Received a lovely reminder this week that healing is not linear. It was a few minor triggers but unfortunately it was hell for a few moments within my mind, a drastic decrease compared to 6 months ago however thank God.
Making time for my mental health can be tricky, given that I still am (tepidly) an adult with responsibilities. Oh how I wish to be my son’s age again, but I digress. I scheduled some time to have a little journaling/prayer session, I sat in silence and did some mindfulness breathing exercises and practiced gratitude for a lot of things. I made a space for myself, a comfortable one, on the couch with my robe on. A tranquil moment seldom enjoyed by a single dad. A thoughtful and reflective space, a space set aside for my mental health.
Expressing gratitude when my mental health is shit seems to jolt my existence with life. So does helping others…goodness, the amount of conversations where i’ve offered encouragement while simultaneously spiraling in despair are many. I don’t know what it is, but those acts help me crawl out of the dark and musty hole, or at least consider using the rope to climb…
I’m glad I’m making time for myself, even in the smallest ways. Happy New Year!
-nathan