Mental Health

I wanted to talk about mental health because my mental health hasn’t been the greatest recently and I have been doing my best to take it day by day. I feel like sharing about these thoughts and feelings because I want for others to know that they can share how they feel and even though it can be scary to share, I always feel much better letting my feelings out. In honor of Mental health Day this past Monday, I want to share five tips that I have been using that help me to move forward in life. I haven’t had the best mental health since the start of the pandemic in 2020, but I have worked very hard to better myself and have more control over my emotions. I have found to improve my mental health, journaling, meditation or breathing exercises, smiling or laughing, venting, and exercising are helping. 


  1. Journaling, let's talk. Journaling is when you have a book and you write however much you want. I have several journals to write in. Journaling has always been my space. I go to write wherever I cry, am sad, and I am wanting to write about my day, writing a schedule, and just jotting down how I feel. Being able to take some time during my day to journal to help my mental health has been very important. It makes me feel like I have someone to talk to through my hardest times. It feels great that I have a space to go to, Sometimes I look back in my journal at all the things that I have been through. I have been through a lot. There's no wrong way to journal. I just write the date and time and just write. If I am really sad and frustrated I will have that and then at the end of the day.


  1. Meditation or breathing exercises are something I got into during the pandemic. It has helped me learn that when I am frustrated or angry I need to take a minute to breathe. I don’t normally breathe, I try to push through it. I have learned through meditation the proper way to breathe. Meditation helps me take away all my stress and worries. Meditation gives me a 15 minute break to just forget everything going on. 


  1. Smiling or laughing. Smiling is something I do all the time. Lately I feel like I have been smiling less. I have been really upset, frustrated, annoyed, and just want to do nothing. Surrounding myself with family, some friends, and fun activities have really helped me be able to laugh more and just enjoy things. It can be hard to smile during your toughest day but we can find things to make us smile or have someone else crack us up! 


  1. Vent sessions with friends:  just having someone to vent to has really helped me get through all the things going on in my life. I am so grateful to have the support I have. Sometimes chatting with a friend or my mom to get their insight or just listen to me rant, I usually feel better after venting! 


  1. Exercise has many benefits and I love exercising. Lately, I haven’t had the time to exercise because so much has been going on and that’s okay. Some benefits of exercising for mental health is that it can take our minds away from things. It can help improve our mood and overall make us happier.  


Mental health is a very important topic that should be openly discussed in our life, and I believe that if people were able to communicate about their thoughts and feeling while going through adversity they can feel more in control of their life. These 5 tips have helped me feel more at peace about what I’m going through and confident about being myself. Some days, I have a lot of negative thoughts and find myself stressed about everything I’m trying to conquer but these tips have made it much easier.


Something I want to work on to further improve my mental health, is exercising and smiling and laughing more! Because honestly even though I have these great tips, sometimes my feelings are too strong and these tips don’t feel like there enough, and I’m learning that this is normal and okay but I know that if I continue to make changes and be persistent about my mental health than I will find what works for me! I have not given up - even on the days that I may have wanted to because there is so much that I want to accomplish and share all that I have learned about Mental Health this past 2 years because maybe my experiences may help someone else that may be going through their toughest day! Just remember, it will get better and you will see happier days ahead. If you are having a hard day today, remember to love and be kind to yourself, and I hope your day gets better. 



 


Comments

  1. Jason SchrimlOctober 14, 2022 at 7:09 AM

    Alexea....thank you for continuing to be vulnerable and then be willing to write about it. It takes great bravery to share your thoughts out loud. Our calls during the week always bring me laughter and joy. It is a pleasure to work with you and call you a friend.

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