Mental Health Awareness Week

"To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream"

- Sylvia Plath

Something you may not know (hell, I didn't know until yesterday) - the 11th of May to the 17th of May is/was Mental Health Awareness week. 

As I posted recently, I'm all out of things to say. I'm not really in a writing mood. However, I am very knowledgeable about a great number of mental illnesses - I think that's the case with a lot of people nowadays - so if there's any you want to know more about, comment below. I'll write a blog post with info on what you ask for in the near future. That'll raise awareness and understanding, hopefully. If any of my fans (do I have fans?) would like to share their experiences with mental illnesses, you can comment below or I could include you in a blog post if you'd like. I'm nice like that.

I really wish I'd known about this in advance so I could've had something planned for Monday. Damn.

Still, mental health is ALWAYS relevant. We all have a brain and any one of us could be pulled under when we least expect it so it's important to know what you're dealing with.

Here's some helpful UK numbers to call if you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious or depressed or suicidal:

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) - 0800 58 58 58 (helpline for young men over 15 years old. Open from 5pm to 12am).

ChildLine - 0800 1111 (helpline for children and young people. Free and confidential. Open 24 hours).

Get Connected - 0808 808 4994 (helpline for people under 25. Open 1pm to 11pm).

Lifeline (N. Ireland) - 0808 808 8000 (free, confidential crisis response helpline. Open 24 hours).

Papyrus HOPELine UK - 0800 068 4141 (offers help and advice. Open 10am to 10pm on weekdays, 2pm to 5pm on weekends).

Samaritans - 0845 790 9090 (confidential helpline. Open 24 hours).

If you're outside the UK, I'm sorry for the exclusion but I'm sure Google will have some results for you. If, like me, you can't use phones due to deafness or anxiety or whatever reason, there's also a great deal of online help groups. However, if you're seriously worried about your mental health, do seek help from your GP. They can refer you to professionals who can help you get better.

You are not alone. You are not ignored. I am one of many people who care about you and want you to live life to the fullest extent you can without feeling trapped and empty and all the other awful feelings that come with mental illnesses. You matter.

Just look after yourself, OK? 

Coping With Exams.

"There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure but I don't know many of them"

- Sylvia Plath

Exams are tough. I know this better than anyone. I'm in my fifth year of taking serious exams and it doesn't get easier. It's always the same. Study, study, study. Retain information. I've studied. I've procrastinated. I've panicked. I've cried. I've written pages of notes in all the colours of the rainbow. I've overdosed on Mountain Dew. I've passed. I've failed. I've eaten chocolate, whatever results I got. And I've discovered there is no surefire way to pass your exams. All you can do is speak to your teachers/tutors/lecturers because they know better than we do what to expect in your exams. I can't help you there. What I can help you with is how to cope with all of this. Because, chances are, your parents or teachers or siblings or friends are putting all this pressure on you to pass your exams, to achieve or exceed their expectations - and maybe you will. But exams can take a toll on you, physically and mentally. However, it's nothing that can't be remedied by your friendly Dr Blue (Note: Blue is neither friendly nor a doctor). Whether you're preparing for exams or trying to shake off the remaining jitters afterwards, these tips can help. Maybe. Worth a try though, isn't it?

BEFORE

-Try and stay on top of your revision. This may seem like a terrible way of coping with exams but the last thing you want is to panic and frazzle your brain before your exam(s). Study little and often and allow yourself breaks. Figure out your learning style (eg. visual or auditory) and revise in ways that will help you recall info. I use musical association and repetition.

-Plan. Plan how and when you'll get to your exam, plan your studying, plan your breaks, plan everything you need to to keep you calm and in control.
-Check things. You'll probably be given a timetable listing the time, date and location of your exam(s) but check with your teacher/tutor/lecturer that everything is correct. The last thing you want is to miss your exam.
-Now would also be a good time to speak to your teacher/tutor/lecturer about anything you're not understanding about your work. They're there to help and they'll be more than happy to help you. Remember, they want you to pass your exams too!
-Tempting as it may be to stay up all night to study, DON'T DO THIS. Sleep. Get a good night's sleep. Your brain needs to rest or it will burn out. If you're having trouble sleeping, try sprinkling lavender oil on your pillow or burning a CD of relaxing noises (think the sounds of ocean or the rain) to help you drop off. Try and make your room as dark as possible,  wear an eye mask if it helps. Avoid caffeine before bed and, if possible, do a little exercise to tire you out before you go to bed. Sleep is important.
-Be organised. Make sure everything you need is laid out where you can find it in the morning. If you need HB pencils, a calculator, a dictionary or anything important like that, pack it in your bag the night before. That way, you won't have to rush around in the morning.
-Get up early so you can eat a healthy, energising breakfast - maybe porridge with raspberries to slowly release energy throughout your exam. If you have time, do a little studying so it's fresh in your mind. Be at the exam location 15 minutes early. This is also a good time to revise but keep your ears open for announcements regarding your exam. If you have friends sitting the same exam, quiz each other on your knowledge of the subject - who knows, maybe a section you're struggling with is their strongest area!
-If you want, have a snack before going into the exam hall. It's so hard to concentrate when you're hungry.

DURING

-Try not to panic. Slowly breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. This will slow your heart rate and return your body to its relaxed state.

-Stretch out your muscles. Sitting hunched over your desk isn't great for your back. When you start to feel uncomfortable, take a few seconds to sit up straight and stretch your back and neck out. If your arm starts to ache from writing, put your pen down and rotate your wrist a few times to ease the tension in your tendons and ligaments. Stretch your fingers out.
-Concentrate. This seems obvious but it's so easy to get distracted by a ticking clock or an interesting tree or something. Don't let that happen. Eyes down, pen up and shut out the world. Recall the information and let it flow onto the page. If you forget something, don't worry, you can put an asterisk and add the information at the end of the paper if you've time.
-Read the paper carefully. Make sure you understand the question - sometimes they phrase them oddly to trip us up. Pretty cruel, huh? Just make sure you're writing all the relevant stuff.
- Keep a steady pace. Writing is like cross country running for your arm. It's about endurance. If you start off super quick, you'll slow down sooner and start to flag behind. Don't be slow, by any means but pace your writing so you don't overwork your wrist or brain.
-You're probably familiar with this but I'll reiterate it for you. If you're stuck on a question, leave it and come back to it at the end. It's better than spending 10, 15 minutes panicking about it. If you work on your strongest areas first, you'll be more confident and you'll have more time to figure the tricky questions out.

AFTER

-It's over! Give yourself a pat on the back. Maybe a bar of chocolate. If you've got the money, treat yourself to lunch at a coffee shop or nice café. You've worked hard and now is your chance to rest and reward yourself.

-Pamper yourself! You know the drill - dressing gown, face mask, hot bath, fluffy towel. It's not just for girls! Still, maybe that's not your thing? Does a bowl of popcorn and a good DVD sound more enticing?
-If you have pets, pet 'em. Stroking a cat or dog or hamster or snake has soothing qualities. Get rid of excess stress by lavishing attention on your slightly bewildered pet.
-Catch up on life. Whilst prepping for exams, it's easy to put your life on hold. Get back in there. A movie you've been meaning to watch, a book you've been meaning to read, a game you've been meaning to try - they're all yours. If you'd rather sleep till 2 in the afternoon, that's fine too. You're mentally burnt out so you probably don't fancy reading 4 books a week at the moment.
-Relax. Get the excess stress and adrenaline out of your system. Talk it out, walk it out, unwind however you know how. Just chill! You'll soon be back to your old self.
-Remind yourself - you got through this. You beat exams. Whatever the outcome, you survived and you are strong. Come on, life, you're ready! If you're arty, make yourself a medal or a certificate. God knows you deserve it.

Feeling better? More prepared, more confident? You should be. Good luck guys! I'm rooting for you!

What...is life?

"I felt my lungs inflate with the inrush of scenery - air, mountains, trees, people. I thought 'This is what it is to be happy.'"

- Sylvia Plath

Hey guys! I know, I know, it's been over a month since my last post. I'm sorry. College and whatnot has been consuming all my time. My next post is going to be tips on coping with exam stress for those it concerns. But for now, I want to share with you some of my thoughts concerning life.

I think life is always hard because we're always looking for the negativities. When we're kids, we hate life because we're too little to watch the movies we want to watch and to wear the clothes we want to wear and we just seem to be too young for everything good in life and we desperately long to be teenagers who seem tall and independent and beautiful. When we're teenagers, we hate life because we'd built it up in our heads and it did not meet our expectations. We don't feel tall and independent and beautiful, we feel tiny and insignificant and unstable and we're paranoid everyone's judging our spots and our hair and our clothes when of course, nearly everyone else is staring in the mirror, feeling exactly the same as we are.

We long to be adults when we'll be composed and settled and our hormones will no longer be playing havoc with our appearance and we'll lose all that teenage awkwardness. When we're adults, we hate life because it's not how we imagined it. Maybe your spots will disappear - but, for some (me) they won't. Maybe you will lose your teenage awkwardness - but there's no guarantee (me again). And, on top of that, there's so many responsibilities. Bills to pay, jobs to find, expectations to live up to. Whether you're 18 or 28, you're never truly ready to lose the support net of your family and try to fend for yourself in this world of new responsibilities pressing down on your shoulders. We spend our whole lives wanting more independence, more freedom, then when we finally get it, we want nothing more than to run home and have someone look after us like we're little again, with no fears about bills and jobs and relationships and all the scary adult stuff we thought we wanted, eons ago.

Too depressing?

Life isn't all doom and gloom, I guess. I mean, cats exist. As does chocolate. And music. And literature. And cold ice creams on hot summer days. And warm duvets with hot cocoa in the middle of winter, as a blizzard outside covers everything with snow as fresh as a new page in your sketchpad. Friends exist. Hot bubblebaths exist. Scented candles exist. Soft pillows and welcoming duvets at the end of a long day exist. The aromas of newly cut grass, your favourite dinner, freshly baked cakes, sweet flowers...they exist. Life is difficult and unless you're extremely lucky, there will always be something you'll struggle with - even if it's just long division which I promise you has no application in real life. But if you appreciate the little things that seem so miniscule and unimportant, you can get through the tough times and gradually, they'll get easier. You'll learn how to cope.

You'll always have days where you wake up and just want to go back to sleep. You'll always have nights where you lie awake, fretting about everything and nothing before falling into a fitful sleep, plagued by nightmares. I'm not going to pretend all your problems will magically disappear. But if you focus on the good times - nostalgic memories, the beauty around you and all the amazing times you've yet to experience - life is just that bit easier to deal with.

And I promise you that it's worth it.