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Eheheheh.....
It's been a long time since my last journal entry. More specifically, I haven't written at all since last year. Whoops! > u > ''

Putting that aside (along with all my other problems), I think an observation I've been made to notice is the wide variety of different coping mechanisms people have.... At least, I've been noticing my own.

'tis been a while! And indeed, there has been a lot of happenings since then. Oui oui, I have become......MORE!!!!


...of a nervous wreck.

Heh!
Jokes aside though, on with the topic at hand. Some of my friends have pointed something out about me, thus bringing it to my attention that I don't usually seem to get disturbed or rattled. Even when playing games where salt is thrown around more than is within the Dead Sea, I don't seem angry or frustrated.

That's not to say that I don't get angry or frustrated in general. I do. It's really just that it often doesn't get past the surface or get expressed as others normally perceive it. Because of that, I thought I'd try observing other reactions within me and surprise! I think I'm finding one of the ways I'm kind of skirting around anxiety or nervousness.

Firstly, there are several things that I would feel anxious and nervous about. There are just a few people in my life that induce a certain amount of heart palpitations and gut-wrenching pain.
Okay okay, maybe not pain but they still do things to my innards that doesn't normally happen. Sometimes, when I message them or get a message from them, I feel something almost alike to adrenaline coursing through my whole body. Actually, it probably is 'cause it gets me shookt. But when that happens, my attention starts to wander rapidly and often latches onto other things, often finding something amusing or interesting to note about it. It's as if I'm unconsciously doing that to drive the main cause of nervous energy away from my immediate focus.

Another thing that comes with that is an immense need to drown out everything with music. Sometimes, it could be very upbeat and high energy music which may result in me dancing to shake off any excess nervous energy. Sometimes, it's more quiet, ambient and melancholic songs that calm my soul, allowing for myself to think clearer and be more at peace. Music has a great history of being good for people in times of distress. It helps to drown the sorrows.

But those are just things I do to distract myself. Of course, it doesn't solve the issues at hand. And if you've come to read about how to solve those issues, it's a lot more limited to what I can say to you. Everyone has different problems that they all perceive differently from the next person. With those different perceptions, they face different feelings and....well, they're unique to the person themselves.

I will, however, say that there are some practical things you can do for yourself:

Getting sufficient rest! I can't really stress enough (both the point and with my life) about how important it is to get rest for both your body and mind. While it is good to get enough sleep, something people seem to rarely do, you also need to give your mind a break every now and then too. Just as how your physical health can affect how your head works, your mental and emotional state also influences your physical health.
Making sure you get a break from the stressors in your life for at least a few minutes or hours for that breath of fresh air will do you wonders. Properly taking care of your body helps too, from eating properly to getting yourself a bit of exercise so your body isn't idle (and your brain actually releases some mood-regulating hormones) can help a bunch.


Finding someone/some people to talk to! It may not be immediately apparent, but when you talk to someone about the issues that plague you, you might actually solve some of them before they offer anything to you. Or at the very least, you'll have achieved something very vital to how humans have coped with problems since ancient times. Complaining about stuff. Okay okay, maybe not just that.
But it really is kind of true that talking about something to others helps yourself. Maybe you're not consciously aware of it, but when you're stuck in an issue or situation and are stressing over it incessantly, your brain is running REALLY fast. And honestly, too fast for its good. What often goes on in your head is that you'll replay over and over the things that stress you, the things that worry you and you don't know how to deal with. Trying to think of ways to amend them usually ends with you snapping back to thinking there's nothing you can do or that the solution you have has so much uncertainty that you can't help but worry about it more.
But things are a bit different when you talk with someone about it.
They don't know about your issue to your degree.
Of course not.
They're not a mind reader (and if they were, I wish they'd teach me how they do it).
So you have to explain things to them, starting from the top and elaborating with more detail so that they can understand what you're going through and what your struggles are.
As you do that, you start including in details about the issue that your brain normally skips over while you worry about it. Details that you overlooked or simply made assumptions about which really may be quite important. But not only does talking about things to someone else make you elaborate and take a closer look at the problem at hand. You also get that other perspective from them. From someone who's hopefully in a calmer and more rational state than your frazzled bulk of grey matter can hope to be in.
There are more reasons to why confiding with someone can help you cope with the stress and anxiety that comes with problems. I'll leave those up to you to find them. But in all honesty, it can be a great comfort to have someone who listens, if not empathizes with you. Someone you can trust and are comfortable sharing things with is someone you should hold close to your heart.


I suppose last thing you can do for yourself (and is something I'm learning to do) is to breathe. Yes, breathe.
Take a deeeeeeep breath. Hold it......hold it a bit longer.....



Now exhale.

Congratulations, you looked a bit funny while you did that.
But what I'm actually hoping to achieve when I tell you to breathe is to actually take a moment away from the whole situation. Take a breather. A break. It's not uncommon for people to get so caught up in their worries that they continue worrying about it even until their brain is worn out, yet they don't seem to give it a break and continue to worry about things. Your brain is a muscle. While it may not be stretched like your other muscles, it gets tired too and needs proper rest.
Not only that, taking a moment to properly have some deep breaths and try to control your breathing may actually give you a little bit of calm while doing so. You do need oxygen after all, and we often forget that while we worry about other things.


I doubt I gave an entirely convincing argument for that last point, but my main point still stands. Stress and anxiety aren't really new things to us, but we sometimes worry about things so much that we still overlook things we can do to help ourselves. That includes taking care of yourself, confiding in others or even just giving yourself a much needed moment to breathe. Other ways of coping are just as valid, although I shouldn't say anything about how good any coping mechanism is. But I do wish that you take care of yourself in this worry-filled world.
Ta ta~