not so eggscelent.
For the past year, whenever someone asks me how I’m doing my response is, “I feel like Jessie Spano on caffeine pills. There’s never any time!” Sometimes I’ll follow it up with a quick “I’m so excited! I’m so excited. I’m so…scared.” While Elizabeth Berkley’s 90s portrayal of a teen under pressure on Saved By The Bell is burned in most of our memories, there have been some recent real life examples of female celebrities cracking under pressure a la Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes.
It’s almost become chic right of passage for a celebrity to be transported to a 5150 (an involuntary psychiatric hold) on a gurney. But mental health crises aren’t limited to celebrities. The term quarter-life crisis has become a buzzword in social circles and even if you’re not exactly twenty-five they have a way of creeping up on you. Who isn’t stressed out these days? Some days when my life seems unmanageable I joke that it wouldn’t be so bad to have a conservatorship. It would be nice to have someone making all of my decisions for me to alleviate some of the pressures of daily life.
Are public celebrity breakdowns a just more extreme version of what us regular folks are going through? Even though our stresses are interchangeable we’re seeing a mirroring effect of not enough time, not enough sleep, and way too much on our proverbial plates. According to a study done by the American Psychological Association, 33% of people feel like they are living with extreme stress.
Here are some stress-relief tips for the difficult days when it seems like a good idea to shave your head or throw a bong out of the window of a high-rise.
1) Make to-do lists. Being able to check things off provides a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
2) Accept the fact that you aren’t and never will be Superwoman. Sadly, there will never be more than twenty-four hours in a day. When you can’t do everything, prioritize the most important tasks and goals.
3) Breathe. It sounds simple but every time you’re feeling overwhelmed take a five-minute break and concentrate on your breath. This will help alleviate some anxiety.
We’re all doing the best we can and at least we don’t have the paparazzi watching.
