“What is your therapy? How do you cope with stress, pressure and all kinds of related issues?” My friend Shix asks me as soon as I wake up this morning. It gets me thinking, what actually is my therapy? The first answer that pops up in my mind is SLEEP. I had a pretty rough night last night, but I decided to ‘sleep it off’ and actually woke up feeling better. I am finally able to respond to  her question. We ask our other mutual friend, Karen, who says her therapy is talking to someone. Shix is not sure of what her therapy is. I decide to embark on a research mission to help her, and our other readers who are unsure of what their therapy is. Join us as we seek to unravel this.

While undertaking the research on self-therapy, I didn’t quite get what I was looking for. The Internet gave me a lot of medical terms as well as tips on how to perform self-therapy. This, however, was not what I was looking for. I was looking for something simpler like what to do when you feel like the world is ending, or its caving in for you. I asked some of my friends and these are the answers I came up with: 

  1. Sleep

This, of course, was my answer. Sleeping takes the weight of the matter away at the moment and enables me to wake up with a fresh mind that’s ready to come up with solutions! While sleep works wonders for me, it is not recommended by most people I’ve spoken to. They say it’s more of sweeping your feelings under the rug and refusing to deal with them. So unless a well rested mind gives you solutions like me, it would be best to try other options. 

  1. Talk to a trusted friend(s)

When you’re going through a difficult moment, reaching out to friends and family can help you relieve stress, improve your mood, and make sense of all that’s going on. Having somebody to lean on can give you strength and help you build resilience instead of feeling like you’re battling your challenges alone. People you go to don’t necessarily have to know the answers to your issues; they simply have to be prepared to listen to you without passing judgment. In truth, what you say and the words you use are frequently unimportant. The power of human connection—that smile, or that hug—can make a huge impact in how you feel. So find that friend or group of friends that you can trust, and share your burden with them. Don’t they say that a problem shared is a problem half solved? And better half a loaf than none? Sharing with friends will often leave you feeling lighter and you’ll probably get a solution or two, so try it. 

  1. Cry

The greatest way to deal with painful feelings, such as loss and grief, is to accept them, as tough as it may be. It’s critical to allow yourself to cry if you need to. Crying allows you to release the emotional stress and pain that is weighing you down. The hormones oxytocin and endorphins are released when emotional tears are produced. They make individuals happy and may help with physical and emotional suffering. Crying can relieve discomfort and produce a sense of well-being in this way. So if crying works for you and helps you feel better, then go ahead and cry. 

  1. Work out

When you’re coping with stress, it’s probable that you’re carrying it about with you. Perhaps you experience regular headaches, stiff muscles, insomnia, neck or back pain, heartburn, or even an upset stomach. Regular exercise not only improves your mood by releasing powerful endorphins in the brain, but it can also assist to relieve tension in the body and combat the physical symptoms of stress.

  1. Write out your feelings

If you’ve had a traumatic experience, writing about it can help you feel better. This is partly due to the fact that writing helps to organize your thoughts, making the experience feel less chaotic. Writing can also provide emotional release, insight into yourself, and the satisfaction of being able to put the difficulty behind you.

The world seems to be moving from one catastrophe to the next lately. We’ve seen a global pandemic, significant changes in how we live our lives, economic uncertainty, political and social unrest, and a number of natural calamities.People are also struggling with personal tragedies such as the death of a loved one, deteriorating health, unemployment, divorce, violent crime, or terrible accidents. This is a period of extraordinary difficulties and change for many of us.Tough times can be difficult to get through.While there is no way to prevent sadness, difficulty, or pain in life, there are steps you can do to help calm the waters and restore control. Having a technique that works for you can help make the process a little less tough. Find out what works for you, (from either the above or other techniques), and use them to aid you through your difficult moments. 

Above all, be kind to yourself. You are doing the most.

In the next post I’m going to put up a quiz that will help you identify your style of therapy accurately. Be sure to stay notified on all our latest posts.

SharonahKen ♥️♥️♥️