Mental health is a topic that is often stigmatised or ignored, and yet, it affects all of us. According to the World Health Organisation, one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. This means that we all know someone who is struggling with their mental health, whether it's a family member, friend, or even ourselves.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and this is a topic that matters deeply to us.
We are living in times where a shaken up nervous system has become more of the norm than a regulated one. We even live from these places without ever really questioning them. We have grown accustomed to reactiveness, nervousness, emotional charges – honestly, what is it that feels normal now? We turn away from things that challenge us, because it has become easier to fix, remove and replace people and things than making honest efforts to be with what really is and how we can grow from it.
As Gabor Mate opens in his latest book “In the most health-obsessed society ever, all is not well.”
A few thoughts to share
It’s not personal
The hard truth is that mental health affects everyone, directly and indirectly and we are never alone or isolated with this. Depression and anxiety have many faces. Many of them invisible to the human eye. As important as it is to take a look within – mental health reminds us that it also matters to take a closer look around.
If a friend feels off, behaves in an unusual way, is irritable, quiet, isolating or more emotional – maybe, instead of brushing it off or taking it personally, ask ‘How can I help?’
The small things are more than enough
In a world that glamorises big breakthroughs the actual truth is that most of the healing work actually lies in the small, slow, tedious, digestible processing of showing up for ourselves over and over again. If making it out of bed is all you can do one morning, know that this is more than enough.
Relationship aren’t always 50/50
Despite common beliefs, balance doesn’t always equal 50/50. Sometimes your significant other will struggle and the other will have to pick up the 80/20, because they need you to. Sometimes you will be the one who needs that extra support. And that’s ok, too. The most important thing is to communicate about what you can or can not give at that moment. Recognising that it is not always 50/50 helps to prevent resentment and disappointment if a partner is not able to contribute equally in some way due to some circumstances.
One day at a time
There is so much to say about mental health. And the conversation about it should never end. There is a big stigma to break in this world.
We have a piece of jewelry that is quite often our own reminder to step away from the urgent need of completion, perfection, showing up 1000% at all times – and we named it ‘One day at a time’. It’s a creation that came from a challenged place, serving as a reminder that it is okay to slow down and to take one day at a time – in particular when times are challenging and rough. That there is love and worthyness to be found in all angles of life and that sometimes today is not the day for big decisions or final conclusions.
It then sometimes helps to acknowledge the little appreciations in life that can I see around me today that help me ground into what is right now.
We hope you’ll take this month as an opportunity to take good care of your mental state and check in on others about it, too. An honest ‘How are you really?’ can go a long way.
