Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. It is the body’s physical response to a real or perceived threat, demand, or danger.

Everyone experiences stress at different levels. Even when the same stressors are present, our experiences can be different. Certain groups experience higher levels of stress, for example, communities of color, LGBTQIA+, women, and parents.

Stress isn’t always harmful. For example, think about the motivation you feel to study for your next exam, or the urge to make a to-do list on a Sunday. These are positive ways that stress can help you focus and complete tasks. But when stress is frequent and intense, it can affect your overall health, resulting in a reduced quality of life.

This is why we want to help you get to the root cause of your stress, understand the ays it manifests for you, and learn preventative tools for coping with stress. Because you deserve a healthy, happy life.

In our last blog about ADHD, we discussed what ADHD is, how it typically manifests in women, information on diagnoses, and resources. Today we’re digging in deeper and sharing real, meaningful ways you can combat the symptoms of ADHD. From time management to emotional regulation and sorting paper chaos, these research-based strategies will provide you with straightforward approaches to ease stress and overwhelm so you can live a better, more satisfying life. Before we get started, let us remind you that you don’t need to do all the strategies mentioned to be productive and successful. Find what techniques resonate with you and leave the rest. Honor your humanness. It’s important to be gentle with yourself on your mental health journey.

PRACTICAL TOOLS AND INTERVENTIONS FOR ADHD MENTIONED:

• The Pomodoro Technique

• OHIO Technique

• Evening Rituals

• Four-Field Strategy

• Bullet Journal

• Mindfulness Techniques

• Working from home – STACC

• Pragmatic and Concrete Tips

You keep losing your phone, locking your keys in the car, you’re constantly late and feel emotionally overwhelmed. You feel you can never pay attention, you start a lot of projects which you never end up finishing, and you are constantly feeling burnt out. Maybe someone in your life has told you “you might have ADHD” or maybe you’ve been hearing more about the signs and symptoms on Instagram or TikTok and something resonates in you. Whatever the reason, educating yourself is the first step in getting treatment for the symptoms that may be wreaking havoc in your life.

Today we will be talking all about ADHD and women, why it goes unnoticed, common symptoms, if a diagnosis matters, and resources to help you gain control of your life.

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, dread, and uneasiness typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Social anxiety is a feeling of worry or nervousness focused mainly on social interactions. To better understand social anxiety, let’s start by learning the main components that anxiety is created and sustained by:

1. Physiological

   • Rapid heart rate

   • Sweaty palms

   • A lack of appetite

2. Cognitive

   • Anxious thoughts

   • Predictions

   • Judgments

3. Behavioral

   • Avoiding certain people, places, or situations

   • Difficulty saying “no” and honoring boundaries

   • Tendency to snap at others with little warning

Most people with anxiety experience all 3 parts together. If your professor emails you and asks to speak after class tomorrow, you might experience your heart drop, and your hands begin to sweat (Physiological). Then you might notice yourself starting to worry, and creating scenarios about what they will tell you (Cognitive). Then you might put it off by skipping your next class and finally struggling to make eye contact once you’re there (Behavioral).

When we struggle with anxiety all three components happen almost automatically. That’s why to challenge social anxiety, we must also challenge the three components. The following daily hacks utilize these components.

While it’s not always obvious, sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. We do things like procrastinate, push people away, drink excessively, set unrealistic goals, and break our own boundaries. We don’t do these things because we’re broken or crazy, and we don’t do them because we lack willpower or discipline. Self-sabotage isn’t about being lazy, it’s about you doing your best to cope. Sabotaging yourself, or being in control of certain areas in your life might give you a false sense of control. This might feel safer rather than allowing yourself to be vulnerable to being hurt by something or someone. Give yourself some compassion for trying to cope, and survive, however that has looked like. And remember, who you are and who you have been is not who you will always be. You are always allowed to start new and change old patterns and we’re here to help along the way.

Most people have struggled with feeling like an imposter or fraud at one point or another. The feelings of self-doubt and fear of being “found out” are much more common than you’d think. When you’re in the depths of imposter syndrome, it can feel like you’re the only person who has ever felt this way, but you aren’t alone! I promise you, other people have felt this way too.

If you’re questioning whether you’re deserving of accolades, if you’re worried about whether you belong somewhere or not, or if you’re inner perfectionist is too loud, try these 3 journal prompts for navigating imposter syndrome.

It can feel scary to admit you’re looking for friends as an adult when there is so much pressure around having really close friend groups. Whether you just moved to a new place, you work from home, or you’re feeling lonely, and you’re struggling to make a connection, know that there is nothing wrong with you, and you aren’t alone in feeling like this. Here are 5 steps to finding friends as an adult, even during a pandemic.

2020 wasn’t easy; an unforgettable year with so many challenges, changes, and hardships. This year also showed us how resilient humans can be, and what truly matters in life. Maybe this year you looked inward, disrupted generational wounds, rethought our criminal justice and policing systems, stood against injustice, explored and checked your privilege, created healthy boundaries, stayed home for the safety of the collective, asked for help, realized self-love is attainable, or maybe you just slowed down. Throughout it all, here we are! We’ve survived and that alone is worth celebrating. A new year does not mean you have to create a new you, but it can be a great opportunity to give yourself permission to turn a new page, to reconnect with what you value, and to feel better.

For most people, the holidays look very different this year. As we continue to adjust to our current reality, it’s important that we also work to maintain our mental health. From fears of the pandemic, the isolating effects of social distancing, confronting and relearning racial injustice in the U.S., natural disasters, financial struggles, and the stress of the presidential election, it’s no surprise that anxieties are high for many of us. Even without the pandemic to consider, we have to acknowledge the inevitable stress, anxiety, and depression that can come up for many people during the colder months and the holidays. This time of year is hard, and if you’re struggling right now, this is for you. Today we share 5 tips to help protect your mental health during and after the 2020 holiday season.

If the holiday season is triggering or stressful to you, you are not alone! While this time of year can be so hard for so many reasons, we want to reach out and say we see you, and we want to gift you a few helpful ways to get through this season without being emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted by the end of it. How? Boundaries of course!