It's been a rough year. It's no wonder I stopped blogging. But today I decided to change that up, because there's something that I've been thinking about a lot recently.
I won't get into all the struggles my family has faced recently, but I will get into how they inspired me to write about something that is largely overlooked in our society...
The mystery topic is... (insert drum roll here...)
Mental Health!
Whoda thunk I'd be blogging about mental health on a blog like this?!
Now, from my experience, the first thing that people see when they think of the words, "Mental Health" is some deranged, apparently mentally ill person in a state of psychosis. Maybe they're hallucinating, or talking to themselves, or shooting imaginary arrows at the moon, it doesn't really matter. But that's not what this is about.
This is about YOU.
YOUR mental health.
This is about the everyday, mom, dad, college student, Jane and John Doe that is just doing the daily norms just like the rest of us...
YOU!
I think it's safe to say that we've all heard the saying that your brain is a muscle, and it should be exercised. Much like the body, our brain benefits from disciplined and regular use as well as challenges and obstacles strengthening it each time we put it to the test.
I, for one, can say I haven't exercised my brain in a very, very long time.
I'm not hard on myself about it, but I think it can serve as a lesson to others, who maybe, like me, don't realize the suffering state of their mental health until it's too late. Then, much like our physical bodies, it takes a lot of time and "exercise" to get it back into a well-functioning and healthy state which can take weeks, months, and sometimes years. After all, if you have been ignoring your mental health for a long time, it's going to take a long time to get it back to where it once was.
My mental health has taken a toll, and it stemmed from one core element...
STRESS! \
(Insert dramatic music here)
Something I'm sure none of you know about... right?
Personally, I've been stressed to the max for well over a year now. From this stress has stemmed deep, debilitating, depression and anxiety. I notice that I'm not as organized and detail-oriented as I used to be. My once sharp and intellectual mind is now foggy and my thoughts scattered. It takes me long periods of time to read even one page of a book no matter how interesting and by the time I'm done with it I can't remember a single thing I just read. Many of you know what I mean.
If my brain were my body, it would be morbidly obese, and on the brink of just keeling over.
If you're there, don't blame yourself. Between work, family, errands, and life in general, mental unwellness can really sneak up on you and before you know it, your brain and mental health are deeply suffering.
So having discovered my mental unwellness and the "obese" state that my brain is in, I decided I have to stop everything else, and make the change happen... starting now. And you can, too!
So.. where did I start?
First and foremost, the worst and most debilitating part of my mental health issues is my severe depression that I am currently experiencing.
Did she really say that?
Yes, I am depressed. Horribly so. Don't misconstrue this confession as taboo or something that is meant to be kept on the low-down. This is, after all, the number one mental illness effecting more than 50% of Americans RIGHT NOW with at least 1/3 being medically and psychologically treated for its symptoms. And, it is something that needs to be talked about, starting now! I think if more people were open to topics of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and whatnot, there would be a lot less of it. Until we take it out from behind the scenes and into a glaring, bright light, how are we to ever get past the idea that depressed people are "different" and "sick". I mean, c'mon, we're not contagious! There's nothing really wrong with us, so why all the hush-hush?!
Equally as important as addressing your depression, and actually talking about it, is DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
This is obvious, right?
DUH! But it's also really, REALLY, hard.
If you've ever been depressed, you probably know what I mean. Sometimes it feels impossible to be anything other than depressed.
I for one, don't want to get out of bed most days, let alone shower and clean and cook and take care of my kid... so how am I supposed to muster up the energy to address this depressive state I'm in?
First off, I stop beating myself up about it.
Like I said, A LOT of people just like you and me suffer from depression. I remind myself that regardless of how I feel I am not some disease-ridden leper who is totally alone and no one could ever understand me, because statistically I know that a lot of people do. I remind myself of this constantly. it sounds silly, but it works.
Second, I force myself to do little things, and then make a big deal out of it. I mean, I ridiculously big deal.
When I force the focus off my depression (I use the word "force" for a reason) and re-direct it towards spending quality time with my daughter, it is a big win for me. So I celebrate my triumph accordingly. I give myself that hypothetical pat on the back, let myself boast about my victory and really bask in the glory of being able to conquer my depression, even if it was only for 20 minutes. I find that doing this, not only makes me feel good and proud of myself for at least a little while, but it makes me want to feel good again. So now my 20 minutes of playing Candy Land with Kaitlyn has lead to wanting to read a book to her. After that, I want to get up and clean because, c'mon... who wants to play Candy Land and read in a messy house?! And hey, now that I'm all dirty and smelly from cleaning, now would be a good time to take a shower. And showering in and of itself is a great feeling.
You get the point...
As far as not being as organized and detail-oriented as I used to be, I have found helpful little things for that, too.
My sister recently adopted and utilized the "minimalist movement". This means she did a major cleansing of material objects. She has nothing, and I mean, NOTHING that isn't of a practical use to her. This means no clutter, no messes of random stuff, and no closets stuffed with old junk that silently nags at her sub conscious to do something about it. (You know how women can be).
You're probably thinking she was nuts, just like I did, but then I really starting thinking about this concept...
How liberating would it be to free myself of everything that isn't needed and doesn't mean anything to me? How would de-cluttering and organizing my physical home and environment effect my mind and spirit?
So I looked into this, and the verdict is in. Countless sites and forums visited on the topic have lead me to the unanimous conclusion that de-cluttering and minimizing our environments drastically benefits our minds and even our spirits, resulting in clearer thinking and an all-too-real de-cluttering of our minds.
So I started doing this. I'm ashamed to say its been a much slower process than I anticipated, but every item I get rid of, or organize, is one step closer to mental clarity. I can feel it working as I'm going through things and organizing, and it's a beautiful feeling. And once clutter is eliminated from areas, I find that I am more inclined to want to organize the items that managed escaped the clutches of the donation box. This sorting and organizing forces my brain to work and challenges it, and directly forces me to be detail-oriented.
Now onto exercising that part of my brain that was once sharp and intellectual...
At this point, reading has been the best medicine in this department... even if it takes me forever to finish the page. I notice that the more I read, and the more variety of topics I read up on, the more information I am gaining on a daily basis.
Too simple, right?
But isn't that great?! It's so simple yet it makes a huge impact on me. From reading certain topics, I continue my own research on topics that have piqued my interest and suddenly I am learning and filling my sluggish brain and tons of knowledge and education which directly benefits my overall intellect and mental sharpness. It's amazing what a difference it has made, and I'm even remembering better than I used to.
Having now read this list, you can see now how doing these seemingly small and easy tasks have equaled out to a big time sweaty, hot, work out for my brain. And at the end of the day? I feel a lot better. My depression and anxiety are significantly reduced, my mental clarity and organization skills increase, and my foggy brain becomes much clearer than it once was.
It's a great feeling, and so easy.
But, this is just the beginning. As with every exercise program, my brain is going to need increasing use and new challenges to continue to build up to optimum health, and these steps are merely the beginning. Think of it as me lifting 5 lb weights, but well on my way to 20 lb ones. You've got to start somewhere, no matter how small!
Of course there is a lot more to my journey that this, and I will keep you updated, but even the smallest step towards optimal mental health is a big deal and something worth doing and celebrating.
What are some of the ways that your mental health is suffering? What are some of the ways you have exercised your mind to overcome these issues?
I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time...
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