Journal #3: Emotional Wellbeing

#1: When I am extremely stressed, I do experience a bit of lowered brain function. I find that I begin to feel like I am bothering my family and friends, and I also begin to forget things more easily. It is also harder to recall information that would normally be easy for me to recall, such as material I have learned in my classes. The stress makes it so that I am not performing as well as I could be academically and socially. When I feel this way, I stop doing the things that are stressing me out (which are usually assignments) and I just close my eyes and take deep breaths. Sometimes I play some video games, watch a movie, or play bass guitar. The activity that makes me destress the most is playing and cuddling with my dog. If I am in a social situation when my stress levels spike, I tend to shut down and withdraw myself from the conversation. When this happens, I begin to think about my dog and my family because I am working hard for them. #2: I have trouble overcoming negative thoughts. I don't believe I'm a pessimistic person but I do get negative thoughts about my abilities. I am not a very confident person and it reflects in my actions. To help overcome this, I talk to my loved ones and get support and reassurance from them. It also helps when I think about stuff I am good at. It is easy to focus on the bad parts of myself but by thinking about things I can do, it makes me feel better. #3: In order to be more present and intentional on everyday activities, I can change the way I think of things and how I talk. Instead of apologizing, I can say thank you. I shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. I shouldn't focus on the the things that can go wrong and I shouldn't hold myself back because of the fears I have.