Learning to Love the mind you LIV in.

  Anxiety is something that is directly related to a fear. Facing a fear can be a huge cause of why you are feeling so uneasy. Systematic desensitization is a type of exposure therapy. During this, you start from the bottom and make your way up to facing a fear slowly. You can build confidence! This involves 3 parts : Learning relaxation skills, step by step lists, and working through it.  Let's work through a scenario in which a person has a fear of planes, and never wants to fly, but has a flight coming up. 1: Watch videos of planes. TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube have great videos of planes taking off and landing you can watch. 2: Book a flight 3: Pack/ drive to airport 4: check in and wait to board 5: on the plane, take flight This might seem so simple to you, but to somebody with a deep routed fear, this is a horrifying experience!!!!

 Anxiety. In my opinion, this is one of the most felt emotion in college. We are anxious about making friends, being away from home, failing a test. Anxiety is everywhere. It is a feeling of dread, and uneasiness. Some people feel anxious when they are facing a problem, and the anxious feeling gives them energy. But, people who have anxiety disorders, may feel like this emotion takes over their life.  You cannot pinpoint one "thing" to be the cause of anxiety. It can be genetic, brain related, stress, even your environment. Some of the different disorders are generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias.  Symptoms of anxiety disorders are thoughts that cannot be controlled, and get worse over time. Physical symptoms like dizziness, fast heartbeat, and changes in behavior.  It is important to know that you are never alone. According to the National College Health Assessment, more than one in three students are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.   I hope I helped

  SQUARE BREATHING!!!!!  Breathing is the #1way to lessen panic and anxiety... which is crazy because we are always breathing. But, in a time of stress we may forget to breathe regularly which can heighten emotions.  You can use square breathing whenever you feel you need it, but times I suggest to use this method to calm yourself down are: when trying to sleep, stress, needing a clear mind, before a test, etc. Everyone has different forms of stressors, so really it is for anytime! How to "Square Breathe": 1. Inhale through your nose SLOWLY, and count to four.  1,2,3,4. 2. Hold that breathe for a count of four. 1,2,3,4. 3. Exhale through your mouth SLOWLY, for a count of four. 1,2,3,4. 4. Pause and hold before restarting for a count of four.  1,2,3,4.

Hey everyone! I am back for week two... this weeks showcased disorder is OCD. You may think it is a bit odd to "showcase" this stuff , but I think it is rather important to show that even with disorders like these, you are still special <3 OCD is short for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This is something I struggle with, and it is not easy but there is so much to learn about it so you can be able to understand, and show sympathy for those around you with this.  OCD is the attack of thoughts that are obsessive, intrusive, and repetitive. All of these thoughts cause major stress and disturb your daily life. Studies show that: Many people who struggle tend to go unnoticed for a while.  This is called OCD for a reason and that is "obsessions" are uncontrollable thoughts that cause stress, and "compulsions" are acts and rituals that get rid of that stress for temporary amounts of time.  Luckily, there are things that can be done to relax your mind. Some im

 Some of you may be familiar with this strategy, or maybe you have heard of it. I use a variation of the popular strategy and  I like to call it "555."  555 is an exercise that can be used whenever your mind is feeling extremely overwhelmed, and you need to keep yourself grounded to avoid panic.  The first 5 stands for "5 things you can see."  Look at your surroundings. You are okay, you just need to put yourself back into the moment. Start by naming 5 things that are visible to you, I will play along as an example. Right now, 5 things I see are my computer, my blanket, my television, my posters, and my phone. Take 5 deep breathes.  The second 5 stands for "5 things you can touch." Feel your surroundings. Remember you are okay. I can touch my keyboard, my couch, my glasses, my heartbeat, and my necklace. Take 5 deep breathes.  The third 5 stands for "5 things you can hear." Listen to your surroundings. Using your ears is a great way to ground

Being in college is hard, and that is something that we can all relate to... Right? My names Liv, and I want to use this blog to spread awareness about mental health, provide tips to help you get through those hard days, and each week I want to showcase a mental disorder so you can be more educated!  Why listen to my advice, when you don't know me? Well, I can answer this question by saying that I am somebody who values her mental health very highly, and genuinely I want to help you strive to be the same way. So... LET'S GET STARTED!