The realm of our minds is vast to say the least, which can make beginning our journeys towards bettering our mental health/and or becoming more closely connect to our spiritual side discouraging and overwhelming. I personally felt completely stuck in a toxic and suffocating mindset of helplessness simply because I didn't know how to begin pulling myself out of such a vicious cycle. However, building the strength to take the first few steps made the world of a difference in my journey and I couldn't be more grateful. In order to guide others to do the same, I'm going to share some of the resources that helped me most throughout my journey.
For one, I personally find comfort in relating to creators who are going through similar journeys, which is why I hope to help people the same way through this site! For example, following Tiktok pages dedicated to sharing tips to combat anxiety and disordered eating has helped me immensely because they're short and straight to the point. I especially appreciate how community-oriented these pages typically are, as people just like me share their stories in comment sections. Medical professionals, such as Dr. Julie Smith (@drjuliesmith on Tiktok) and Dr. Stephanie Waitt (@heydrsteph on Tiktok), for example, have helped me with accepting and validating my personal struggles.
I have also used online platforms to better connect to my spiritual side! Guided meditations on Youtube help me release tension when I'm feeling especially anxious, when I'm having a hard time sleeping, or even when I just need time to relax my mind for a few minutes. There are thousands of guided meditations varying in time length that can help in so many different ways, and I have loved using guided meditations from "Good Meditations"'s Youtube channel. Their channel provides hundreds of guided meditations for mindful living, anxiety, productiveness, positivity, etc., and have genuinely helped me so much. I've also learned the majority of what I know about spirituality as a whole concept from Youtube. Specifically, I credit Marisa LaBlue's Youtube video titled "Spirituality for Beginners" to being one of my first eye openers in entering the spiritual world as she thoroughly discusses topics such as meditation, journaling, and astrology. As for manifestation tips and explanations, Naomi Rosenthal's Youtube channel has helped me so much in forming a deeper understanding for different aspects of manifestation and the Law of Attraction/Assumption.
However, sometimes I prefer to take a more self-oriented route, which is where journaling comes in. Journaling has been one of my biggest outlets for organizing and reflecting upon my own thoughts simply by writing them down, as well as releasing negative energy; simply pouring it all out on paper can feel like lifting a weight off of my heart. There's no specific way to journal; sometimes I write whatever comes to mind and never look at it again, and other times I take a more structured approach when I want to really gain an understanding of what I'm feeling and what further steps I should take. Journaling my plans for the day every morning also helps me feel more in control and less overwhelmed throughout the day! Let me know if you would like me to share some of own journal entries, or share yours down below!
While everyone's journeys are different, it's those first steps that make recovering worth it. I'm always looking for new ways to further strengthen myself throughout my own journey, so if you have any books, videos, creators, tips, etc. that have helped you, please let me know down below!