Excuse me for a while, While I’m wide-eyed and I’m so down caught in the middle…..
Following on from my initial blog yesterday around the need to strive for positive thoughts (available here: It’s times like these ), today I wanted to focus on the need to be strong in times of challenge. Having confidence in your own ability to cope with the stresses of life can play an important part in resilience and managing your own mental health.
I personally find in difficult times that my own strength and resilience is mentally and physically stretched. Therefore I need to somehow balance this to cope with the stress it creates and allow me to recover. A lack of resilience means I cannot handle stress well and therefore clearly something to focus on improving.
A big benefit of lockdown has been the ability to create a routine to help. Something about routine and focus really helps me – I think it’s the structure. Thankfully there has been family support in this as well and certainly three items I will continue post lockdown are:
- Getting enough sleep. I once saw a gif that explained how your mind was like an internet browser, “27 tabs open, 7 of them frozen and I can’t figure out where the sounds are coming from”. This sums up my mind every night. I try to limit technological stimulation before bed and read but still my mind wanders BUT I give myself more time in bed so the counter is that I get, for me, a good amount of sleep.
- Exercise. There certainly is something about it. You ache and complain while doing but at the end you feel like you can tackle anything, even Key Stage 2 Maths! I am regularly walking, cycling and spending more time with Joe Wickes than I ever though I would. And I feel stronger mentally and physically for it. This is a family affair. Joining forces with others to build strength.
- Give thanks. Lots in this world to be thankful for. My biggest thanks has been for good neighbours who shop for you while you’re isolating. Appreciating these things more has made me think how much I took them for granted before.
So I am left thinking about how I need to be strong. I need to be strong for myself – to keep working on the good behaviours to really keep the self esteem high and anxiety levels low. I need to not let routine takeover, allowing these items to become naturally embedded in life – like breathing I guess! Above all reaching out to others really helps
So yes, I might seem so strong but sometimes that can be wrong.
#mentalhealthawarenessweek #mentalhealth #bekind #mymindmatters
Words of Wilko 