Posts

My Experience Volunteering in a Psychiatric Unit

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Psychiatric Units . What are they like? Some people have heard about them. Some people have had experiences as a patient, while others don’t know too much about what it is like. I haven’t been a patient but I did volunteer in a psychiatric unit of a local hospital. In today’s post, I will be sharing my experiences and lessons that I have learned from volunteering in a psychiatric unit.  *Note* Today’s post is based on ONLY my experiences as a volunteer. I am not an expert nor do I speak on behalf of other psychiatric units, workers and individuals who have had experiences as patients on such related units. I respect everyone's own view and experience when it comes to the topic of today's article. Volunteering in a Psychiatric Unit  I felt inspired for today’s post to talk about my experiences volunteering for the last 2 years in an adult mental health and addictions unit. I feel even more inspired to talk about how my perspective of mental illness, addictions and the mental

50 Ways to Cope with Anxiety

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When we feel really anxious about something, sometimes it can be really hard to cope! For those who have an Anxiety Disorder, coping and functioning with anxiety can be even more difficult. For myself with an anxiety disorder, sometimes I feel lost or unsure about how to best manage my anxiety and anxious thoughts. In today's blog post, I will be talking about and listing 50 different coping strategies that can be useful in coping with anxiety.  Anxiety can be really troubling! Whether it is anxiety about work, relationships or even about the current COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety can be frightening to deal with! I have experienced it all when it comes to day-to-day anxiety. Normal anxiety can be troubling to deal with for any person and can impact one's mental health. For those who have an anxiety disorder especially, coping with anxiety can bring on many challenges.  For myself with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, I constantly worry about many different things in my life that sever

What Recovering from Depression has Taught Me

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     Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses worldwide. Depression is classified as a mood disorder and can severely impact a person in their life. Many people around the world have been diagnosed and struggle with depression.  Many people as well who have been diagnosed are able to find healing and cope with their illness. In today’s article, I will be talking about depression and my experiences of what I have learned during my recovery from depression. Depression. For those of you who don’t know or don’t know too much about depression, it is a mental disorder where a person feels persistent and intense feelings of sadness that can impact a person’s normal functioning. Any person can feel sad, and typically those feelings can start to fade away as time goes on. For those diagnosed with depression, the feelings of sadness don’t just go away. Depression can appear different for everyone and can present itself in mild or in more severe forms.    Some symptoms of depression

Why Creating a Self-Care Plan is Crucial

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Self-care, from my experiences, is crucial in our lives when it comes to looking after ourselves and our mental health. Sometimes creating a self-care plan can be really beneficial for a person’s health and well being! In today’s article, I will briefly talk about self care and how self care routines can be really beneficial!  What is Self-Care?  When I was younger in high school, I always got the impression that “self-care” involved going to the spa or doing a face mask. As I have learned growing up and as a university student, self-care is so much more. Maybe you already know what self-care is and do self-care for yourself. If not, that is perfectly okay! I am here to talk about, not endorse, the benefits of partaking in self care. Self-care is about doing activities that help us take care of our physical, emotional and mental well-being. Self-care isn't selfish, rather, self-care involves taking the time for YOU.  As well, there are many different types of self care that a perso

Blog Update!

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To all my followers and new visitors to my blog! Announcing some updates about my blog!  Hope everyone is doing well! To give everyone an update, I have decided right now that I will try to post at least 1-2 a week . These updates or posts may be at different times so you are welcome to subscribe or follow by email for updates! As well, I am looking for any feedback or comments about what YOU would like to see on this blog more going forward? I plan to talk lots more about mental health, my story with mental illness and with recovery. I am however open to more specific ideas or suggestions as well!  Thank you all for reading and hope you are all doing well❤️❤️

4 Tips for Supporting a Friend who is Struggling

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Supporting a Loved One with Mental Health Concerns Sometimes, it can be really hard to see a family member or friend go through a difficult time in their lives. Things can be even more difficult when you notice or find out that a friend may be struggling with a mental health concern. Sometimes we may feel “stuck” or unsure about how to best support a loved one who is going through so much. I know I have felt that way at times! In today’s post, I will be discussing some ideas and tips that you can use to support a friend who is struggling with their mental health.  *Note*   These tips are personal to my own experiences of supporting a loved one who is going through a hard time. The tips I have shared are not advised as professional advi ce . Brief mention will be made about abuse, trauma, self harm and suicide.  When we see a loved one struggle with their mental health, we often want to do our very best to support them. For myself, I always want to support my loved o

How COVID-19 has Impacted my Mental Health

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As many of us know, the  coronavirus pandemic has been an a terrifying time for everyone! The pandemic has been a difficult time all around the world and for many, this pandemic has brought out a lot of different changes, emotions and hardships. Today I will be talking about how the pandemic has impacted my mental health and about what I have been doing to try to cope during these difficult times. The Impact of COVID-19 on my Mental Health  For myself, the pandemic have impacted my mental health in so many ways.     For those of you who don’t know, I have generalized anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder is a disorder where a person experiences chronic anxiety about many different things in their life and that interferes with normal functioning. I generally worry and have anxiety on a daily basis about my health, relationships, school, finances and much more. It can be exhausting. Ever since the start of the pandemic, my anxiety has been so much more

Welcome to Mind Over Matter!!

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Welcome New Visitors! 💓   Thank you so much for visiting my Mental Health blog, "Mind Over Matter" ! I am so excited to finally start something that I have been wanting to do for quite a while now. Starting my  first  blog! As a psychology student and as a person who has gone through many mental health struggles, I really wanted to start a blog about mental health and recovery. I named this blog, "Mind Over Matter", because of its meaning in overcoming difficult situations and healing from it one day at a time. The purpose of this blog is to:   1) Provide a safe place to talk about mental health, mental illness and other topics related to mental well being.  2) Speak out about my own personal experiences, struggles and recovery with mental illness and mental health concerns. 3) Offer support and resources to those who visit this blog. 4) Have my followers and visitors be involved by giving feedback, questions and comments.   Now you