Mental health has been a focal point for a while now.
Even more so since the beginning of 2020, when most of us got bombarded with endless changes, usually not such good ones, and were flooded with instability, which for most feels like a never-ending, nerve-wracking earthquake.
For many people, more stress came into their lives with the latest economic challenges, global and personal. For some, including myself, the world became even shakier since February this year, when the Russian president decided the country's borders were apparently too tight for his offended ego, so he put the lives of millions of Ukrainians at risk. He subsequently destroyed the lives of millions of Russian people, which hurts me as much.
The escalation of the conflict put the well-being of many Europeans and people all across the world under threat as well.
What can you say, it's been tough lately. And even though I'm usually a half-full-glass type of person, I don't see much ease in the near future by any means.
With all that said, our own well-being and mental health are actually the most crucial things and also among the very few we can actually affect when it comes to the sense of the chaos around us.
The lists of things we can do to take care of our mental health are so simple, that they almost feel irritating when I come across the advice. I know all of that, I tell myself. One of those lists suggests: get regular exercise, even 30 minutes of simple walking every day helps boost your mood and improve your health. Small amounts of exercise add up too. Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated. Make sleep a priority and cut down on screen time when going to bed.
Try out some relaxing activities that would calm your brain, be it meditation, breathing or nature watching. Get your to-do list organized, set goals and priorities by deciding what must get done now, what can wait and by saying no to something not that important. Be grateful and practice gratitude. Focus on positivity. And of course, stay connected by reaching out to friends or family for emotional support and practical help. If nothing helps and you feel down big-time for longer than two weeks, seek professional help (most times it’s available free of charge).
Every single piece of it is simple, right?
But have you tried writing them down and actually testing yourself on how high you can score? I did, and if it was a real test, I'd fail. Well, I indeed do fail, I fail myself.
I used to go swimming, but the stress I've been under since the beginning of the war gradually squeezed it out of my life. I used to take my two outdoor furry folks on long walks. Now they don't even believe me when, once every few months, I take their leashes and say let's go. I used to take time to read some good books just for the soul. Now the most I can do is listen to something. (And I'm thankful that I manage to do at least that). I used to sit out on a deck and just observe the gorgeous valley around me. Now, even five minutes doing nothing (the way it seems) pretty much makes me feel guilty as if I was missing out on something. I used to spend time driving around and capturing the ever-changing skies, curious wildlife, endless fields and even bugs. Now my camera mainly sees the light when I have to get work done. The list can go on.
The walk and talk with Karlie King, organized by the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum at Woodlawn Regional Park on Truth and Reconciliation Day, made me pause inside and reminded me how important time on the land is. Her talk was inspiring and filled with meaning, and after that event, I did spare time to go out to Rafferty and let my mind take off, fly away and eventually calm down at least for a bit. Without a reminder, I don't think I'd do it.
Forgive me if this column turned out a bit too personal. But I noticed that a lot of people around me are in very similar shoes. We all have different reasons to stress, be it work, family, children, money, global affairs, our loved ones or friends and changes in their lives or something else. We all have excuses for why we can't take basic care of our mental health even though it's simple. We all quite often have reasons to keep it to ourselves, as we often feel that everyone is stressing, so what does it help to "whine" about your own worries, right?
But if we don't take care of ourselves using that "simple" mental health self-care list, if we choose not to talk about our worries, if we decide not to reach out for help, nothing will change and one day, one way or the other that stress ... By the way, it's not stress that kills us, it's our reaction to it.
So if you, like me, would fail the mental health self-care test, please take time and find something that would help at least some of your accumulated stress evaporate. Add sleeping time, go for a walk and talk to a friend. It's simple, but it can make a huge difference for your tomorrow.
