Self-care, as seen in the worsening Coronavirus pandemic, continues to be neglected, when it should be commonplace. Most students are not unaware of the many talks given by teachers of how important it is to take time for oneself, yet secondary school and university administration do nothing to help the issue. The fact of the matter is mental health is steeply declining, with no real accommodations being presented in the workplace and in schools. People have to continue to be in the “go-go-go” mindset, while also attempting to remain safe in a world plagued by a widespread virus. Even with a disease affect practically everyone, whether that be an effect on their normal routine or an effect on the physical wellbeing of themselves or family members, society everywhere never gave room to adjust. During these trying times it becomes extremely hard to remember to take care of oneself, but it is much more needed than ever. Books can be a part of this self-care plan, as for me, I found solace in a book by Hattie C. Cooper entitled Thriving with Social Anxiety.
As mentioned in my last post, I am not one to enjoy nonfiction books or fiction books, most of the time. However, some nonfiction novels have impacted my life enough to be memorable; Thriving with Social Anxiety is one instance of this playing out. I have dealt with anxiety from about the age of eleven, when I and everyone around me thought it was just me being introverted. As I got older, it was discovered that it was actually social anxiety. No matter how much I try, it still remains a part of my life. For the times of high school giving club presentations as an organization officer to now giving speeches for college classes, I still have to take a lot of time beforehand to prepare myself. I usually cannot eat until after a presentation and sometimes will throw up, until I dry heave, to the time I give said presentation. During presentations, I tend to stutter a lot and shake, but after it is like the biggest breath of fresh air ever. Another main problem was that I never did anything to help myself in these situations, because I’m the type of person to get more stressed when I’m not stress, so I had been inclined to be used to the feeling. Thriving with Social Anxiety is actually a book I tried to read several times before, but never really got into it. Some books it takes the reader putting in effort until the book reaches its “good point,” then the rest falls into place. I finally read the whole book, cover to cover, around the time high school was supposed to, initially, take a two week break as the pandemic reached the United States. School was a source of stability for me, I was a part of several clubs, an officer in a health science one at that, and was an athletic training student aide, that volunteered every day. When academia was taken out of the picture, I lost a bit of myself and crumbled. It all became too overwhelming, yet this book had all the answers I had been needing for a while. One of its most impactful passages discussed setting aside thirty minutes to do nothing. The book then goes on about reminding people to be healthy mentally and physically to be the greatest version of themselves, as a sort of reminder that everyone is worth being taken care of. It also has several passages about breathing exercises and achieving self-confidence, but some of these passages are specifically geared to help people with anxiety disorders. It’s crazy how weird some mindfulness and self-care techniques sound to the many, because people have been conditioned to be normalized to stress. There is no true end-all-be-all strategy to taking care of oneself, but it is essential for a person to take time to discover what is best for them to feel their best.
It is sad to hear and see how rare self-care has become, especially since the pandemic is the time where self-care should be plentiful. Sometimes it is best to take the advice of some great nonfiction novels out there, especially as many come from psychologists and doctors that have spent their livelihood researching how others can help themselves. Even if school is getting hard and it is becoming more of an endeavor to meet deadlines than actually learn, remember that there cannot be a student to learn, if that student is not taken care of. Thriving with Social Anxiety might be a novel made to assist individuals with anxiety, however, it is an example of a huge variety of books that have the capability of turning one’s life around if they are willing to listen. Books not only take readers through mythical journeys, but also, they have the power to set readers on their own journeys to do what is best for them, mentally. Take some time, now, to relax and sit for a minute; it can do wonders.
Great Self-Care and Self-Help Resources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/skinny-revisited/201805/self-care-101
I really enjoyed reading about your journey dealing with anxiety. It’s amazing how much certain books have the power to improve our lives. I once read a book by a computer science lecturer Randy Pausch called “The Last Lecture”–it really inspired me to live each day of my life to the fullest, since we all have a finite number.
And regarding our collective state of mental health during this pandemic: everything you said is so true. In between Zoom classes and assignments, it’s so important to take a break and recharge. I know that I struggle with it too, so maybe I’ll read some of the books you recommended.
I agree that self-care seems to be left behind when everything else in the world is incredibly busy. Taking the time to slow down and reflect is something I need to do better. For me, simply reading books is one of the most therapeutic exercises I can do. I will definitely take a look at the book you suggested here as a starting point for self-care and mindfulness. I have never read a book in this genre in particular, so I am excited to see what I can find!
I absolutely agree that in today’s society, we overlook the importance of self-care, and even though the circumstances are uncertain and require us to be in the “on” mode more than usual, that it’s more important than ever to take time for ourselves. I’ll have to check out that book – the tips sound great, and the idea of slowing down and doing nothing for thirty minutes is something that probably everyone should do, at least once in awhile. Plus, as someone who reads more fiction than nonfiction, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to branch out a bit more and gain some self-care ideas in the process!
I also struggle with social anxiety and I had no idea that’s what it was until a few years ago. I just thought I just got super nervous or it was because I was an only child, but it’s taken a lot to deal with it and try to push past it to not be a hermit in my room. I tend to find a lot of comfort in spending time with myself or my family but that isn’t exactly a full life. It’s nice to know someone has dealt with the same thing. I will definitely give the book a try. 🙂