meet camaryn alejandra
How are you really?
I would say my mental health is stable. I think it fluctuates and there are bad days and good days. It’s been consistent anxiety for the past couple of years, but I’m definitely learning how to manage it better, be comfortable, and have a better relationship with it. So I think I’m in a place where I’m still working on it, but I’m definitely able to go through everyday without putting too much worry into it.
What’s an am and pm ritual for you that is rooted in nostalgia?
Every morning and night, when I’m getting ready or going to bed, I’ll add essential oils to my diffuser. I usually do the eucalyptus or the lavender, which has calming properties. Then at the end of my day, I’ll add more of a gentle scent to get into the headspace of going to sleep at night.
“Lavender is nostalgic for me.”
When I was younger, my mom gave me little lavender pouches to put in my pillow because I’ve struggled with anxiety for awhile and she had researched what scents were good. She would leave me little things and roll-ons with lavender so I could use it during the day if I was feeling anxious.
How does journaling impact your mental health?
I have two journals and I recently got them. One is the Five-Minute Journal and the other is the Anti-Anxiety notebook. The Five-Minute Journal I got because I wanted to start my days off on a more positive note with more gratitude. I’ve been using that for a few weeks and it’s helpful to shift into a more positive mindset when I wake up. The Anti-Anxiety Notebook is more situational. If something happens where it’s sparking an anxiety episode, it uses CBT tools and mechanisms to diffuse that anxiety and stop negative thinking. So that’s been helpful when I feel anxious or if I’m feeling really out of it one day.
“I love using both in tandem because they have different purposes.”
I was having a conversation with my therapist and we figured out that I ruminate a lot in my head and it’s stuck there and I don’t have an outlet to manage or sit with those thoughts. So we thought journaling might help. That’s why I started after that conversation and insights that we gathered from that therapy session.
next story — jake lazere