Mental Health Reflection: Fear of the Path

Fear of the Path: Click Here to Learn More!!

#WHY MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

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OCTOBER 10, 2018 MENTAL HEALTH DAY

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Creating a New Path: The Power of Truth...The Beginning.....

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Breaking the Loop Teaser: Stay Tuned for Upcoming Content!

I have high functioning Bipolar depression. It may appear as someone who does not need treatment or successful treatment, but this is far from the case. It took me decades to understand what it was and why other women who have mental health challenges and are high functioning are oftentimes surviving but not truly thriving.

HOW TO CREATE A MENTAL HEALTH TOOL KIT

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Open In Case of Emergency- My Mental Health Toolkit

As someone who has been challenged for decades by bipolar depression, I have developed through trial and error my mental health tool kit. These are strategies that I employ when I feel my mental health out of balance. As a disclaimer, these tools are not meant to help me achieve complete balance (trust me I don’t have that even on my perfect days!) but they help to slow the decline of my emotions, thereby avoiding or lessening the effects of my bipolar depressive symptoms.

My Emergency Toolkit (In no particular order)

1. I freeze. Whatever I’m doing or feeling I just stop and pause, literally. I will go so far take any and everything out of my hands, stop walking and just stand still.

2. Meditation. I never liked meditation or being more aware of my breath, until I learned that I don’t have to do it 1 hour a day. I don’t even have to be perfect, I just do it. This has by far been my most preemptive and in crisis toolkit item.

3. Calling Out. I have been very blessed to have a great support system. When I am challenged I reach out to my loved ones. They know not to give advice during these moments, instead it is used to provide encouragement.

4. Hibernate. If I am overloaded by the world, I use my bed as my little island away from the outside.

5. Movement. Natural light and the outdoors not only give my brain time to refocus on something other than my racing thoughts (the smells, sights and sounds) but I attempt to walk or stand next to a part of nature. I have always been a lover of dance and so if I can fit it in, I take a dance class.

I encourage you to use this checklist as catalyst to develop your own self care emergency routine. Even if you are not challenged by mental health, there are many times to use this when you want to realign your energy. Please see my future posts in this series to help you think through how to create a custom tool kit of your very own.

HOW I WANT TO GIVE BACK

I was recently listening to a great podcast on finding what you love and the number one question that was most important was who do I want to serve. I pondered over that question for a few months as I did not know what particular group I wanted to help. One day I realized that there is not just one group, I am a combination of perspectives and therefore I want to serve those parts of my past that made me who I am today.

I am a lover of music, well specifically anything minor, moving or sad. I was introduced to music at such a young age, it is entrenched in my DNA, from the music I sing to the movement through dance. So providing my experiences in music to a community who needs it, that is how I want to give back.

I struggle with self care. Specifically I find it challenging to focus on taking care of myself. I am learning to listen to my body more. My journey with bipolar depression has put me on a personal
journey to discover better ways to create a self care routine. I understand what happens when you don’t prioritize self care. I want to walk the journey of self care with others who may not be as far along as I am. That is how I want to give back.

I remember walking through my grandmother's garden, and in the back of the garden was a large compost pile. Every day that I visited her, I would watch her deposit food scraps into a white pail in the kitchen. We would then take the pail out to the compost. At the time the importance of giving back to the earth was natural. Now I am learning more and more about creating sustainability within my own home. Providing what I have learned to help those learn to build a better world is how I want to give back.

My path in life was made a little easier through access to education,
opportunities to see culture outside of my community and working with people who supported and guided me despite the worlds challenges. I want to help someone else to build their own path. That's how I want to give back.

Giving back to others using my talents, skills, passions and knowledge helps me to find what I love.