I wasn't planning on posting anything on the blog until the new year. I had this vision that I would start a new beginning with the new year but new beginnings are overrated and I wanted to talk about something so here we are. The holidays have really been affecting me and I feel tired and anxious most of the time. This causes me to think about what I'm doing to stop these feelings from negatively impacting me.
One of the greatest things my mom gave me when I was in school was mental health days. When I tell people my mom would let me stay home from school because I was sad or anxious people often give me a look like they cannot believe it. I think it was one of the greatest lessons she taught me though and although I can't call off of work because I'm sad, it did teach me to be aware of how I'm feeling and what I can do to help myself.
I was chatting with one of my favorite people one day and she brought up the point that when we start to feel tired, depressed, or anxious mentally, why do we not take care of our bodies like we do when we are physically sick.
When I am sick, I baby myself. I make myself tea, I get plenty of rest, I drink a lot of water, I watch a show or movie that makes me happy, I cancel any unnecessary errands for the day in order to give myself a break.
When I'm depressed or have anxiety, I don't treat myself the same way as when I have a cold. I usually wait for the feelings to go away on their own and most of the time there is very little success.
The last few weeks I've seen a lot of my friends feeling down just like me right before the holidays. That's why I thought it was important to go ahead and write this before the new year. It is so important to cut yourself a break when you're in a bad place.
I may not be able to take full days as I could in school but just a few hours to take care of myself like I'm sick makes so much of a difference. I'm hoping I can get back to that mindset that my mom taught me when I was younger. Taking care of yourself isn't lazy, a nap isn't a sign of weakness. These things are necessary in order to be healthy again.
Just like a cold. It's really hard to just work through it.
Now the tricky part is remembering that through the next few days and into the new year.
Until next time,
