Sometimes when you have a mental illness, you can't help but thinking about how you wish your life could be a movie where everything in life works out well in the end. Sometimes you compare yourself to fictional characters that seem to have a great life and have everything going for them. On a new theme for Fridays, we thought talking about our favorite things that deal with mental illness would help bring back reality and realize that not everyone has everything figured out...fictional or not. As someone who has struggled with anxiety for years, I picked characters who have struggled with similar things like anxiety, panic attacks, and being an introvert. Stiles Stilinski from Teen Wolf was

Is falling asleep or staying asleep a problem for you? Do you feel restless and uncomfortable when you are trying to fall asleep? You may be an insomniac. There are two main types of insomnia: acute insomnia and chronic insomnia. Acute insomnia is short term, while chronic insomnia is much more long term. Acute insomnia is short term and can last anywhere between one night and a week or two. Acute insomnia could be caused by a number of things including nervousness, racing thoughts, or lack of exercise. If you find yourself having trouble falling asleep every once in a while, try to reduce your caffeine intake before going to bed and avoid exercising too close to your bedtime as well. If you

Given what is going on, many of us are finding ourselves to be overwhelmed with emotions and questions that seem to never have an answer. Because of this, we can feel scared and restless wondering when all of this will be over. This is why I will be talking about emotional exercises for self awareness. As mentioned before, your body is important to take care of physically. On top of this (pun intended) your emotions are also important to learn how to regulate and accept. Emotional exercises can aid in learning more about yourself and how you cope with different feelings. If you find yourself overwhelmed in any emotion, find it within yourself to reflect on how you are feeling in that moment.

In times like these, it can surely be hard to keep yourself busy. Since the stay at home order, we've cleaned the house, we've tried to be healthy and more fit, and we've bought board games that turned into bored games. If you're having trouble keeping yourself busy and are finding yourself restless, anxious, or depressed try these few activities to help. There's an app called Libby, and tons of others, that have an entire library of works inside. All you have to have to access it is a library card number. You can read books or listen to audio books for up to two weeks, and can even renew your books for extra time. OverDrive is another great app that adds not only more great books and audio

As funny as it may seem, there are plenty of ways to exercise without physically exerting so much energy to the point of being sore for multiple days. The best part about exercise is that any form of it is beneficial. Exercise is a great addition to your daily routine that has so many benefits. There are many small ways to get your heart rate up and to burn a couple extra hundred calories a day. Small adjustments to your lifestyle like parking farther away from the door to the grocery store or mall can help you burn more calories than trying to find the closest spot to the door. On top of this, with the weather becoming increasingly warmer, taking daily walks can not only aid in burning calo

Happy Tuesday! Thank you to all of our healthcare workers who have dedicated their lives to serve our communities! This is a post dedicated to reminding us all about how important it is to keep practicing social distancing. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many people have been practicing the mandatory six-feet of separation from people including loved ones. Though it may seem silly and not very beneficial, wearing a mask in public and keeping your distance from others can help stop the spread of this deadly virus. To do our part, we should follow the guidelines set in place in order to help not only contain the spread, but to save the people who have dedicated their lives to serving others. Nur

With many of us falling out of daily routines because of working from home, sometimes you just don't know what day of the week it is. Though it may seem unconventional at times, building a daily routine for yourself can lead to many positive mental health effects. With building a daily routine comes building good habits. Sleeping at a regular schedule every night can help with many things including reducing stress and increasing energy. By sticking to a schedule your body becomes used to it's ability to sleep well. Because of this, if you go to sleep and wake up at different times every day, your body will most likely lose more energy than if you have a strict sleeping schedule. Another thin