Being in a state of anxiety, whilst dealing with my eating disorder voice, chronic illness and autism has made me face some of the toughest things in the world! A lot of the time, I’ve had to deal with these matters alone, meaning I have picked up some helpful calming tips along the way! Some I thought I would share with you all!

Good Morning Lovelies, 

When I went into a psychiatric hospital, for my eating disorder, I was at my lowest point. I didn’t want to or know how I could possibly go on. Yet, I was terrified of letting those voices win. 

Going through the motions of treatment and care, in such an intense way, scared and educated me to the point I am at now. I am in no way cured and sadly I don’t think I ever will be, however, I have learnt so much about how I can make myself feel better in lots of little ways. 

Therefore, I thought I would share them with you all in case you were going through something or supporting someone through something though. I hope these help lovelies…

Treat Them/Yourself Like Normal: Sounds really obvious but it’s weird how much you can sense people are tip toeing around you. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just be normal. Talk about TV shows, music and films or about something else you have seen or heard. It makes us feel more human by doing so. 

Bake Or Create Something: When I make or create something my head focuses on that instead of what is making me anxious or the horrible Ed noises that are breaking through. If you make something that others can enjoy too then it gives us a sense of happiness that we have completed something that our illness may not want us to do. 

Make Plans For The Future: If their head is focused so much on the things going on it than it can seem like there is no point. Yet, one of the things I found was really good and motivating was to make plans for the future. We would make posters in hospital and put them up in the dining room or on mirrors in the bathrooms and our bedrooms to keep us motivated. It really helps! 

Cuddles: It sounds so simple but a cuddle can go a long way. Having someone, who I trust and love, hold me makes me feel like I am safe. Especially in places that can be tough to be in. Hand holding is also good to help bring a sense of calm. 

Find A Smell That Soothes: Whenever I go through something stressful or upsetting, I find smells really help. A good perfume. The smells of foods that are safe to me. My home. Smells are really big and really key to helping my mental health, as they just make me feel better. My head zones in on what is it experiencing instead of what it was thinking. 

Using these techniques, even if only once, can help so many of us when it comes to our mental health. Life can be tough as hell and I have experienced some of the most horrific things in mine. Yet, I wouldn’t change any of it, as it has made me so much stronger! I hope that you can use these tips to help you or a loved one to feel a little better lovelies! 

Joey X