Mental Health October: Spiraling

One bad mental habit that I often fall into accidentally is spiraling.

You know the like: if I don’t finish this problem set, then I won’t understand the material, and if I don’t know the material, I’ll fail the exam, and if I fail the exam, I’ll fail the class, and if I fail the class, I’ll fail out of school, and if I fail out of school, I’ll be saddled with thousands of dollars of debt without an degree, blah blah blah…

This habit can become very stressful very quickly, and is almost never productive or useful. It’s truly just a waste of time and energy!

As hard as I try, I can’t stop my spiraling thoughts entirely – but I can become more aware of when they pop up and work hard to fend them off. I’ve learned some of these tactics in therapy, and tried others based off of my own research on the internet – read about them below!

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Mental Health October: Self-Care Activities

image from unsplash.com

Outside of going to therapy and meditating, I have other hobbies that positively affect my mental well-being – read more about them below!

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Isolation Tool Kit: My Plant Children

My track record with raising plants has been… not great.

I’ve killed at least 4 or 5 plants since moving into my apartment about 3 years ago, including a snake plant (which they said would be “unkillable”!!! ok!!!), a spider plant, basil, and a couple of scallions that honestly would’ve done better in a jar full of water. My last batch of plants died when I went on a two-and-a-half week long vacation in late winter without making plans for someone else to water them. Oops!

Since entering quarantine, I’ve come to appreciate indoor greenery for bringing ~*nature*~ into my home. I have also decided to use my newfound and copious amount of free time to actually learn how to take care of them properly! I’ve even resorted to buying some fake plants because I loved the extra greenery and wanted more without the extra responsibility.

(It did take some ego wrangling to actually admit to myself that I’ve been a bad plant parent and should resort to some fake ones, lest I sacrifice more for my own hubris!)

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