Mental Health Month
17:43:00
It's Mental Health Awareness Month! This month has never been more meaningful to me. This past year, I have seen so many people around me struggle with mental health issues, including dealing with them myself. Due to the importance, I want to share some of my self-care tips with you all and how to support someone with a mental illness.
Self-Care Tips
In order to take care of yourself and keep your mental health stable, you need to learn the importance of taking time away from everything for yourself. These breaks should occur at least once a day if not more and you should take one day a week to have a destress day and just spend the day all with yourself. Here are some ways you can do that:
1. Read a book
2. Catch up on a tv show or start a new one
3. Listen to music
4. Do a face mask
5. Paint
6. Go for a walk in nature
7. Meditate
8. Workout
9. Eat a healthy meal (even meal prep for the week)
10. Organize (you'd be surprised at how therapeutic it is)
Another way to take care of your emotional health is to disconnect from your phone. You may be horrified to disconnect, I was too because contrary to what people would say, when I put my phone down I would miss big things. When I would be away from my phone for a while, I would miss a work dilemma that I was responsible for fixing. But you have to think, how important is that really? Is the world going to end, no? Okay, then you can put your phone away early. People will understand if you can’t respond to an issue at 9pm at night; that is not realistic and simply not necessary. So, disconnect and take some time for yourself. This creates less stress and less pressure, especially being away from negativity on social media.
Support Tips
It can be difficult to see someone close to you experience a mental illness or even just a poor mental health. Sometimes, it is hard to know how to help them and it can be scary watching them deal with such a serious matter. However, there is always a way to help. Nothing can completely take their pain away sometimes, but being there can mean the world.
From someone who experiences panic attacks and has seen various friends experience the same thing, here are a few tips on how you can help:
1. Ask the person what they need. This could be water, a hug, or maybe even nothing at all.
2. Stay with them. Sometimes, a person experiencing a panic attack may want to be alone to deal with it. However, this means you may want to give them some space, but not too much. Make sure to frequently check in on them or be around the corner just in case. The worst thing you could do is leave them by themselves, especially if you are with them physically.
3. Do not break their trust. If someone tells you they are having a panic attack, that means they trust you. Make sure to follow steps one and two.
4. Do not ask them too many questions. Putting someone in an already stressful situation into a more stressful situation is not going to help. So let them talk, but do not interrogate them.
5. Just stay calm. The calmer and more supportive you are, the calmer they will be.
I hope these tips help yet it is very situational depending on the person. However, if you are helping someone undergoing a panic attack, then you are already doing the best thing.
It is so important to talk about mental health and it should never be ignored. Stay strong loves and continue the conversation! xx
4. Do not ask them too many questions. Putting someone in an already stressful situation into a more stressful situation is not going to help. So let them talk, but do not interrogate them.
5. Just stay calm. The calmer and more supportive you are, the calmer they will be.
I hope these tips help yet it is very situational depending on the person. However, if you are helping someone undergoing a panic attack, then you are already doing the best thing.
It is so important to talk about mental health and it should never be ignored. Stay strong loves and continue the conversation! xx
Disclaimer: I am no expert and I am only writing from what I have experienced. I know this may not apply to everyone living with a mental illness, but I tried to be as broad as I could.
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