Hi everyone! So today I took an online test to find my stress levels for Mental Health Awareness Week! I found the Test Your Stress link on Jamie’s blog, Don’t Give a Jam. I had something completely different planned but I saw it and I had to do it!

So I ended up getting a 16 out of 40, which is right on the bottom end of the “moderate” section (leading into the bottom most tier). However I think this is due to many reasons. One, that my spring classes are done! If I’d done this over the last weekend I’m sure I would have been much higher. I also think it’s because I got good news at work the other day.

But then again I let my friend at work take over my Bumble account for awhile today and that was super stressful. (I kept telling people he was flirting with guys online which he was doing. It was the most hilarious thing that happened all day.)

All kidding aside I am feeling particularly un-stressed this week as I’ve finished finals and I’m so relieved.

In terms of overall mental health, I feel great! I’m so lucky I’m able to say that because just a few years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to. Of course, that’s always changing and adjusting, and sometimes I’ll tell you I’m doing terribly, but overall it’s been good. I just feel like a lot of my anxiety came from feeling like I was wasting my life in a job I didn’t really like and hobbies that didn’t seem important. Since creating my blog I’ve definitely seen a huge shift, and I’m super grateful for that.

Now, when Jamie wrote her post she did 5 tips to de-stress, so I’ll do the same!

1. Start learning/doing something new – as I said, I started blogging and that was a huge life-changer for me. I suddenly had an amazing creative outlet and was learning so much!
2. Listen to something calming – I use either the calm mood stations on Spotify or I’ll put on an ASMR video.
3. Go for a walk/run – I don’t listen to music or anything when I’m outside so it’s a great time to just think and enjoy the fresh air (force of habit from when I did cross country and track in school as the coaches didn’t let us listen to anything while running – it was considered too dangerous as we were often running on streets or bike paths and needed to be able to hear if a car or person was coming).
4. Take a break and go on a Starbucks run with a friend – honestly, just talking it out can help so much and a fresh perspective is great. Sometimes someone just needs to remind you that it’s not that big of a deal.
5. Do a full on pamper routine! – turn the night into a spa night at home and just relax for the evening. It’s so fun and honestly if it’s something that’s already waited a few days, it can wait one more.

And that’s all about my current stress levels! Let’s hope they say nice and manageable as I’m heading into deadlines at work. In the mean time also feel free to check out my Self Care Sunday posts that I did about self care at home and outside the home as well.

Thanks for reading!

Pamela

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