2021 Goals

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog!! Happy new year to you all!! I hope you all had a great time during the holidays.

So i did the same post last year with 2020 in terms of new year goals. This one will be the same but in a more thoughtful way.

I am proud of myself for coming so far with my healing and recovery in the past year. Since I have moved abroad, I have achieved so much.

• I can manage my anxiety a lot better than before
• I have had a lot less bad days than I used to
• I have started to take my health more seriously ie. taking important vitamins that’s good for my immune system
• My mood has improved a lot
• My productivity levels have been much better even though I was not working
• I managed to completed three online courses last year on coursera

All of this, I never thought I would have done if I had stayed in London longer. Since moving abroad last year, I have done so much that has made me a better person. That doesn’t mean I never experienced bad mental health days. That does not mean I never experienced mishaps. That does not mean everything went my way. I also had some bad times too. But it has become so much less. Which I am proud of.

I am not perfect, there are some things that still need work. And this time around I have done a lot of thinking about what my goals will be so much.

This year I plan to:

• Perfect my prayers
• Work on my communication skills
• Let things come as it is and not overreact when it does not go my way
• Perfect my skin care
• Make exercise a habit
• Apply for university to start my PGCE course in Dubai
• Find work
• Do some exploring
• Have my own domain for my blog
• Do more online courses while I still have time
• And most importantly, to have fun

I really want this year to work out for me. I have a lot of hope for myself to be able to heal, relax and be more positive this year.

I hope you guys also are able to achieve your own goals too.

Again, Happy New Year!!! Thank you for reading!!! ❤ 🙂

How to overcome negative thoughts

It is hard to evade negativity because it is every where you go. You’ll find negativity in people. And there are 7 billion of us and counting worldwide. So there’s no escape.

We also don’t have to be around people in order to feel negative or have negativity around us. We also can experience negativity in our minds as well. We can easily fall prey to negative thoughts and thinking. And it is not easy to avoid when we are alone.

Negative thoughts drain your energy and keep you from being in the moment. It makes you feel overwhelmed and you end up getting headaches from the constant negative thinking.

Overcoming negativity or negative thoughts is the way to go. It is not easy to overcome. It is not an easy ordeal to get over. But keeping negativity at bay is how we can live life negative free.

Here are a few tips to overcome negative thinking:

• Surround yourself with positive people. If you live alone, call your friends or loved ones who are always welcoming to keep you distracted from your thoughts.
• Change the tone of your thinking from negative to positive. Instead of saying, “I can’t do this.” Instead you can say, “I will give my best efforts to do this knowing I tried even if I fail.”
• Help someone. Sometimes helping others can be a way for you to not think negatively. You’re out of your own head and you’re keeping positive for the person you’re helping. This way it is easier to think more positive things.
• Read positive quotes. This helps me whenever I am feeling down about myself. It’s a reminder that better things are coming.
• Draw or colouring. Everything is online nowadays. So downloading a colouring app and doing some coloring for a few hours can keep your anxiety at ease.
• Write a list of things you’re grateful/thankful for. Like a gratitude journal. This will remind you do things you have that others don’t. It’ll make you feel better and think more positive about your current situation and not feel sorry for yourself.

I hope these tips will help you. If you want to add anything, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Your thoughts are welcome here. 😊

If you don’t feel good or need a friend/buddy to talk to, you can always reach me on twitter (@faizawrites_) any time.

Thanks for reading. 🥰

Dealing with mean comments about appearance

Hey guys

I hope you’re all well.

TRIGGER WARNING: ⚠️
THIS POST TALKS ABOUT WEIGHT. IF THIS IS A TRIGGERING TOPIC FOR YOU, I ADVISE YOU NOT TO READ ON.

So ever since my first holiday when I was 14, I’ve always struggled with weight. Weight has always been an issue for me in secondary school (high school) until now.

My weight is something that always fluctuates every year. It has taken a toll on me emotionally and mentally. As well as affecting my self esteem and confidence.

But I always had support from my sister and cousins that always reassured me that I look good.

So whenever there was a dip on confidence, they’d always be there to bring it right back up again.

That was before I moved abroad.

For the past year, since I’ve been dealing with my weight gain more drastically. It has never affected me this much before. That’s because I never had anyone constantly tell me how fat I look whenever they had the chance.

This is such a personal issue for me. I am an emotional eater like many others out there. I don’t have alot of friends where I moved to. It is so hard and has been hard to make friends whilst I have been out here.

So I have no one here to uplift me when I need it. I can only do that for myself. Yes it’s not good to rely on others for that all the time. But sometimes it helps to hear it from someone else.

Dealing with lockdown and seeing advertisements about appearance and weight is hard.

Hearing comments from others about your appearance, especially loved ones is even worse. It isn’t nice to comment on someone’s weight. It is rude and harsh.

It is completely unnecessary. There is no need for that kind of pettiness.

If you’re dealing with someone who is constantly mean to you about how you look,

here are some tips to help you overcome it:

• Its easier said than done but ignore them
• Walk away from the conversation
• Leave the house for a few hours
• Go and distract yourself with something else like a hobby you enjoy
• Confront them
• If confrontation does nothing, don’t engage in any future conversation with them again

I hope these tips help. I’m always a friendly face you can talk to over on twitter (@faizawrites_).

Thank you for reading. 🥰

Mental health during the pandemic

As I’m writing this, some of you across the world are in lockdown.

It is becoming more difficult to maintain good mental health every day when you are constantly at home either working from home or studying online. You have limited time outside due to curfew in some places.

I know it isn’t easy to cope with lockdown. Some countries don’t have lockdown at all and have no curfew. But there are other limitations that exist such as limited travel across the country, not all shopping malls and restaurants are open at full capacity.

Either way, there are going to be days where you don’t feel too good. There are going to be days where you don’t feel prosuctive. And that is okay.

I have those days too.

We are all human and we have every right to feel how we feel in the given moment and time.

There is no shame in admitting to that. Whoever makes you feel shame, is not your friend. Cut them off.

My personal experience of dealing with mental health during the pandemic is a bit up and down. I’ve had good experiences and bad experiences.

Mostly, the general struggles that I have been dealing with is severe general anxiety disorder, social anxiety, anxious thoughts, suicidal thoughts and feeling overwhelmed. And also panic attacks on a weekly/monthly basis.

It’s okay if you’re struggling with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses. There’s nothing wrong with it.

As long as you find ways to overcome those barriers and find ways to cope, that is the most important thing.

Here are a few tips that can help you cope better:

• Practice self care and self love
• Journalling
• Talk to a trusted friend or a loved one
• Go out for a walk
• Home workouts
• Gym
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Sleep early at night
• Take a nap during the day

I hope this helps. Feel free to message me over on twitter (@faizawrites_) if you’re really struggling with your mental health.

Don’t give up on yourself. You’re doing great.

Thanks for reading. ☺️

How anxiety & depression makes me feel

I want to share a poem. It is about how anxiety and depression makes me feel.

So, if you relate to this, then give this post a like and comment your thoughts on this.

Sometimes, I think I’m not worth it.

Sometimes, I think I am useless.

Sometimes, I assume people hate me.

Sometimes, I believe I won’t amount to anything.

Sometimes, I don’t believe I deserve good things in life.

Sometimes, I cannot get out of bed.

Sometimes, I cannot sleep.

Sometimes, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed.

Sometimes, I experience panic attacks.

Sometimes, I assume the worst.

This is how living with anxiety and depression is.

But we can overcome. We can have good days. We can have productive days. We can feel good sometimes.

It just takes alot more effort for that to happen.

Anxiety triggers

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog.

Today, I want to talk about what triggers your anxiety.

For me, there are a few things that trigger anxious thoughts or anxiety in general. Hence why I want to share them with you to see if you go through a similar experience.

If you do not struggle with or experience extreme anxiety, then take this post as an opportunity to learn what triggers people’s anxiety.

Anxiety is a very complex mental disorder. There are many disorders that fall under the title of anxiety such as OCD, social anxiety, phobia or panic attacks. Everyone has a different diagnosis. And even if it is the same, we all have different experiences of the same disorder.

Anxiety is a serious issue and it is not anything to laugh about. Anxiety can plague someone’ss life and sometimes take over. It is not nothing to laugh about. I’d you think otherwise, you can get off my page.

I came up with this idea to talk about anxiety triggers as I was scrolling though twitter and I saw this hashtag called #anxietymakesme. It’s basically a hashtag people use in a tweet to express what triggers their anxiety or what anxiety makes them do.

So, I thought why not write about it in a post and educate those who have no idea what triggers anxiety for some of us. Even if it seems like nothing or something small, it is a big deal for people like me.

Here are a few examples of what could be a trigger:

• Talking on the phone
• Hearing a song that could trigger old memories
• Ordering at a drive thru
• Being in a room full of people
• Social situations
• Talking to your boss
• Being forced to speak to or be in a room with someone who is the cause of a trauma or bad childhood memory

Anxiety can make us do a lot of things, things that we do not particularly enjoy. It may come off us as rude but really it’s a genuine reaction because of anxiety and nothing else.

People with anxiety:

• Worry exessively
• Assume the worst or wrong thing
• Feel unworthy
• Think negative thoughts about ourselves
• Overthink a lot especially at night
• Have trouble sleeping
• Want to control what happens in the future
• Are scared of doing things that isn’t a big deal to others
• Feel overwhelmed a lot of the time

Anxiety can be triggered at anytime. We may think we have it going good and that is okay. There’s nothing wrong with that. Anxiety comes at the least expected time when we have been feeling good for a while and it isn’t pretty.

So please be gentle, kind and understanding. You never know what people maybe going through.

Thanks for reading.

How to help someone who is feeling down

Hey guys, welcome to another post.

When someone is feeling down, usually your first instinct is to help them. That’s a good start.

But when the person tells you about the issue that is bothering them, you’re stuck as to what to do. And it can get a little awkward and quiet.

That can be daunting sometimes. I know the feeling. I’ve been on this side of things before.

Here are a few tips on what you can say it do to help a loved one when they’re feeling down:

• Give them a hug 🤗
• Just provide a shoulder to cry 😭 on
• Listen👂to them
• Help them get their mind off things by offering a distraction
• Take them out for coffee
• Watch their favourite tv show with them
• A video chat over the phone is better than texting
• Dance offs with good music over a video chat always helps.
• Don’t give advice unless they ask
• Don’t suggest thing unless they ask
• And most importantly, it is not about you. it is about making them feel better

Whenever you come across a situation where you notice a loved one being down, comfort is always the best way to go.

I hope you find these tips helpful.

Thanks for reading. 😊🤞

How to deal with test anxiety

Hi guys, welcome back to my blog.

Today, I want to talk about test anxiety and how to deal with it in the best way possible.

Tests and exams are scary. They are also a great source of stress for many of us during school and university.

It is okay to be nervous for exams and tests and that can be a motivator for you to do well. However, too much stress and worry can interfere with your ability to do the exam/test altogether.

Worry us more harmful than stress before an exam or test.

Here are a few tips to help you manage hour anxiety better before any upcoming test or exam:

• Give yourself plenty of time to review the content you have learnt in lessons (at least two to three months in advance)
• If you have exams on more than one subject, create a timetable of what subjects to revise at what time
• Take plenty of breaks in between studying
• Drink plenty of water
• Create a to-do list or a checklist to help you organise your studying better
• Review the subject syllabus so you know what topics to cover
• Review key terms/keywords

During your test/exam:

• Take a few breaths, do some breathing techniques to help you calm down better
• Wear some comfortable clothes
• Take extra pencils and pens
• Read the instructions at the front of your paper
• Make sure you equally divide your time to answer each section of questions
• Use any extra time at the end of the exam to review your answers

I hope these tips will help you curb those nerves and anxiety right before any exams.

Good luck!! And do your best!! That’s all anyone could ever ask for.

Thanks is for reading. 😊

How to organise your day during lockdown

Hey guys 😊

Welcome back! This will be a short post, nothing too long but it will be very useful and helpful.

It’s very difficult to stay on top of work and school deadlines lately. Especially with the lockdown going on due to the covid-19 pandemic.

We are indoors a lot more, which means our whole life and daily schedule can go into disarray.

It is important to keep your bulletin and planner organised. Therefore, you are able to manage yourself better every day.

• Make sure you get enough sleep 😴 (Recommended amount for adults 8 hours. Recommended amount for children 10 hours)
• Take a shower to freshen up in the morning 🧽🧼
• Practice self care in the morning (i.e. meditation or yoga) 🧘‍♀️
• Eat a filling breakfast 🥐🍳
• Exercise in the morning or evening 🚴‍♂️⛹️‍♀️
• Take short 30 minute breaks throughout the day
• Eat snacks regularly
• Drink as much water as you can (1L to 2L a day) 🌊
• Go out for a walk mid afternoon 🚶‍♀️
• Catch up with friends and family over video calls 😂
• Cook lunch/dinner 🍝🍽️
• Catch up on tv shows/series you started or watch a new show you missed out on
• Most importantly, take time out for you. Some ‘me time’

I hope this will help you give your day some structure and ability to work better. Everyone works differently and that is okay. But this post is here for you to look at when you feel lost.

I hope this helps. Thanks for reading. 😌👍

Tips: staying productive for online school.

Tips: staying productive for online school.

Stress versus anxiety

Hi guys, welcome back to another blog post.

Stress and anxiety are two things that cause negative feelings for us in life. We experience similar symptoms when experiencing both anxiety and stress.

It is also important to understand both because they both have effective course of treatment.

If you know someone who is experiencing stress or anxiety, knowing the difference is key to understanding them and what they are going through better.

Stress is a normal response our bodies respond to when it comes to any kind of change. These changes can be negative or positive which are beyond our control.

If we do not have control of whatever current situation we are going through, the stress experienced from it, will form an intense reaction. The stress reaction itself can be positive as well as negative too.

Stress can lead to other health issues if left untreated. So it is important to identify the stress early do it can be treated as soon as possible.

Anxiety is a symptom prolonged stress as well as depression and panic attacks.

Stress and anxiety do share some similarities but they are not the same thing. Experiencing anxiety on occasion is nothing to be concerned about. We are all human, we are allowed to worry at times.

Stress and some measures of anxiety are a part of normal every day life.

But if you experience anxiety that is uncontrollable and it interferes with your everyday life, you may have an anxiety disorder.

Stress and anxiety both have causes. There are many reasons why someone may experience stress or anxiety. The symptoms that follow are not great. It is difficult to cope at times especially if you don’t have the right support around you.

I hope you were able to understand better the difference between stress and anxiety.

Thanks for reading. 😃❤️