4 Things That Helped Me Manage My Mental Health This Week
This past week both flew by and dragged on, all at once.
I had a rough start to the week on all ends if I’m honest. On the creativity side, I was feeling defeated and like I just couldn’t get a win no matter how hard I’ve been trying. On the life side, I was living through my grandmother’s birthday weekend and having grief’s presence felt stronger than it has been in a while.
Two goals for myself this week were to find ways to (1) give myself something to look forward to (2) remind myself that I have everything I need where I am, even if I never “win” anything else again.
Giving myself something to look forward wasn’t about having a materialistic motivator. I honestly just wanted something that would help interrupt my looping thoughts about how I would never get a break. I reminded myself constantly this week that there was a lot in my life that I did have control over, even if it wasn’t the things that I wanted to have control over.
For a long time my sense of fulfillment and my sense of achievement have been very intertwined. It’s like I taught myself that one needed the other in order to manifest, so achieving felt like the only way to lock in fulfillment. I’ve work in my life and in therapy to remind myself that just because I want to be over there doesn’t mean I get to hate or feel uncomfortable wherever my feet currently are. I am worthy of love and happiness and fulfillment at all times.
So with that preface in mind, that I was intentionally working to remind myself of my worth and to feel good in the present, here’s this week’s list.
Your elusive creative genius — Elizabeth Gilbert TED Talk
Everything about this TED Talk was exactly what I needed on Monday morning. Gilbert walks everyone through the creative process and how freeing it can be to push aside the pressure of needing to be a “genius” or creative all of the time. I listened to it on the background more than once this week. I hope if you’re finding yourself pissed at your creativity that this helps too.
Serenity Prayer
I started attending support groups back in October and one of the biggest mantras repeated at each meeting is the Serenity Prayer. Growing up I developed a bad habit of trying to fix and control everyone outside of me because I had so little control over myself or what I needed. On the days when I struggle the most, I turn to the Serenity Prayer often as a reminder that if I listen to my gut (instead of my instincts sometimes) I’ll be able to find my way to the things I do have power over — top of the list being my serenity.
The Bromance Book Club
Like I mentioned above, last weekend was rough. My grandmother used to love her birthday and not having her around to celebrate always pours salt on the wound of missing her. In an effort to escape from real life last weekend, I asked one of my friends for book recs and she introduced me to the world of contemporary romance. I started The Bromance Book Club series and oh my god - it was so equal parts wonderful and distracting. I ended up reading the first book on Sunday and finished the second one mid-week. There’s something about the genre of books that allows for wholehearted escapism that I so appreciate.
PS: If you’re looking for a show instead of a book, my friend came up with these suggestions after I told her that I’d watched Sweet Magnolias on Netflix and fell in love with the small town feel. 10/10 would recommend you binge watching that this weekend.
A Birthday Post + A Quote
Pulling these off my Instagram because they were both life rafts this week. My boyfriend so thoughtful on Saturday and when I walked in from a dentist appointment he’d decked out our apartment in a surprise party in honor of my grandma’s birthday. The second post is a thought I shared with the IG community this week that was honestly as much of a pep talk for them as it was for me.
My list is publicly shorter than last week, but there were a ton of small moments that just made me feel so loved and supported this week. It’s those feelings that make it easier to get through the hard stuff.
Would love to hear how you coped this past week!