It can be easy to get lost in the chaos of everyday life, but these unprecedented times have shown that it’s more important than ever to take care of yourself and keep track of the over health of your mental state.
Last week, I sent my husband a text for the fourth consecutive cloudy day last week – “This grayness is killing my spirit, just getting up now. Ugh, Hope you have a good day!” I didn’t want to get out of bed and didn’t feel like doing much of anything. Even though I know all of the things that I needed to do to manage my dread, it’s still a struggle.
October 10th was World Mental Health Day and I saw many stories of people publicly sharing their experiences with mental health. Posts ranged from experiences with clinical depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and more. In each post or article that I read, I saw aspects of shared experiences, the human experience of living life in a world that often feels unsteady and chaotic, which have only been exemplified by the pandemic. I saw the struggle that we have as humans trying to mitigate the internal and external pressures of life.
Whether we struggle with chronic or periodic mental health concerns, like our physical health, it is something that we all benefit from paying attention to. Here are some easy methods and practices you can use to start paying more attention to your mental health:
- Keep a mood journal and check in with your emotions daily. This simple activity allows you to see if there is a pattern to your moods and the length of time associated with a particular mood.
- Engage in a meditative activity that allows your brain to rest. While deep breathing and traditional meditation work for some people, it doesn’t work for everyone. “Mindless” and repetitive activities like running, walking, listening to music, or even coloring can allow your mind to rest and be quiet.
- Check-in with someone you trust and have a conversation about how you’re really doing.
Much like how people are starting to schedule doctor’s appointments that were canceled or simply put off during the pandemic, it’s also important to schedule time for yourself to check in with the state of your mental health too.