This Week I Have Been...

Have you ever had one of the those weeks were you are glad it's coming to an end?
That's what this week has been for me, a week of jobs, rushing around like a headless chicken, and full on stress.
Finally it's coming to an end. For many people it has been a week of waiting for their results, and I would like to say a great big congratualtions to all those getting results this week. It has been nearly 3 years since I got my results, and I am now into my 3rd year of university (posts to come).

Although it is only Friday is not over yet for me, as there are still 2 days to go until I can fully relax with one of them being a lovely birthday trip for Ben to the Sealife Centre in London, be sure to check out my Twitter and Instagram for all the pictures to follow.

Although this week has been quite stressful, I have found a light at the end of the tunnel, that I am surrounded by lovely, great people who support me, and are on hand to help in a time of crisis. There is always my lovely Ben, who has also been under alot of stress at the minute who has supported me, and I have supported him. 

At the moment the things that have gotten me through the week is Netflix, and alot of chocolate. I have seen the finale of PLL, and like many people I wasn't really surprised at the reveal of -A.
I did like the finale, but the reveal wasn't that surprising to me, as many people when the character first came on the series, looked like Alison, and I'm sure was very suspicious from the start. Nevertheless I am looking forward to season 6B, and the time jump, which I'm sure will be just as good as the last 6 seasons of PLL. 
I have also now nearly finished House, for maybe the 3rd time. 8 seasons of pure joy, and Hugh Laurie. Mucho love. 

To the shock of me, and maybe anyone who knows me, I have this week also been going to the gym. I haven't really been one for exercise or even moving outside my own room, let alone going on a running machine, or any exercise machine. However I have been enjoying it, and I am now starting to feel alot better because of it. Now I'm not just talking about the obvious health benefits, I am feeling soo much better about myself because I am basically getting rid of all that horrible excess adrenaline coarsing around my body while I stress about many things. 

What have you been up to this week? Let me know in the comments below

Xo


Twitter: @hannahevickers
Instagram: @hannahevickers

Summer Through The Lens

Summer in England seems to have just gone so fast, and although it is just the beginning of August , did you see how fast July went. So before it's too late I thought I would share some snaps of the many places I have been this summer. 

Ben and I went off to Lanzarote mid- June, we both loved having a relaxing time, and just chilling by the pool.  

Then the final weekend of July, Ben and I hopped on the train to Brighton, and had a great time. Not knowing it was Pride weekend we dodged in, and out of the crowds looking at all the wonders Brighton had to offer. We walked down The Lanes, and sat on the beach, and purely let go of all of our worries. Although I did realise I am still not very good in big crowds. 

Hope you enjoyed the post.

xo

Anxitey Apps I Use

Having anxiety is not nice. Anyone who has it will tell you that when you have no control of it you feel helpless. I am just starting out on my journey of controlling the anxiety, and so I thought I would share the apps on my phone, also the apps that I have previously used before.

Headspace 
Headspace is an app which can be purchased for free, from ITunes, and Google Play. It takes you through a 10 meditation, where you concentrate on your breathing, and purely just relax.
I find this app very good, and although I don't use it everyday (I'm still at day 5) when I do use it, I find myself to be a lot calmer, and relaxed. 

Pacifica 
Pacifica is available on Apple, and Andriod.
I found this app good, however I am not organised enough to constantly update my mood, although it does notify you to update, I usually just ignored the notification. I found it good though because you can clearly map your mood, as well as set goals, and do some meditation at the same time, although some features you do have to pay for, the free version is just as good.

SAM (Self- help for Anxiety Management)
SAM is made by the University of the West of England. Although is has been developed by psychologists and student users to me it lacked the actual help of strategies to cope with the anxiety, although it does give very helpful tips, and an anxiety tracker so you can see how well, or not so well you are doing. The design of this app means that you can eventually build your own toolkit of resources so you can better deal with your anxiety. 
I think I will come back to this app at a later date when I have at least managed to grapple the basics of coping. 

Calm 
Calm is good for meditation, and mainly concentrating on your breathing so you can better relax. It can be downloaded on Apple, and Android.I would definitely say the full app would have maybe been better for me to try, but as I kept hearing so many other people trying it I thought I would give it a go. I found this app good but without the full app, I didn't really get what I wanted out of the app. 

Digipill 
When I first came to the diagnosis of anxiety, this was one of the many apps I downloaded to try and feel better, so I could try and relax whenever I felt stressed, or just wanted to relax. I first downloaded this on my kindle, and to be honest I still didn't get what I wanted out of the app. There are many different 'digital pills' you can try; trying to sleep, for stress, for anxiety, for motivation and for strength, amoung many others, I found that you get given the basics, and if you want any more you have to purchase each pill seperately so I tried a few, and it is basically mediation. 

Companion 
Companion is a free app, which you can get on ITunes.
I find this app this most helpful, especially when you are first starting out. You can make cards where you upload a picture, and create a phrase which gets put on the picture about what the picture makes you think. I have done a couple where the pictures I have chosen are happy memories. There is also a part where you can reframe a thought, and also relax for 15 minutes or 11 minutes with muscle relaxation. This app also gives alot of information about CBT, and how it can help. I still have this app on my phone as it can work alongside my CBT. 


Hope these can help you, even if you are just having a stressful time.

xo