the best of my abilities. To understand the things that I can do now, not only to create awareness but bring a change in the thinking patterns as we grow up in the society. For the next generation to come, and for our loved ones who might be currently going through something.

You can start by telling me about the ways you think it would help you to better understand notion of mental health and mental well being. What could have helped you better understand about this topic when you were young and break the stigma? How would you like to receive more information and awareness regarding this matter?

And, if you are comfortable, you can share your personal experiences about struggling with mental health to help me have a better insight into the problems.

You can connect with me through dms or just drop an ask.

Thankyou for listening!!

#psychology #psychblr #clinical psychology #psychiatry #psychology student #psychologist #research #psychology research #psychopathology #psychodynamic #depression #generalized anxiety disorder #tw disordered eating #psychoanalysis #psychology aesthetic #dark acamedia #bookblr #psych #psych studyblr #student #study #desiblr #desi studyblr #desi academia #desi dark academia #anorexia #maladaptive daydreaming #adhd #bpd #bipolar

[psychandme]

because I haven’t seen a whole heap of decent information about this… I thought I’d do a beginner’s guide to dissociation

disorders that can cause dissociation include:

DID

OSDD

PTSD

depression

OCD

BPD

DPDR

anxiety

eating disorders

some people also experience dissociation due to chronic pain

being dissociated can feel like, but is not limited to:

feeling disconnected from the world

feeling “blurry”, “buzzy”, “foggy”, or “out of it”

not feeling any emotions

not feeling any physical pain

not remembering whole periods of time

feeling like you’re floating outside of your body

your brain constantly going in and out of focus

dissociation is generally broken down into two categories:

derealisation: the feeling that the world around you is unreal, foggy, or just out of reach

depersonalisation: the feeling of being outside of yourself, or of not feeling real

I hope this is a helpful post, and that I’ve made people more aware of what dissociation actually is. if you have any follow-up questions, please feel free to ask!

[psychandme]

On November 21, 2019, I had written in my diary, "I wish to glow up".

Watching girls that look like the soft winter snow falling like breadcrumbs, with faces that would put Aphrodite to shame- I wanted that; hair flowing like the quiet river when it's about to meet the sea- I wanted that. Because all my life I was taught to want that.

The magazine covers that lay around, stacked on top of each other in the drawers of my heart, had these women. The movies that I was in love with, advertisements and billboards, made me feel like I was stuck in the hour, physically so far- could never meet the bar. I saw myself as a ruin, a battlefield of scars, an abandoned city- yet filled with ghosts. A city that badly needed reconstruction.

So I took the 'before' photos because we have learned to divide life into pieces- before this and after that, as if life is big enough to be divided. And every Monday I said to myself, now is when you begin, start now. But I could never be like those girls- girls that feel like the morning dew, like sunshine breaking through the forest, those girls that fall like the soft winter snow. I was still the city, the ghost town that badly needed reconstruction.

But, did they ever teach you about the ruins of Giza, Coloseum and Konark, how the Great Wall is falling apart but is still Great? Tell me how beautiful the river looks when it's slashing through the mountains, not caring for beauty or grace, how her conviction is what makes her beautiful. Or how Aphrodite was never really the goddess of beauty. All she believed in was love and her love is what made her beautiful.

I did not worship my city until I realised that for hundreds of years, they have been trying to find the lost cities of Atlantis and Dwarka. I finally realized that I never needed to glow up. All I needed was to love myself and my beautiful city.

And so do you.

-Ritika Jyala, transcript from Don't glow up

I had written this piece when I was 15 and my poetry style has evolved a lot since then. But it's good to pay homage to my earlier works and learn how I can grow further. Last year, I posted a short video for this poem on my channel, here's the link if you're interested.

[psychandme]

Shyness Vs Social Anxiety

What is Social Anxiety ?

These are some criteria from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders aka the DSM-5.

in order to be diagnosed with social anxiety we have to have:

1. A marked fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which the individual is exposed to possible scrutiny by others.This could be meeting new people, giving a speech, or having someone watch what you do  like eating or working on something.

2. Fear that we will act in a way or show anxiety symptoms that will be negatively evaluated. Like being embarrassed or rejected by others because of how we act .

3. Social situations which almost always provoke fear or anxiety, and therefore we avoid them or endure them with intense fear and anxiety.

This fear or anxiety we feel is out of proportion of the actual threat that's posed by the social situation.

These feelings are persistent, meaning, they have to last for 6 months or more.

When we have social anxiety, we avoid any and all social situations because the fear and anxiety, as well as the worry that we are going to do something embarrassing is so unbearable that it's just easier on us to not be around people at all.

We can also have anticipatory anxiety leading up to a social event where we have to practice our speech multiple times beforehand.  Or we worry about an upcoming event days or maybe even weeks in advance. We can become so worried and anxious that we can feel sick, or our mind can go blank and we might sweat. The severeness of it can also lead to a panic attack.

But if our anxiety always leads to a panic attack,  we may be a suffering from a panic disorder, not social anxiety .

What is shyness?

When we are shy, it's part of who we are, meaning, it's a personality trait we have.

Those who are shy can live a full life. They can do what they want and get along just fine, they just tend to be more quiet and reserved until they know you better.  They may prefer to spend time with people they already know well.

They can feel a little anxious about meeting new people or going to do new things.

However, Shyness is Okay and manageable, but not debilitating. Social anxiety impairs our ability to function. Making it difficult, if not impossible, for us to do what we need to do , like work, school or many things in our social lives .

The main distinction here is that even if someone with Shyness feels uncomfortable, they are still able to do the things they need and want to do.

Not all people with social anxiety are shy, meaning, that their fear of social situations is Not part of who they are. It is a mental illness that is holding them back from doing things they love . Once they overcome the symptoms, they can be an extrovert, love being the life of the party or center of attention.

People who are shy, do not like those things. They would prefer to not be at a big party or have everyone paying attention to them. Their shyness is not holding them back from doing the things that they love. They love spending time with one or two close friends at a time and not getting too much attention .

How do we know if we are experiencing shyness or social anxiety?

Here are a few quick questions to clear it up for you.

1. Does your anxiety or fear about seeing other people keep you from doing the things you love?

2. Do you feel your anxiety or shyness makes it hard for you to do what you need to do to succeed in life?

3. Does your fear or anxiety feels so overwhelming that you sometimes have a panic attack?

4. Have you ever had to call in sick to school or work because of anxiety?

If you answered yes to these questions, it's most likely what you're struggling with a social anxiety disorder. If none of that rang true for you, then it's possible that you're shy.

Overall, know that if you're anxiety or fear about social situations is getting in the way of you doing what you love, please speak up and reach out for professional help.

By finding a therapist who helps push you to fight back against those worry thoughts, you Can overcome it.

Feel free to reblog this or share what's helped you overcome your social anxiety !

#shyness #social anxiety #social anxiety problems #mental health #mental disorder #mental illness #mental help #clinical psychology #psych studyblr #psychology #therapy #psychology student #psychology side of tumblr #knowledge #studyblr #psychblr

[psychandme]

funny how any time I talk about self-diagnosis and the importance of access to resources for the sake of everyone, people jump to the assumption that I’m undiagnosed/self-dx

nope.

I have the fancy piece of paper.

I just think that we shouldn’t deny people without that piece of paper the kind of access to community and support that they need. and I think that it’s kind of dehumanising to say that an individual is unable to know when there’s something different about their brain.

once upon a time I was undiagnosed. and back then I would’ve really benefited from knowing that my feelings weren’t strange, that there were others like me, and that things were going to get better.

call me silly, but I think that people deserve the kind of support I wish I’d gotten.

[psychandme]

holisticallygrace ~ Instagram

[psychandme]

[psychandme]

[psychandme]

[psychandme]

via yumi sakugawa

[psychandme]

How do you fall back in love with life?

clean your room.  clean space, uncluttered space, space that doesn’t have miasma clinging to it can work wonders.  clean the dishes.  sweep.  take out the trash.  peel the clothes off the floor and wash them, and then actually fold/hang them.  take a long shower.  scrub behind your knees.  brush your teeth.  (this can be utterly exhausting, but try to get it done in a day, if you can.  the end result is worth it.)

pull out your notebook.  it doesn’t need to be a new notebook, but preferably one that you don’t usually write in, or that you haven’t touched in a while.  fuck moleskins.  the yellow legal pad will work fine.  sit in your room, or in the park, or in the library, and write a list.  count clouds.  describe all the colors that you see, and note patterns that arise.  sketch the cracks in the walls.  note the shape light makes when it enters a space.  talk about what the air tastes like, smells like.  what sounds are there?  even the white nose, break that down: air planes, fans, cicadas, anything.  remind yourself that you are sitting in the middle of a space brimming with detail.  remind yourself that you are not in nothingness and emptiness.  your world is fathomless.  it has potential.

drink cold water and try to eat something that isn’t processed.  it does not need to be fancy.  buy yourself an apple with the change between your couch cushions.  eat it outside.  if you’re someone who walks, walk somewhere afterwards, just to stretch your legs.  take your fucking meds.  remember that its a good thing that you are inside your body.  your body is a fantastic and endlessly intricate machine, and even though society has smacked a bunch of poisonous ideas on it, that doesn’t change its inherent worth and splendor.  take care of it.

read a novel.  underline your favorite lines, and write phrases that twist your heart inside your chest on the back of your hand with an ink pen.  read a novel like it’s poetry.  read poetry, something decadent but unpretentious.  watch a movie you haven’t seen before.  if there are free art galleries near you, walk through one.  take your time.  let yourself bask.  if there are patterns in what makes your soul ache, write those patterns down – marbles arches or soot crumbling bricks or dandelions or descriptions of dresses or whatever it is, write them down.

your chosen family is important.  remember, they picked you as much as you picked them.  the love has no obligation.  it is given freely and it is given from a place of compassion.  you are not a burden.  if you need to breathe, take a minute by yourself and just exist, but remember to go back to your people.  when they need you, listen and be gracious.  always be gracious.  the universe sometimes remembers things like that.

listen to new music.  link jump on youtube or related artist jump on spotify or ask the chap beside you in the cafe what their favorite band is, and listen to that.  listen to something that you don’t usually listen to.  we tend to tie up a lot of memory with music.  we are falling in love again.  the soundtrack needs to be specific to that.  

allow yourself to indulge in romantics.  press flowers in old books.  play movies with subtitles and mouth the words.  dance in your room.  wear something that makes you feel good, even if you wouldn’t wear it in public.  write your chosen family letters, even if you hand deliver them.  write poetry, even awful poetry.  revel in its awfulness.  eat dark chocolate and when your chosen family want to go out, try to go out with them sometimes, even if its just to the market.  

[psychandme]

repeat after me:

even if i don’t like my body today i will take care of it

even if i don’t like myself today i will still be patient and kind with myself

even if i do not love myself i will still take care of and be kind to myself, despite not wanting to

[psychandme]

[psychandme]

[psychandme]

reminder to:

straighten your back

go pee goddAMN IT STOP HOLDING IT

go take your meds if you need to

drink some water

go get a snack if you havent eaten in a while

maybe wander around the house/stretch a little if you’ve been sat at the computer a while (artists especially: sTRETCH THOSE WRISTS)

reply to that text/message from earlier you’d forgotten about

maybe send a nice lil message to someone having a bad day?

[psychandme]

We talk about romantic relationship dynamics in our culture and society all the time and not as much about friendships and the complicated nature of maintaining them and when to end them.

So here are some signs this friendship may ultimately not be good for you:

Red Flag #1

They can't celebrate your success:

We all get insecure and have tendencies to compare and despair. It's an unavoidable part of being human. But if more often than not, your friend can't celebrate with you, this friendship is not going to last unless your life is miserable o.o 'cause now you're dealing with a person who cannot experience anything in your life without filtering it or comparing it to theirs.

Red Flag #2

They can't hear your feelings or stand vulnerability:

Not all friendships have to be like deep conversations and vulnerable moments, we will have some friends where it's mostly us joking around or talking about superficial things, but if your friendship never has any moments of vulnerability, that's not a friend, that's an acquaintance ; friendships enrich our lives, they improve our health, reduce our stress, and make us live longer. We need friends who can nurture vulnerability and be there for us in moments of crisis, which are going to happen, especially as we get older. Knowing who is going to be there for you when it counts before something terrible happen, that's key.

Red Flag #3

There is a consistent major imbalance:

If you only ever hear from a friend when they want something- imbalance.

If you find yourself being the sole reason the friendship continues- imbalance.

And to clarify, there are going to be times in your friendship that imbalance will naturally happen, but the big red flag is when it's all the time and you're making excuses for this person or you even bring it up to them but then nothing changes.

What do you feel about these red flags? Feel free to add some more if you think there's some that I missed.

Source: Anna Akana (yt)

#friends #friendship #psych studyblr #clinical psychology #psychology #awareness #coping mechanism #mental health #psychology student #studyblr #psychologist #therapy #red flags #relationship #relationships #student #studystudystudy #coping skills #self help #self improvement

[psychandme]

Coping Mechanisms Masterlist

Thoughts to break the cycle

this is temporary if I believe it is

I AM NOT my perception, or my thoughts

I am the observer of the thoughts

my mind is protecting me and is stressed from not knowing how to fix it. Thank you for protecting me but it will be okay

the negative thoughts are just a symptom of depression, dissociation/dpdr, c-ptsd, or anxiety or all of the above

thoughts are just like another one of the 5 senses. Like how you can perceive textures, smells, tastes, sounds. Your thoughts allow you to perceive an experience. But you are not your nose. You are not your mouth. You are not your ears. You are not your hand it’s just a hand that’s connected to your body. And so You are not your thoughts. You’re the one experiencing these sensations you are not the sensations.

Even if you genetically are predisposed or your genetics or brain chemistry has caused the issue. Especially in this case your thoughts do not define who you are they are just a reaction your brain is creating to protect you from something it thinks is a threat.

self hate and depression is a coping mechanism: your body wants you to be better, to be perfect to avoid something negative that hurts and self hate is the way it decided to go but it doesn’t have to be that way. Tell your mind “thank you” and “I love you but it’s okay.” “We are safe” and “I am enough.”

I try to remember my goals: how I want to be happy, the things I want to add to my life that will make me feel calmer and happier. (If you don’t have any goals or ideas think of anything you want in this world to achieve, or learn, or earn and write it down and imagine how it would feel if you had it right now. It helps push you to realize you can shape your life how you want)

that someone in this world loves you. If you can’t name anyone. Your own body loves you. It keeps you alive and gives you the ability to experience things like eating yummy food, being able to pet an animal and feel how soft their fur is, being able to look up at the sky and see stars or clouds. Simple every day things that we take for granted because we get so stressed out from life and drama. Sometimes we forget we could lose our eyesight and we wouldn’t be able to see things or people that we love. We could get injured and never be able to walk, run or jump again. We could lose our ability to breathe and be hooked up to a ventilator. I like to write down anything I can think of to be grateful for everyday in my journal and it makes me feel less depressed, less anxious,and excited to be able to just .. be alive especially when I want to not be alive anymore

I remind myself that when I was a baby I didn’t have any thoughts I didn’t know shit. The way I grew up and had to experience life made it so I perceive life the way I do. I like to imagine if I was a blank slate what are the different ways I could look at my life? What are the ways I can decide to look at situations or myself? People don’t just wake up and love themselves they were taught to feel loved. Just like how we don’t wake up with these negative self hateful thoughts. We got them from somewhere. We can choose if we want to still believe our perceptions or not. But learning to be happy and to love ourself is like a skill. Just like how learning to hate ourselves took time and repeated experiences.

Self care / Self love activities

imagining an older version of myself comforting present me. And imagining myself currently to comfort past me during traumatic moments

bubble baths

napping with soothing audios, or sleep meditations

walking outside

calling a friend

visiting a family member or friend

Write yourself a note when you’re happy to yourself and read it when you’re upset

Make a voice memo give future you a pep talk, positive affirmations, or even guided meditations and listen to it when you’re upset

lighting a candle and writing down an intention and meditating or you can pray if you believe in a god or have a religion. Or if you just believe in the universe and law of attraction

journaling

cleaning or tidying up a little

eating a yummy but healthy snack

cooking or baking

(if I’m severely not okay) holding an ice cube, running my hands in cold water and splashing the water in my face, taking a cold shower, taking a rubber band on my wrist and snapping it back

reading a book

watching my favorite tv show or movie

watching a comedy

playing music and forcing myself to dance (when I’m alone of course 😅)

yoga

exercising

watching cute animal videos on YouTube

Singing in the shower

Adult coloring books

some type of video about philosophy that reminds me that I’m not alone and we are all lost

some type of video that reminds me how beautiful life can be

some type of video that reminds me that I’m not in control of my circumstance, my genetics, or the world but I’m in control of how I react that I’m the one that gives power to my thoughts

Breaking thought patterns, bad habits and doing self care every day helps immensely. Over time it gets easier and easier to feel okay and to even feel happy. But never stop doing these things for the rest of your life. You either feed the negative thoughts or you feed the positive. You either feed the negative habits or you feed the bad. You get to choose. Seek help, and be gentle with yourself. Healing isn’t linear.