How are you practising self care these days?

[Ivy_chan5]

My anxiety levels are pretty high and I am always desperately looking for ways to reduce it.

Strangely, meditation, be it guided meditation or anything else, has never worked for me. I do feel calm after a meditation session but it stays for just a couple of minutes... and the all the anxious thoughts which were waiting for me to finish meditating pour in... as if they missed me so much for those few minutes.

I used to watch some interesting drama series a lot because they served as a distraction from my thoughts.. and losing sleep over a drama series felt way better than losing sleep due to my thoughts.. but this wasn't a great way to cope.

I am listing a few ways (or can I say techniques?🤔) which are currently being helpful to me :

1. Listening to music (specific songs which have a lot of uplifting lyrics or calming beats)

2. Watching cooking channels on YouTube as they are interesting, they make me want to try cooking them and I won't lose sleep over a recipe video thinking what will happen in the next episode.

3. Spending most of my free time cooking.. I almost cook 90% of our meals these days . I really feel great and this serves as the best distraction.. I love cooking, too .. and my parents love my dishes.. seeing their happy faces and hearing their compliments feels so good. Seeing my mom boast about my cooking to her siblings on the phone and seeing my dad who has a low appetite eat one more serving because he loved it is so nice!!! Cooking for your loved ones is the best thing ever is what I think. 😊

4. Staying away from notifications and news .. I just own a texting app account and this account.. I had the habit of checking notifications every now and then to see if a friend of mine has replied to my message or if there are any unread messages.. getting anxious as to why hasn't my cousin seen my message after a minute of sending it or why has a certain group member ignored my message.. all of this resulting in anxiety.. now I have simply turned the notifications off and I check them only at a certain time...

Even checking the news mostly related to COVID .. every news slot , be it the morning one, the evening one.. it makes us feel like what is going to happen now .. what should be done... only worrying won't put an end to the virus.. instead investing the same time to take care of ourselves, our family.. maintaining good hygiene, checking up on other family members, neighbours and friends and helping each other will help a lot. 😊

Sending lots of love to all the beautiful souls reading this. 😊

- Ivy

[Hidden]

It's great you cook like that for your family. I'm sure they appreciate that. I'm trying to get back into reading a couple of books. I enjoy reading a good book, but lately I'm spending too much time online. My concentration needs to be better.

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much 😊. I like reading, too.. which genres do you like to read? It's okay, you will feel better soon. Let's do our best 😊

[Hidden in reply to Ivy_chan5]

I think my stupid smartphone is giving me ADD or something, I'm having trouble trying to kick back and actually read a book. I'm becoming too much of an internet addict, I think we all are. I try to read different things. 2 books I'm trying to read these days are, I have that book Mary Trump wrote about our lousy President so I'm trying to read that, and I also like to read some crazy romance novels by an author Kat Martin. She has a ton of them and there's a few of hers I really like, even though those can be far fetched stories. Better than all that stupid 50 shades of grey nonsense that some people really get into.

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, that's true.. staying away from the phone is too hard.. because everything you want is just a click away.. my dad sometimes suspects that I'm talking to guys on my phone (I do have a crush though😂, maybe he likes me, who knows 😂) when all I'm doing is typing stuff here or watching YouTube.. 😂 I watch Japanese and Korean romance drama series as I am learning those languages and they are so good.. even I don't get why people love 50 shades stuff.. and most people here in India are into Bollywood but I am not. I have watched just 3 movies so far😂

[Hidden in reply to Ivy_chan5]

Oh okay, hello to you in India!!! One of my sisters is married to a guy who grew up here in the USA who's parents are from India. I live in Michigan, USA. That's great that you are learning Japanese and Korean, I would think that might be somewhat difficult to learn, especially trying to write it out. I've been talking to people from all over the world on this site, I was chatting with someone from Scotland not long ago. I only took a few years of French growing up, I enjoyed learning it but I don't have too much money and I don't know if I would ever be able to travel there. Take care , I wish you the best!!!☺

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to Hidden]

Oh . That's great to hear.😊 I first fell in love with Japanese and Korean cultures and then started learning those languages. 😊 You are doing a great job being there for people around the world 😊.. I had French for 2 years in high school.. but did not continue it.... I might later..it is one of the most studied languages here, including German.. Thank you so much for your best wishes... let's keep on doing our best.. take care😁

[modestmouser]

I listen to a self hypnotic CD- Relieve stress and Anxiety by Barry Konikov. One side is progressive relaxation and hypnosis to help you relax and fall asleep. After listening to it for a while, it now puts me to sleep. The other side is music with a subliminal message to relax that you can play while driving, etc.

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to modestmouser]

Sounds interesting. I have tried subliminals related to health, etc... however I did not continue listening for getting results.. as you did.. thank you so much 😊 Let's do our best 😊

[Sillysausage234]

I really enjoyed reading this ivy chan ....your parents must be so proud ....keep cooking 😀....I watch comedy at night reminds me not to take everything so seriously.

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to Sillysausage234]

Thank you so much 😊 and long time no see.. oh, yes, I love comedy, too.. however I don't know where to watch comedy.. I have tried watching some comedy YouTube channels but they eventually got boring .. there's a YouTube channel featuring stand ups , etc... called Netflix is a Joke.. this channel has some interesting and relatable stuff.. what would you recommend?😊

[Sillysausage234 in reply to Ivy_chan5]

I watch lots of British stand up stuff too and panel shows with comedians on like .....mock the week....and taskmaster ....that’s a really stupid program but I like it 😄

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to Sillysausage234]

Oh, is that so? That's great 😊

[Sillysausage234 in reply to Ivy_chan5]

youtu.be/EADGMYpUa6I(Not working as expected?)

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to Sillysausage234]

I'll watch it and let you know how it was😁 Thank you so much.

[MoonDreaming]

Hey there!

I am the same, meditations hasn't been working for me like it used too. I go to put on soothing music and meditate with breathing exercises and while i'm doing it, it's very difficult because I can't focus long enough but then when I do relax and calm down it's good but then once it's all done... there comes those thoughts again and it just un-does everything.

I go for walks/jog and I force myself to focus on nature and make it a point to think about whatever i'm looking at and try to remember good times i've had before whether it's jogging or if i'm looking at a squirrel other times that I ran into squirrels, just focusing on positives.

It's awesome that you cook so much for your family! I wish I had skills in the kitchen but I don't

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to MoonDreaming]

Hello! 😊Yes, that's true.. those thoughts manage to come back again. You have a great technique! I sooo want to go out for a walk.. the COVID situation is still a lot serious here.. and the day ends quickly because I have online lectures to attend and other stuff, too😅 A great reminder for me to start managing my time😂.. Let's do our best 😊

[Booklover0219]

Good post. I agree with staying away from news, limiting social media and limiting phone use. These are some coping strategies that help me a lot. I have a hard time with meditation too. Walking or bike riding takes me out of my head and helps me relax.

[Ivy_chan5 in reply to Booklover0219]

Thank you so much. 😊 Yes, you are right. Pushing myself to exercise while experiencing too much stress and anxiety is too hard... and walking doesn't need extra motivation like this.. 😁 Bike riding 😯 That's great! Thanks and take care 😁