Let me tell you about a thing

So, I recently got this little thing called a Spire

And basically, it's this little thing that you can wear on like the waistband of your pants or on the middle of your bra if you wear one of those and it like tracks your breathing patterns and will notify you if your breathing is tense so you can take steps to calm yourself down.

And I really don't remember how I heard about it, but I'm super glad that I found it and got one because it's really helped me to, like, chill out a bit.

So here's the general gist:

You wear it and it gets used to how you breathe normally and when you're breathing slowly or fast or other things, it will either let you know or just log it in your profile (like, I don't get notifications for when my breathing has been calm for a while because I feel like it would disrupt the calm-ness, you feel?).

And it looks like a little stone with a clip on the back, but it's a bit softer than a stone would be (for obvious reasons).

And it's great.

Anyway. I got it as part of my journey to like be more mindful and like heal myself from the inside and I think it's really helped me so far.

Also, it's got like scientific and psychological research to back it up.

Good things:

--Since I started wearing it, I've become more conscious of my breathing when it gets tense, and I find that usually I get the tense notifications just after I've noticed my breathing was tenser and taken a deep breath to like calm down.

--It notifies you when you've been sitting still for a long time to remind you to get up and move

--It congratulates you after you've had a period of being active (you set the length of time you have to be active for to get notified)

--It notifies you when you've been focused for a while (based on your breathing; I don't think this one is as reliable as the tense notifications are)

--It's really easy to wear and forget and it'll monitor your breathing as long as you're wearing it

--You get weekly updates about your breathing and it offers comparison for the average for your age/sex group for that week as well as the baseline average for your group

Bad things:

--The notifications can be distracting at times.

--Sometimes I've been tense for a long time and it just keeps telling me I'm tense which kind of stresses me out more

So, overall, it's been a pretty good thing for me. I encourage anyone who is interested in seeing what it's like to consider it. There's more information here.

And if you think it sounds like something you want to get for yourself, you can save $10 if you go through my referral link (click here). [also, full disclosure, if 3 people go through my link, I will be reimbursed for my purchase, but that's not why I'm sharing it with you--it's about the way that it can help you--also I don't believe that 3 people would read this enough to actually go get one anyway so that's a thing too]

Long story short, I would recommend this and you can save $10 if you go through this link and if you're on a journey of mindfulness like me, then you might benefit from it as well.

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

#SelfCareWeekend and deactivating facebook (again)

In the interest of self-care, I didn't do much online this weekend.

I'm coming back around to that point of view that facebook is more of a problem than a solution. Mostly election-related stuff.

It was just about two years ago now that I completely turned off my facebook for my own mental health in the wake of a very traumatic situation for me and many of those who I care a lot about.

And now here I am, thinking of turning it off again.

Because it's mostly negative energy most of the time.

Because it's more trouble than it's worth.

Because I just don't have time to deal with that.

But at the same time as it's all of those things, I have a lot of friends with whom I don't get to communicate much without it. Friends in other countries, and now friends from college, since we've all moved back to our homeplaces. It's nice to be able to log in and see what they're all up to, but at the same time I feel like it causes me to be less present in those relationships. If I can see what they're doing without actually calling or texting or emailing them (or writing them a letter), then I often do because my communication skills are not the tops.

So, shouldn't I just drop the facebook account and put forth actual effort in the relationships that are important to me, rather than watching my loved ones' lives go by from a distance, through a screen?

I think that would be much better in promoting self-care as well as meaningful relationships.

#FoodForThoughtFriday

Happy Friday and TGIF and whatever

For today's #FoodForThoughtFriday, I've been inspired by Instagram

The Topic: Mental Health

For those of you who haven't read about it, Instagram just launched a new feature that allows you to anonymously flag a user's post if you think they might need help with these issues. There's an article about it on Hello Giggles if you want to learn more.

Mental Health Disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and the  ways in which an individual can seek help for these, have been stigmatized in our society for a while now, and this stigma does so much harm and no good, so Instagram is working with organizations like the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (The Lifeline) to help reduce this stigma.

In a society where there is an unprecedented amount of pressure on our youth and young adults anxiety disorders affect nearly 1 in every 5 Americans aged 18 and older, and as many as 1 in 4 children aged 13-18, and mood disorders (such as depression and bipolar disorder) affect nearly 10% of adults 18+ and 14% of children aged 13-18. 

That's a lot of people. And you probably know at least one of them.

But these mental health disorders are largely ignored and stigmatized in our society for some reason. And despite the fact that these disorders are relatively treatable through therapy, medication, or a combination of the two, not many people who have them actually get treatment; this is largely because of the stigma surrounding the disorders themselves and what is perceived as "weakness" when one seeks treatment for them. 

Speaking from my own experience, it can be very scary to get help for these disorders; it requires research to find the right counseling center, and then you have to find the right counselor, which can be a struggle (there are a lot of counselors out there, so there's bound to be one who's right for you) and deciding (with your counselor and someone licensed to prescribe medications for mental disorders) if medication is a viable option for you can be difficult, but once you find the right combination of counseling and/or medication (and sometimes some people might need to go to a treatment center, which is okay too), it becomes possible to live your life in a healthier, happier way.

Anxiety and Depression, of course, are not the only two mental health disorders affecting our populations today, and I encourage everyone to learn about all different types of disorders and their symptoms to help those around them who may be suffering. A good place to start might be at the National Institute of Mental Health and branch off into organizations that focus on specific disorders--such as NEDA, the Lifeline, and the Anxiety and Depression Association of American (ADAA)--from there to learn more about them.

And, most importantly, if you suspect someone in your life might have a mental health disorder of any sort, reach out to them in a gentle, supportive way and let them know that you're there for them. And if someone talks to you about their experience with any of these disorders, make sure that they know you're there for them if they need to talk and support them, rather than reacting in a negative way. A positive, supportive response when someone tells you about their struggle with mental health disorders can make a world of difference in that person's life, but a negative response can hurt them very deeply and cause them to lose their trust in you permanently.

And if you are dealing with any sort of mental disorder, don't be afraid to seek help. There are so many resources available to you and you deserve a chance to feel better and live your best life.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Friday and finds the things they need. <3

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist