As a future art therapist and counselor, my role will be to empower people with the ability to relax, rejuvenate, recharge, and do much more for their overall mental well-being. A huge contributor to mental health is the environment, what we in psychology know as the nurture concept. Part of the environment study is looking at how the outside-of-self conditions affect one's overall well-being. And though this will be discussed by me in more detail at a later time, I want you to keep in mind that anything outside of you that you welcome and also do not welcome, into your life, has an impact on your life. One of those things we hear about, over and over, is exercise. I am a big believer in that some basic exercise can go long ways. With a world pandemic around, most of us are spending more hours indoors than ever before. This can be exhausting to one's mental state and overall well-being. It can easily wear us out, for one. You may be experiencing or dealing with irritation, panic, stress, and even fear. Nonetheless, there are things you can do. And you can and should give yourself at least 20 minutes of the day. You deserve that. Here are my 3 tips I am going to give you. You very likely heard of all these before. But, I am still going to remind you of them. 1) Simple exercises you can do at home. Here is a simple exercise anyone can do within the immediate surroundings of his or her location. No matter where you are, this can easily be accomplished. The below video will introduce you to a simple and easy to use method of exercise. Of course, do not push it too far. If you cannot do it or it becomes too cumbersome for you to sit in this position you can try scooting a bit away from the wall so to not put so much pressure on your lower back and hips. Use your common sense and be kind to your body. If this exercise does not work out, you can find hundreds of simple at-home exercises you can do in the comfort of you home.
2) Reducing screen time. We spend way too many hours in front of a screen. If it's not television, which I personally do not possess, it's on iPhones, iPads, laptops, or other devices. Try to unwind by picking up an activity that brings you much happiness like perhaps trying a new park, picking up the guitar and trying a tune, or learning a recipe you always wanted to try out, etc. If you enjoy books, it may had been a long time since you read a new book and this might be the right timing for it. If you like poetry, you might want to check out my first book "A Poetess' First Flight" and give it a shot. If you do, I wish to say thank you in advance and hope the reading is enjoyable. Whatever you do, by giving yourself time away from the screen you open more availability for you to spend the free time you have doing other things you might enjoy far more.
Possible negative effects of too much screen time for children & families: https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-negative-effects-of-too-much-screen-time-1094877
Some possible unexpected effects of screen time for children and adults:
To order a copy of my poetry book:
3) Learn to say no. It isn't easy, to tell people we care about "no." If you are a pleaser, like myself, you will want to accommodate everyone. That is unrealistic and adds a lot of pressure to one's life, even if your intentions are great. Learn to politely excuse yourself from whatever you don't want to participate in. Just make sure you do it politely. Respect is important and if we want it returned then we better offer it, right? I wasn't always good at saying "no" to folks as an INFJ-A type, but the "A" in that definitely helps me which stands for assertiveness. If you aren't familiar with the Myers Briggs test, this is a fun way of saying "Hello to My Personality" that is both entertaining and perhaps to some degree educational, to some degree since human development and identity are truly far more complex than a personality test. It is fun, free, and it is rather enjoyable especially if you like simple Q&A games. It's great for everyone, families, friends, spouses, and even strangers who you just met in that non-romantic parking lot they will romantically remember forever. I know, you are chuckling at the latter part now. But, in all honesty, if that was your kindred soul you have just met, you might think twice about it's significance.
To reiterate, in conclusion, as suggested by the title of my diary entry:
YOU CAN DO YOU FOR 20 MINUTES!
And please do yourself a favor and never feel guilty for it
I share these things with love, love for humanity, that we become better with every blinking of the eyes and thinking of the mind. - Carmen A. Cisnadean
~ Thank you for reading ~