Mental Health and Self Care

When it came to preparing a post for this week, all I could think was “I don’t have time” and “I’m stretched too thin” and “I need to look after my mental health and I need to be mindful of self care”.

I’m doing The 100 Day Project and whilst I’m loving it, it is taking up a lot more of my time and energy than I had thought it would on top of the stress & resulting energy drain that the state of the world is currently having on me, and all my usual jobs and commitments. I have recognised that I’m feeling very ‘tank empty’ and need to take some steps to lighten my load and take care of myself.  I’ve decided that from this point on, until my ‘The 100 Day Project’ is complete, I will only be posting my The 100 Day Project round up posts each fortnight and no other posts on the days or weeks between (except my next ‘Taking Stock‘ post which is due at the end of September).

So this week I’m bringing you too a reminder to take care of yourself and your mental health during these very troubling times, particularly those of you in Sydney (and other cities in lockdown)! The Delta variant situation in Sydney particularly, but now also Melbourne and Canberra, is very worrying. It’s stressful and anxiety inducing and we wonder if we will ever see an end to it all and regain some semblance of normality again. Then there is the dreadful situation in Afghanistan and the devastation in Haiti. Of course, I’m not going to get into the details about these here. I just wanted to gently remind you that these things take a toll even if you’re not really aware of it. Stress (and depression & anxiety) can creep up on you!

So please, make whatever adjustments to your daily routines that you need to, and that you can, to help lower the stress levels in your body and bring some peace to your mind. As someone who has suffered the consequence of living with chronic stress, I know only too well how important this is.

My tips:

• Find a reliable source and decide how you plan to keep up with the news that you need to know and stick to that only. Avoid & reduce exposure to all other news sources. Many sensationalise and dramatise and induce panic.
• Look after your diet – try and get good nutrition into you to support your immune & nervous system.
• Get some sunshine & outdoor time each day where you can.
• Try and get some daily exercise.
• Get up, shower, get dressed nice, pop a bit of make up on – whatever you need to do to feel good!
• Talk to family and friends – stay in touch and don’t bottle up how you’re feeling.
• Do activities that you enjoy (I draw and paint) and that bring you some mindfulness time where you’re so focussed on what you’re doing that you can forget all the worries of the world.
• Have a routine. It can differ day to day but routine helps you feel a sense of control.
• Seek assistance if you feel you need some help.  You could contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service.

So since I feel like I’m stretched a bit too thin and my tank is running on empty, I’ll leave this post here and urge you to be mindful of how you’re feeling and take the steps needed (no matter how big or small) to  take good care of yourself.  As Dalai Lama says:

If you feel burnout setting in, if you feel demoralised and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.

Ciao for now,

 

Linking up with Denyse Whelan for #LifeThisWeek