Mental health days are so important. We all need them from time to time to recharge or reevaluate, or just relax. I need one today.
My meds are fine, my depression and anxiety have not gotten the better of me. Life is actually really good overall right now; I just need to take a day.
Lately I’ve been overwhelmed. Mostly because I’ve stretched myself too thin. So I’m taking today and wearing PJs, drinking tea, and reevaluating my schedule. I don’t need to expect myself to be superhuman every day.
This doesn’t mean huge changes for the blog, just that maybe instead of 5-6 posts a week, they’ll be 3-4. I’m going to look it over and figure out a way to share all the awesomeness I like sharing with you, but without running myself ragged.
So, I’m taking a mental health day today. In the meantime, here are some statuses and images I’ve shared on Facebook over the last year that deal with mental health. Take care of yourselves!
10/8/2019 – Send spoons. Lots of spoons.
(Click HERE if you don’t know why I need spoons)
10/6/2019 – There have been moments in my life that have broken my heart. Days I thought I would not get through. Things I’ve done that I later wished I hadn’t.
All those things have taught me and made me grow. I have fought – I have won – I never gave up.
I wouldn’t change any of it. My life today is amazing. I am strong, I am happy, I have a wonderful husband and children. I have earned every scar and I love them all.
Embrace your past. Learn from it. Keep doing the good and improve from the bad. You can do it. I believe in you.
10/3/2019 – I’m really hoping this is the storm before the calm. That is how it goes, right?
9/17/2019 – In the spirit of my openness about mental health, I have some words to say.
The past few weeks have been the hardest I’ve had since my med change just over a year ago. Now considering how awesome I’ve been since then, that’s not too bad, but still…
The end of the summer and beginning of the school year, mixed with 9/11 is always busy and hard for me to handle. This year I got to add in jury duty and the girls really starting to understand 9/11 for the first time.
Since my new med, my doctor has said she considers my depression and anxiety in remission. Those are amazing words to hear, and even more amazing to believe. I DO believe them. I can’t remember feeling this “normal” for, well, ever.
Still, the last few weeks have been harder. See, even in remission, my “normal” is not really “normal”. When I have hard days or weeks I need to pay close attention to make sure they are hard for valid reasons (such as chaotic schedules), and that I get over those hard times in a reasonable amount of time. I need to make sure I’m not stressed, sad, worried, whatever because my brain is acting up, but because of outside-my-body influences.
I’m glad to say I’m feeling much better, I’m calm and happy and I know I can handle life ahead of me.
So if it’s all good now, why am I telling you? Well, because having hard times when you are in remission from depression and anxiety is terrifying. You don’t know if it’s for “normal” reasons and will go away, or if you aren’t really in remission anymore.
So, if you are living with a mental illness, and sometime real life sends you hard times, it’s OK to be scared. It’s OK to be terrified. It’s OK to take some time and cry. But take your meds, drink some water, and remember how strong you are. Sometimes it’s your illness, but sometimes it’s real life, and it’s OK to have “negative” emotions even if you’re in recovery.
I’m not sure how much since that all makes, but hopefully it helps someone. It’s so hard to admit when you’re having a bad day or longer when you have a mental illness for fear that people will worry or judge.
8/13/2019 – Quote of the night:
Me: *after going over all the end of summer beginning of school year stuff with Doug* I was feeling like I was on top of all the shit I have to do, but now that we went over all the shit, I’m not so sure. Ignorance is bliss.
7/4/2019 – Maybe I’m becoming a mermaid.
https://theoutline.com/post/7267/living-with-passive-suicidal-ideation
4/27/2019 – This morning Kyla asked me how a pill can change your emotions (about my daily meds). I told her when you have a depression or anxiety disorder, your body does’t make enough of certain chemicals that help regulate your thoughts and emotions. So sometime you feel a lot of depression or anxiety at a time when someone with enough of those chemicals would only feel a little. And sometimes you feel depressed or anxious for no reason at all, just because your brain is messing with you. The pills help your body create more of the chemicals you don’t have enough of, so your brain with stop messing with you.
This has been your biology for pre-teens lesson of the day.
3/27/2019 – I was goofing around with the girls and Kyla said, “I think you took too many happy pills this morning!”
We all froze in surprise for a second and then laughed hysterically for a few minutes. Glad they can poke fun at their crazy mom.
Now it’s time for tea and relaxation. Be excellent to each other (and to yourself).
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