Relatively Normal

Control means a lot to many people.  Without it, they feel anxious and riddled with thoughts of what could happen.  In all actuality, we only control a small amount of things in our lives but most of of our worry and anxiety is focused on those things.  This week, I discuss how control (or lack thereof) has affected my mental health and what I am doing to cope.

Always striving for an unattainable goal is exhausting and a waste of time.  For those laced with anxiety, we don't expect perfection out of those around us, but we beat ourselves up when we don't live up to our own high expectations.  Being mindful of our actions and feelings can help with this.  This week I discuss how I have become more mindful of this personality trait and talk about being nicer to myself when I am not "perfect."

Our cup can only hold so much.  When we mask our feelings and carry the burdens of others without taking anytime for ourselves can lead us to a life that has no room for our own inner emotions.  We need to make time for ourselves and not feel guilty about it.  Once we truly learn how to prioritize our mental health and feelings, we can then lead a fuller life.

Therapy can be scary - opening up to a complete stranger and letting them know your innermost secrets.  For me, the scary part was not how my life would change after therapy but how it might not if I never tried.  This is my therapy journey.

We've come so far when it comes to finally having open and honest conversations about mental health, but we still have a long way to go.  We still need to allow ourselves to be heard when we are hurting inside. Keeping things bottled up leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms.  The more we talk, the better. 

For as long as humans have been on this earth, we have protected ourselves and our families by focusing on those things that scare us.  We have put more emphasis and importance on fear rather than joy.  It may have worked to keep the human race thriving but living a life with a focus on the negative may help you live a life that is longer but possibly not better.

Normal is relative and too many times we base our normal on the normal of other people. Our thoughts and feelings are our own but sometimes we are stuck comparing our emotional state to others.  We also rate our progress of coping with others who might be going thru similar things.  Once we start to focus on our on mental health and progress, we can learn to be mindful of our feelings and progress in a healthy way.

When pain is tangible and obvious, it is easy to talk about. With mental health, the pain is not always easy to notice so those conversations that are needed do not often happen.It is up to us to lift the stigma on talking about mental illness. We should all strive to become better listeners and friends.

When pain is tangible and obvious, it is easy to talk about.  With mental health, the pain is not always easy to notice so those conversations that are needed do not often happen.  It is up to us to lift the stigma on talking about mental illness.  We should all strive to become better listeners and friends. 

As a runner, I know I talk about running a lot.  I know it can be annoying to some people but when it comes down to it, running saved my life.  I use it for physical and emotional fitness.  In this episode, I recorded the first part before a run and the second part after running 4 miles.  I then explained how my mental state was affected by the run.  I think you will notice a difference.