You and Your Mental Health
Hey sorry for the long gap between blog posts. I did intend to make this a weekly occurrence but with the kids off school I'm struggling to fit it all in, I'm sure you can relate.
I wanted to write about mental health because I think it's a topic that can't be talked about enough. It's something we should be working on continuously like our physical health. Sometimes we're on top of the world, everything's going well and then other times things aren't quite right. You might feel guilty because you think you should be happy but you're just not. The reason for it might be blatantly obvious or you might feel down and not know why. We all have these times and how we manoeuvre it is important.
I can talk to you today about how I deal with low days but how we react and handle certain situations is different for everyone. Learning about yourself; what makes you happy, how you handle tricky situations, how you feel about yourself, in my opinion, is what we all should be trying to do today, tomorrow and throughout our lives. However, it might just be your time of the month, you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed, in which case you know you need to ride it out and the feeling will pass. A bit of chocolate and a sad film could just do the trick.
After the birth of my second daughter I struggled with postnatal depression, I didn't realise it at the time and was angry with myself for not being bouncing off the walls happy with the wonderful life I had. Just a mere one year into her life her Dad and I separated. It was a difficult time and I wondered how I was ever going to be happy again.
But, time heals you and with the help of my amazing family and friends I got through it. I dug deep, found what made me truly happy (wrote it down in a list 😂 will share later) and kept doing those things over and over. Family life can make us lose our identity a little bit and we forget we're not just a mother and a wife. It's important to do the things we love to do and you're not too old to learn something new if you're not sure what your passion is. Learn to play the instrument that's always been calling you, learn to speak Spanish or try pole dancing. Whatever it doesn't matter. Don't say you haven't got time make time!
Being a mother is an amazing experience but don't lose sight of who you are, they want you to be happy too.
So the list, in the notes section of my phone, here it is. My happy list...
Weight train
Yoga
Loud music
Dancing
Dancing with the girls
Reading
Walking
Podcasts
Talking to Bonnie/Mum
Cuddling the girls
Cinema
Sweets
Coffee
The beach
A new gym
Dinner made by someone else
Bread
A good film
Some of these are small, some you can't make happen all the time. I would have had dinner made by someone else everyday if I could 😂 Writing a list helps you to get to know yourself again and also reminds you to do the little things because they matter. You matter and so does your happiness. Do something today that brings you some joy ❤️