Thursday marked World Mental Health day. Now I'm sure you all know that it is important to talk about mental health all year round, particularly if you're suffering from poor mental health. Not just October 10th.
So, what do you do to improve your wellbeing?
Like many, my mental health has suffered throughout the years due to a number of things - loss of loved ones, things not going to plan, feeling defeated, putting toxic people before me, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, leaving things I'd started incomplete, feeling inadequate/being unable to overcome that and much more.
In turn this led to days in bed, periods where I'd not been myself or unable to look after myself in the most basic of ways, an extremely low mood that I couldn't escape, isolation, excessive drinking, lashing out at others or through social media, and numerous attempts to take my own life when I was at my lowest. This is not a cry for help/attention, I just wanted to touch on my experience & talk about the sad fact that it is horrifically common for people to experience all of the above & more on a daily basis. It is very common and we need to acknowledge this very seriously.
There is hope, though. We can do something about it and actively use positive methods to distract the mind from depressive thoughts.
I like to paint, spend time with friends, watch movies/a TV series, go for a long walk or hike (see pic!), play games, buy a new outfit to shoot or cosplay in, enjoy a chilled glass of wine (just one!) over dinner as a treat... I've even joined the gym recently, taking it a month at a time because longer commitments can scare me in that sense! I've found group classes a god send to help with my motivation.
On top of all that, a really useful technique I am constantly singing about (see prev blogs!) is to think of 3 positive things from each day. On my worst days, that could have been anything like brushing my teeth, making a cup of tea, or eating something despite a loss in appetite. Can you think of 3 positive things that happened today? Or even 1? Maybe someone paid you a compliment, you went outside, someone you hadn't spoken to in a while sent you a text, you washed your hair, anything. Keep a note of it, write it in your diary. Remind yourself that there is good in this world.
I would thoroughly recommend therapy sessions too, I've used Betterhelp for more than a year in the UK and the Samaritans got me out of a very dark place too. There are organisations all over the world that can help. I usually reach out to friends or post on social media to get ideas and recommendations :) and if you're sceptical about therapy, please don't knock it until you've tried it. Sometimes you might need to try a few different therapists, or find a way of therapy that works for you. I hate talking on the phone but found that typing messages to someone was easier and that I could do it in my own time. At a very busy point in my life I needed face to face sessions as I started falling behind in my counselling assignments. I get that therapy can be expensive, but there are options out there - friends for example could be one of them. My mother was a great counsellor when I was younger also. Online forums could be good. Again, recommendations are always welcome!
Have a think about your mental health right now. Are you okay? Are you coping? If yes, what do you think is helping at the moment? If no, what do you think is triggering that? Can you get into a positive mindset? Do you need help to feel anything but numb again? You matter. You are important. Please remember that.
Think about your your friends and loved ones. Are they okay? Are they coping? How do you know for sure? Would it be much effort to send them a friendly message, or a friendly gesture to remind them they are loved, without them feeling like they need to unload their dark thoughts onto you️? We never know what anyone is truly going through unless they feel safe enough to share, but, having been that person a number of times, little actions such as these could make a massive difference to someone's wellbeing.
Look after yourselves and each other ❤️
@rambo @missy @sean