Creating a Self-Love Routine: Simple Practices to Enhance Your Mental Well-Being
As I begin to write this blog post on simple practices to enhance your mental well-being, I have to be honest- I literally just overcame a 3 week depression that was first triggered by an anxiety attack. A lot of recent changes had been taking place in my life, leaving me feeling overwhelmed and deeply out of alignment with my true purpose.
Reflecting on my most recent episode of depression, I realized there wasn’t a whole lot I actually did to help myself other than to feed into it. I do not recommend this.
Life is life. At times it can be totally awesome with beautiful treasured moments of joy. As I’ve gotten older, I am realizing there are even more hardships to face as the inevitable happens and affects us all: health of ourselves or loved ones deteriorating and then ultimately death. In addition, as time goes on, past struggles that I thought I had recovered from show up in deeper weirder ways that still hurt and come out of the blue.
In my opinion, the best practice for your mental health is having a super strong support system that you communicate with regularly whether that means IN-PERSON or actually TALKING ON THE PHONE; texting does not count. Talking on the phone is only there if you cannot see these supports in person. There is a human connection element with voice that I think is so important for us to experience on a social level.
Community is what gets us through the dark times and celebrates us during the light.
Sometimes I feel like I am a lone wolf in a world full of people that don’t care anymore, but then I realize so many people have gone into disassociation and are battling things too. Some just don't feel as comfortable sharing about their struggles. Opening up can be seen as a privilege and that really hurts to think about. There is healing in opening up. There is healing in sharing and caring for one another. COMMUNITY IS HEALING. I myself lack it at times and try so hard to be the bigger person when friends miss my calls or go silent. My ego says I am always so attentive but my human self knows there are times I too can go quiet.
I am not saying I am a master at any of this, but please consider these 5 steps to help better take care of yourself in this world full of darkness and light.
Be kind to yourself - allow for grace. Things can be really really hard. Please look into processing emotions rather than escapes. Processing emotions looks different for everyone. For me, I find writing, moving my body, or simply breathing through intense feelings helps rather than suppressing them. Find a mental health professional to work with in your journey if you can - shop around too. They are like trying on pants; there are so many different styles and options out there these days!
FIND COMMUNITY OR CREATE IT - it does not have to be big. One or two quality supports like friends, or if you’re lucky enough, family members will do. Cherish these supports and support them back.
Have a plan in place for maintenance and have a plan in place for a crisis. In my opinion, maintenance check-ins with your team of supports are underrated. They are just as important as having a crisis plan. If your support team is in the know during good times then they will likely notice if things start to decline and can help you be proactive. This is super helpful for your team to help you early on rather than waiting until circumstances are absolutely at their worst. Early intervention is key.
Find the things that bring you joy and don’t let them die or go to the wasteland. A lot of times when I am low, I tend to forget about the things I once enjoyed. Doing things you enjoy should be done like a habit like brushing your teeth. Joyful habits will be your saving grace for stability.
Have a good sense of humor - after all, you’re not dead yet ;-)
