Wednesday, October 13, 2021

World Mental Awareness Day

This past Sunday, October 10th, was World Mental Awareness Day and you know what? I've never acknowledged that day before. I didn't even know it existed. With the way our world has been the past year and a half in a pandemic, it's a day that everyone should be aware of and acknowledge as more and more people struggle with mental health more than ever. I've been blessed to find a counselor that I meet with on a regular basis and have done so for the past 10 years. When things are rough we meet more frequently and it's nice to have someone outside of my circle to talk with. It's so very helpful! 

Recently I found myself in a weird place in life and at a breaking point. I wasn't on top of things like I normally am and things started slipping through the cracks. It's an awful feeling when one thing after another slips through and you feel your life is just spiraling out of control. It's one thing for my life to be affected but it's a whole other ballgame when it affects my kiddo. I had a conversation with someone about some of the things going on that were causing me stress and anxiety, not to mention lack of sleep. I walked away from that conversation thinking 'that was not helpful at all' and it reminded me why I have a counselor in my life to talk with about life and struggles. 

When those who are struggling reach out to you they aren’t always looking for solutions, rather they are looking for support. They want to be seen. They want to be HEARD.

As a woman, and as a mom, I find myself wanting to fix things and provide solutions to people who are struggling and reach out to me. I think it’s our nature. But sometimes people just need to vent, be heard, feel that release, and that helps to clear their head to start finding solutions.
Struggling is hard. Struggling in silence is even harder, unhealthy, and dangerous. Be kind. Open your eyes, your mind, your heart, and your arms (for a hug). What you say, and what you don’t say, can have a major impact on someone who is already really vulnerable.