So you had a busy week.  You woke up ten minutes before the class.  You forgot to do your homework because Netflix just renewed Bojack Horseman and you accidently binged the season. (Just me?   Okay.)  You had a panic attack due to a test.  It’s been a rough week, right?

Well, take a few minutes.  I have a playlist for you that might help.

Meditation is a nice way to relax, or at least calm your body down enough to not feel too awful for the rest of the day.  At the heart of meditation is your breathing.  Notice how you’re breathing, and then conciously focus yourself on that.  Inhale for four seconds, hold for two, then exhale for four seconds.  It sounds too simple.  It won’t solve all your problems, but it will clear your head out of panicking so that you can reassess your priorities and get back to what matters.

Relax.  Breathe.  Here’s a playlist of meditation for you.

Already in the middle of a meltdown with nothing to stop the catastrophe of thoughts in your head?  Try this five senses trick: Name a thing you can smell.  Name a thing you can taste.  Name something you can hear.  Name something you’re touching.  Name something you can see.  I tried this in the middle of an anxiety attack and while I can’t explain why this works, exactly, it does.  It’s like “tricking” your brain into going “Oh, I am not actually about to die.  This is where I am.  This is what I am doing.”

Thanks to Jenny D. for the self-care tips, I appreciate the help.