Now is the Time
May is Mental Health Awareness month.
With so many of us in isolated status with COVID 19, the affects on our mental health have been evident.
Just take one look at your news feed in social media accounts to see what the mentality of our world has come to.
It should be no shocker that a lot of us have been emotionally taxed throughout the past year (plus) of lockdowns and weakened markets.
Certainly the world hasn’t seen such a shadow cast from stormy clouds of a pandemic in a long time.
Tomorrow is Coming
There is no better time than now to explore the way your mind has been working.
Before the world gets back on track, give your brain the time and knowledge to understand why it’s been so challenging to live in lockdowns.
When things start to open up again, it will not only be more “business as usual,” but some people might struggle a bit to return to “usual.”
Once most people get vaccinated, and governments lift all the mandates, things will inevitably pick up in pace and pressure.
People’s state of isolation and suppressed energy levels without outlet will dump us out into the freeway of life at the speed of life.
Unless you’re calibrated to a healthy mental state of being beforehand, life may get tough in the adjustment process.
I predict that returning to the world as we knew it won’t happen. The world as we knew it will never be that way, at least, not for a long time. We’ll be straddling to walk in the comfort of how things used to be, and how things have become. The new normal.
Take Inventory Today
We can’t afford to miss the opportunity to tune into our mental health in this window of time.
Not only have attempts on taking one’s life become more prevalent, but depression and anxiety aren’t such taboo notions to most anymore because of the indirect social effects of COVID-19.
If you’ve been unable to function to a relatively normal degree of output (which is skewed with all of us because, what is “normal” anymore?), I’d encourage you to grow your knowledge about your mind and its state of well-being.
Recommendations
I would strongly suggest looking at resources for your mental health, if you’re:
- tempted to go to sleep at a new day, instead of waking up and being productive
- not as social as you once were and you avoid going out or connecting with a friend virtually
- making impulsive, unhealthy choices
- overloaded with expectations and demands on you, and need healthy ways to cope
- having low moods of depression
- moving and/or speaking slower or quicker than usual
- eating and/or sleeping more or less than usual
- believing you’re a burden to others or not wanted
- considering unhealthy ways to end your internal pain and discomfort
- having thoughts that you would be better off dead
- overreacting or irritable in response to others
- having unexplained changes in thoughts, emotions, and/or behaviors
After seeking out a trusted friend or family member to talk about these things, here are a few places to help guide your journey back to a healthier state-of-mind:
- Pastor Brad’s blog as a peer and pastor: Fresh Hope blog
- A Game Plan Resource Guide as a road map to wellness: BipolarBrave.com/resources
- A couple good books to read: I Love Jesus But I Want to Die by Sarah J. Robinson; Depression, Anxiety and other Things We Don’t Talk About by Ryan Casey Waller
- Some websites on all-things-mental-health: PsychCentral.com, Psycom.net
- Places to find a good Christian counselor: aacc.net, christiantherapistnetwork.org
As always, if you are experiencing a crisis and need emergency care, call 9-1-1
If you are wanting to talk to someone urgently 24/7, call the suicide prevention hotline at 800-273-8255 – or text the suicide prevention text line at 741741
Hey there! I’m Katie Dale, familiar with the storms of mental illness, and I blog about my faith and how it has informed my brain-based disorder at BipolarBrave.com. I also have a memoir out about my journeys through the psych wards and how I found peace of mind with psych meds (by the grace of God) – you can find it on Amazon here. Since my former profession of case manager at a behavioral clinic, I’ve stepped into the role of stay-at-home mommy to Kylie. And I get to travel the world with Chris, my man in uniform. Aside from that, I could live off mac ‘n cheese, and I still hold onto my aspiration to run a sub-20-minute 5k. Come find me and say hi on social media @KatieRDale. Stay bold, brave, and real.
