Mental Health

In a society where everything seems to be so fast paced, and family dinners, bubble baths, long walks outside, Hell even just sitting on the couch watching tv for an hour seem like luxuries, we need to take the time to slow it down. It seems impossible, I know, because in our same society, rent prices exceed what we can afford with our wages, day to day expenses such as grocery (especially for those who aim to not just grab from the snack aisles) are also not exactly low and we have to make sure we can make it to the next payday, and then for some people comes the dire need to pay off student loans, all of these are a struggle. We feel as though if we take a single moment for ourself that we will fall behind. But will one hour a day or hell for the beginning I’ll settle for one day a week, really do anything to put a halt to our goals? No. Too many of us are getting consumed by the woes of day to day life, but the stress of finances, the stress of making the grade, the stress of pleasing everyone but ourselves. You’ve heard it before, you cannot pour from an empty cup, so if you’re giving and giving and giving, you’re eventually going to run out of anything to give. Working on your mental health may feel like you’re being that “typical millennial” but disregard that. Too many young lives are lost in our society at their own hands. Why? I truly believe it is because of these overwhelming feelings of stress and feelings of being drained but rather than speak to someone close to us or seek help, we like to attempt to appear put together and strong. Allowing no one to see that the thoughts are drowning and crippling. When you’ve grown up pressured to do well in school, with a linear progression of what life should be like laid out for you, seeing life NOT go that way at all can sometimes feel like the rug has been swept from beneath us. Not having a job lined up post grad and still having to job hop, it’s hard, it can almost make everything feel as if it was for nothing. But, you have to trust that this, this is YOUR path. There is no timeline, there is no linear progression in life. We all hit “mile markers” at various stages. Trust your life’s timing, it happens as it is meant to. Stressors and factors may be different for every single person, but the thought that death is the only solution should never have to come to the forefront. I cannot stress enough doing at least one thing a day that gives you a feeling of happiness, that changes your mental state, that makes you appreciate this life despite its stressors. For me that thing is exercise and hitting the gym, I look forward to it, it excites me, and when I’m finished I feel as though I’ve accomplished something. Which for me is important. Find that thing for you. If a bubble bath and candles with some music will do it for you, do it. If going a drive with the windows down blasting music will do it for you, do that. Find an activity that gets you excited, that wipes away every care you have even if it’s just one hour of your day, it will turn those thoughts around. Take care of you, because only then can you take care of others. If you feel that life is getting to be too much, think of all that you would miss if you weren’t here anymore. You’d never get to see what it’s like when you finally pay that debt off (because it is possible), or what it’s like to watch your children grow up and become their own person. Wouldn’t you miss the sand or earth between your toes? Or the way Friday night pizza with friends tastes and the deep belly laughs that accompany it? Think of everything you’re leaving behind. Think of everyone who would miss you. Because whether you know it or not, you are needed here, you are wanted here. Stay.