Studies show that more and more young women are suffering with anxiety symptoms. We asked Jemma Andrew-Adiamah, the author of popular blog Celery and Cupcakes, to share tips to help deal with these negative feelings.
In your teens and up into your 20’s life feels so careless and free, the world is your oyster and the possibilities are endless. However, in recent years the demands and pressures of impending adulthood have left young women feeling stressed, anxious and generally unhappy.
Anxiety isn’t exactly a new thing, but worryingly it is becoming increasingly prevalent among young women. Not only is anxiety damaging to our health and wellbeing, but also it can lead to disturbances in other areas in our lives.
Here are 5 top tips to deal with feelings of anxiety
Clear your social media feeds of negative influences
Social media can be a great source of inspiration, but it can also be a negative place too. Social media allows us to compare everything such as diet, fashion, food, fitness, hair etc., that can be really triggering It’s really important to look after your mental health and a good way to do that is by removing some the people that are triggering your anxiety from your feeds for a while. It’s nothing personal; it’s a terrific self-preservation technique and a form of self-care that I like to use from time to time. Fill your feeds with people that make you feel awesome instead!
Realise that perfectionism doesn’t exist
When you’re young and impressionable there is a sense that you have to be super polished in society to succeed, which can be pressurising in itself. Being so connected with social media doesn’t help this either, especially with people posting pictures of their ‘perfect’ lives. Remember that people only post what they want you to see, so their feeds become a highlight reel as opposed to reality.
Try to get a better night’s sleep
Sleep is so underrated, when it’s actually incredibly good for our health. When we’re trying to constantly survive on very little sleep it makes us feel down in the dumps and burned out. Try to review your sleep patterns to make sure you get the best possible sleep to help benefit your health and wellbeing.
Reduce your coffee intake
Being seen with a coffee cup in your hand, may be the ‘in thing’ these days and coffee can be good for heightening our concentration in the short term, but it can also have some negative effects. Too much coffee can make people jittery and irritable. Switch up your regular coffee with decaf or herbal teas.
Cut down your phone time
Smart phones are great, there is an app for everything and it’s a wonderful way to stay connected with loved ones and in tune with what’s happening in the world. However, having access to a constant stream of news can be overwhelming and can trigger stress levels.
This blog was written for TOTM by Jemma Andrew-Adiamah. Jemma is the author of popular wellness and lifestyle blog Celery & Cupcakes where she inspires women to ditch the diet culture and find their version of balance.
