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✩ preface ✩

heya everybody :)

with lockdown going on 6 months and school starting back up, i'm sure we're all going through some rough places. whether it be with anxiety, depression, being stuck in a toxic and/or abusive environment, or anything else, i hope that this psa can give you the resources to help you get through it a little easier.

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△▽ check ins ▽△

checking in on your mental health is crucial to keeping yourself in a good place. i know people who do daily check ins, others to weekly. i do it whenever i to, so there's really no pressure for having it be routine.

i usually rate my mental health on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being extremely poor and 10 being extraordinarily great. to put a definition to the numbers in between, here's a chart:

quick disclaimer: this is not a universal interpretation of a mental state chart!! this is just my interpretation of a scale.

△ 10 wow! you're in a really good headspace. you can really enjoy yourself, and you deserve it.

△ 9 you're in a little misstep in your day, but you'll regain your footing very soon. other than that, things are good!

△ 8 you're a bit frustrated or down, but little things can cheer you up just fine. look for more things like that; they help tremendously.

△ 7 something's bothered a bit you today, but you are able to get through it just fine. you should eat something, drink some water, or take a nap so you can work on enjoying life more.

△ 6 you've had a bad day, or a few bad days. but you have the necessary coping skills and can get yourself through it. don’t push yourself too hard though, recovery from anything takes time.

△ 5 easy things are starting to become difficult on a daily basis, please go see a doctor. you deserve to thrive and not be hindered by this.

△ 4 your mental health is hindering your life. you may not be able to enjoy things like you used to, and your thoughts may be hard to cope with. you should seek resources to get help.

△ 3 your mental health is seriously affecting areas of your life, you may have more trouble than usual eating, sleeping, socializing, concentrating, relaxing, or having fun. you should seriously look into ing and getting help so that you can enjoy these things again.

△ 2 your mental health is in critical condition, and could very well get worse very fast. please seek help urgently so you'll end up okay.

△ 1 things cannot possibly get any worse, you're a danger to yourself and/or others, and can no longer care for yourself. please get someone to a mental health resource immediately so that you can recover safely.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

☽ self-care ☽

regardless of your mental state or what number you identify with on the previous chart, self-care should be something everyone included in their day to day lives. it shouldn't be seen as selfishness at all, though it's okay to struggle with taking time specifically for you. you aren't alone in that struggle.

look at clothes you'd like, take a shower (however hot/cold and as long/short as you'd like), eat something you like (or talk about what you'd like for your next meal if possible), take a nap, watch a show, lie in bed and listen to music, write something, draw a little doodle, bake something, work out, listen to a podcast, do a skin care routine, whatever suits your fancy.

maybe taking a day or two to yourself would be most beneficial? or go on a walk around the block/around the halls of your apartment complex. talk with a friend about when you can (safely) meet up with them again to give yourself something to look forward to.

if you want/need suggestions or advice on how to do anything, or even just figuring out what you should do, pm me! i'll be happy to help.

ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ

☆*ﾟ healthy coping mechanisms ﾟ*☆

we're all gonna experience bad days, that's part of living life. however, it is vital that you know healthy ways to deal with these bad days. these strategies will obviously vary a bit from person to person based on preference, but finding one (or ideally a few) will be instrumental in coping with any blips in your days.

my personal favorite coping method is to listen to music. when i don’t feel like listening to music, i use another coping mechanism, like drawing or listening to philosophy majors talk to each other on youtube.

the importance of having more than one coping mechanism is that you always have something to then to when things go sideways. it kind of falls under self-care.

some routine coping mechanisms

• regularly eating well-balanced meals

  - plan them out! look in your kitchen and pick out

     fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbs, and dairy*

     * if you're lactose intolerant like me, lactaid is a

        brand of lactose free milk that tastes really good

       and also makes chocolate milk and ice cream!

• exercising on a regular basis

   - this can be anything from following workout

       videos, to going on walks, to doing chores that

      involve physical activity, or even doing a few

       push-ups/squats/etc. a day. i used to do intense

      physical activity pre-pandemic, and what people

      say about it releasing endorphins is actually true!

• sleep! i cannot stress enough how getting enough

   sleep has improved my mental health. shooting for

  8-10 hours a night helps so much.

• take a break

   - whether it be from keeping up with current events,

      talking to a few people, or even if you need to take

      a breather, taking a breather from obvious

      stressors can be very beneficial. be sure to

      properly communicate your breaks beforehand:

      ie: "hey, i'll be taking a break from social media/

            this activity for a bit. i will be fine, but

            [this number/email] if you need to get in touch

            with me. thank you for understanding."

• talk with someone you trust about your struggles

  - i suggest opening up to someone you trust if both

    you and them are in the right headspace to have

    that kind of conversation.

again, if you want to talk with someone about figuring out what coping mechanism(s) work best for you, feel free to pm me!

═ ∘♡༉∘ ══ ∘♡༉∘ ══ ∘♡༉∘ ═

♡ international suicide prevention hotlines ♡

if you ever want to talk but don’t know who to talk to, here's a list of many countries' hotlines and resources of the sort:

brazil/portugal: 188

canada: 1 800 6686868

: 01 42 96 26 26

: 0800 111 0 333

greece: 1018

italy: 19696

mexico: 55 5533 5533

new zealand: 0800 376633

to text: 234

spain: 902500002

switzerland: 143

united states: 1 800 273 8255

to text: 838255

the trevor project: 1 866 488 73865

united kingdom/ireland: 116 123

☆ take care of yourself, kiddo ☆