My February Mental Wellness Routine

January was one of the hardest months I’ve had in the last year. I am definitely hitting my COVID wall. All I could think about these past few weeks was how much I missed the old routines that were so mine a year ago and now are nonexistent. It hasn’t helped that the days in Portland are so short right now. At its worst the sun was rising close to 8am and setting by 4pm. The grey cloudy skies got old pretty quickly and I missed the sun, warmth, and just a visual reminder that life didn’t look like how I felt.

The strain I’ve felt on my mental health is something I’m working to relieve. As a result, a lot of my February mental wellness routine is catering to where I actually am versus where I wish I was (in sunny Mexico and feeling like life was great and COVID-free). While part of me is frustrated because I wish the same things would work all the time, the truth is that my routines have to iterate to respond effectively to my mental health.

There is no shame in that, even if there is a shit ton of frustration. Learning to help cut ourselves slack is what makes it easier to take an honest look at our life and respond accordingly. Nothing will get fixed overnight or without us taking action. Time does help, but it doesn’t magically fix. The universe can conspire in your favor, but you need to conspire with it.

THERAPY

Tried and true and an always in my life, I “go to” therapy on video calls every Monday morning. Lately our conversations have been so heavily centered on mental health and trying to find joy in my every day that I’m starting to miss the days when I could talk about the future more. One of the things that I’ve learned during my 7+ years in therapy is that there are seasons that are dedicated to help you stay afloat in the present and seasons where you’re good in the present moment and sessions are used to help you build a brighter future. I’m in the former right now. I can get really sad if I think about how much is on my plate right now to just get through the day. Know that you’re not alone if some seasons in therapy (and life) are just freaking hard.

YOGA + PILATES

For the last month the only thing that motivates me to get out of bed is knowing that I have a date with my yoga mat. It helps me wake up especially when it’s still dark outside at 7am. For context, back in NYC, the sun would rise so early even in the winter that it’s been a rough adjustment for me. Having the standing date with yoga, a good stretch, or some beginner’s pilates, is helping remind me that of the things I can control, one of them is moving my body and getting a good positive flow going.

The artist’s way

I’m on week 4 out of 12 of my first go-around of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s been a huge huge positive for my mental health. I like that it’s a one-week at a time course because it reminds me baby steps matter. It’s also helped me deepen my journaling habit as well as my self-care time. For those who have never done The Artist’s Way, it’s a 12-week workbook that helps you unblock your “inner creative” and get to a healthier place with it. You don’t have to be a writer to go through it. Two of the tasks every week are morning pages (3 pages of brain dumping every morning) and an artist date (where you date your creative and take yourself out to do something fun). The artist date has been especially great because it gets me out of the apartment and it’s reminding me how to have fun alone.

BOUNDARY SETTING

I know this feels very vast but it’s one of the best things I’ve learned I can do for myself when I’m having a harder time with my mental health. Keeping my boundaries clear, setting new ones as I need them, and reinforcing them when someone oversteps (even when that someone is me), is vital to helping me feel good on a daily basis. Right now, my biggest boundaries are related to work and family.

This month my mental health routine isn’t a robust one, it’s about keeping myself safe and happy during a harder time. I’m sure things will get added or taken away throughout the month, but for now it’s just comforting to address where I am.

What’s a part of your mental health routine this month?