Conversations about taking care of your mental health are all the rage these days. Honestly, I don’t blame the folks who started this trend. Life is hard. When I was growing up, life was much simpler. Of course, as kids, we did not have a lot of responsibilities. Not a care in the world. Nowadays, we are bombarded by negativity everywhere. Jobs are hard. The cost of living is up. Wars all around us. Health challenges. Traumatic issues from the past that haunt us. Relational issues, and so much more. It seems as if it’s not one thing, it’s something else. There is no room to break or breathe. If you are not careful, you will find yourself doom-scrolling or find an escape on social media.
In my own journey, I discovered how important taking care of your mental health is. I remember when the COVID pandemic hit circa 2019-2020. Anxiety gripped me because I did not know what to expect. My thoughts were racing with the what-ifs. I thought, “What if my loved ones would be adversely affected?” “What if the world would change for the worse?” My ears and eyes were stuck on the news. I attempted to read as much as possible about the virus. I tried to understand and process what was happening in and around me. My job was hectic, but the pandemic added insult to injury. Though I was working from home, I was still working longer hours with little rest. Then I noticed that headaches and fatigue were a little more persistent. Also, I was not physically with family and friends for weeks because of lockdowns. I tried to make the best of it all. One would think that not commuting for a few months would have allowed me to get well-needed rest. However, I had to work. I missed my Tribe. My mental health was on the decline. As such, I had to pivot quickly. To reduce stress and preserve my sanity, I started to exercise regularly. I also established some boundaries to protect my peace, especially when my professional and personal life became intertwined. In addition, I found myself writing letters and posting them on social media to various groups of people. It proved to be therapeutic for me and encouraging to my audience.
The good thing about that period is that timely lessons were learnt. I realized that no matter how fine you are physically, if your mind is not right, it’s likely that the rest of you will follow suit. I know that there are people who may disagree. That’s understandable. However, we cannot deny that taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical body. Think about it. The body needs good food to thrive. If a person feeds on junk 24/7, he/she will likely develop some kind of health complications sooner or later. It’s the same with our minds. If we constantly intake negativity through the news, music, social media, and otherwise, we will likely think negatively as well. Our moods would be dampened. Anxiety would likely go through the roof. Focus on basic tasks would be off. We would be at risk of having depressive episodes. Nobody would want that. This is why taking care of our minds is so important and this practice should never be neglected.
Negativity, juicy gossip, and bad news may bombard us every day. Life being difficult may never change. Troublesome moments will face us often. Therefore, we must give ourselves a fighting chance to have a sound mind. What about you? Reflect on your own life and practices. Are you prioritizing your mental health? How do you cope with adversity? I invite you to have a plan of action in place. You could seek support from friends, family, or even professionals. Truly, we all need to spark some joy in our lives with even the simplest of things. We also need to keep a cool head, especially when we are faced with challenging situations.
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