Monday 14 May 2018

#MENTALHEALTHAWARENESS WEEK - YOU ARE NOT ALONE

With it being mental health awareness week, I wanted to share my journey with my mental health and honestly, to let people know that it is ok not be ok , and to say that.

I have struggled for years with my mental health . It started in my early teens and hasn’t left me . Of course I have coping mechanisms now I am older and I feel like I know when enough is enough and I need to give myself a break before my mental health gets affected.



The problem with mental health issues is that a lot of us feel like it’s not really a thing, you can’t see a problem thereforE there isn’t one. If only it was that simple right?. That shouldn’t be the case, an illness is an illness, whether you can see it or not , it shouldn’t be treated differently.

Alongside mental health problems I also have anxiety, which is such a dark shadow to live with. Sometimes I don’t even know why I am anxious, and sometimes my chest caves in from the attacks and I feel as if my heart is going to explode. When I have an anxiety episode I have to talk, to anyone. I have be known to ring my mum to talk about anything and it will eventually pass.

I have been on medication and seen councillors and been to groups.In my case , unfortunately none of them strategies worked for me , and I came to the decision a long time ago that medication wasn’t the answer. 

Coping with your mental health problems alone can be difficult sometimes , but once you find some coping techniques that work for you, for the most part ;) , then I really do feel like you will have some control over it , and that feeling is incredible.

Its good to talk - sometimes getting your worries and anxious thoughts off your chest can do you the world of good. I know talking to your loved ones can be difficult but professionals are always on hand. Find a therapist with ThriveTalk. Don't suffer in silence, its good to talk.

Take time out - this can be a very hard one sometimes, especially if you are a parent . I know in my case , having three daughters ,including a 10 Month Old , time out can be non existent! . It doesn’t have to be a night out with friends, I’m talking the little time outs that really do you the world of good. A soak in the bath with a book for half an hour. A hot cup of tea with the latest hollyoaks episode once the kids are in bed . Paint your nails . A simple half hour time out for yourself is invaluable and I really believe that.

  Daily Tasks-  this I mean as a whole dynamic .Whether you have a family or not . Little daily tasks are so important to me.I set little goals every day , so if I am having a bad day or not feeling like facing the world then it doesn’t fall on that big laundry day or a Friday when I am suppose to hoover through the whole house. If i am cooking a spaghetti one night then I will batch cook and make a chilli for the next day. I can not tell you how many times I have done this and the next day I have felt like utter crap and remembering I had prepeared something for dinner already has been a godsend , and has actually lifted my mood slightly just knowing I hadn’t had to cook all evening.


Fresh air- honestly , getting out is so good for your mental health and your wellbeing as a whole . We try and go for a walk every Saturday , and I have recently received a new carrier for baby Nila to try so I am really looking forward to trying her out in that! Even a 20 minute walk to the local corner shop , an afternoon at the park after school or if you are not up to that, put the kettle on and sit in the garden . This is actually one of my favourites for when I am feeling rubbish.

Music - I would be lost without music . I think everyone I know says the same . Music can make you feel amazing and also terrible , depending what your listening to ! :) make a feel good playlist on your phone and when your feeling that dreaded shadow erupting , stick your playlist on and sing your heart out .

They are some of the few things I use to help when my mental health feels like it’s not at its best. You are going to have down days, we all do , accepting them and pulling through them , hopefully with some of my tips, will help you to feel a little better :) 

If you suffer with low mental health too then I would love for you to share some of your coping mechanisms and we can all help each other 

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