Do I Still Have Mental Health? Yes. So Do You.
Recently, at an event, I was asked if I still have mental health. I had a little giggle to myself, because as far as I'm aware, as long as I have breath in my lungs and a brain in my head, I will always have mental health, as will any other human being. Of course, I knew what she meant, but it reminded me again that while the word mental means "of the mind" and is completely neutral, the way we have used the word has traditionally been in a negative context.
The term mental has become synonymous with challenges and fears, rather than just another part of our health spectrum that needs to be managed and dealt with. It's also true that, like our physical health, some people deal with much more life-altering diagnoses than others, so I'm not here to say we are all in the same boat, however I am here to say that mental health in and of itself is neither a taboo subject nor something we are trying to somehow get rid of.
As the owner of a brain and a body, caring for my mental health is not a one-and-done thing. Yes, I live with a diagnosis of depression and anxiety, however, I choose not to talk about fighting, battling, struggling or overcoming. I understand why it can feel that way, especially on the days when it genuinely does feel like a fight for survival, but I've found that language shapes the relationship I have with my own mind, and I sure as heck don't benefit in any way by being at war with mine.
So I talk about managing and dealing with my mental health on a daily basis.
I'm not trying to get away from my mind. In fact, my life's work is learning to Be Kind to my Mind instead, to understand it better, to navigate the challenges, to recognise the signs and signals of the Wobbly Point as early as possible. And, for a gold star, to predict the circumstances around those wobbly days and create preventative practices to help them stay just that, small wobbles, not massive fall-off-the-plate occurrences.
I still have high anxiety spikes where I notice the activation in my body even before I think it in my conscious brain. I still have days where I feel like the candle is burning low and the walls seem to be closer than normal, but that's where the learning comes into play. Identifying what is happening is a great way to demystify the process and be grateful for the warning signs and signals which help us to take action.
Sure, I wish we could wave a magic wand and not have to maintain positive mental health, in the same way that I wish we could go to the gym for a month, get strong and never have to go again. But that's not how the body works. Managing and dealing means maintenance. It means keeping up good practices, and when they fall by the wayside, as they always do at some point, it means getting up and going again.
This year has highlighted a need to refocus on being more intentional in my wellbeing practices, and I have been diving into the how-to of creating better habits and behaviour patterns. It's not easy, it takes time, but it does work. Little by little, layer by layer, those tools in the toolbox help create stronger neural pathways to make the practice of wellbeing less hard work and more just part of the everyday routine.
If you're in a season where the walls feel close or the candle's burning low, I hope this is a reminder that you're not broken, you're having a mental health challenge, the same way you'd have a physical health challenge. Not easy, but you’re doing great!! Be Kind to Your Mind about it.
ONE DEGREE OF CHANGE: What's one small thing you could do today to Be Kind to Your Mind?
Aroha nui.
Julia Grace | Be Kind to Your Mind
SCIENCE: Sources: Hayes, S.C., Luoma, J.B., Bond, F.W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25. On interoception, the brain's ability to sense internal body signals before conscious awareness, see Craig, A.D. (2002). How do you feel? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3, 655-666.