Mental Health Check In
Let’s talk mental health.
How many people have checked in on you this week?
One? Two?…. Zero?
Exactly.
The hard truth is that taking care of your mental health is no one else’s responsibility. That’s not to say I think we shouldn’t be supporting and taking care of each other, but you need to check in on yourself first… after all, how can you take care of others if you’re not even taking care of YOU?
Whether you’re a glass half full or glass half empty kind of person- the fact is that the cup isn’t filled all the way up… and you can’t pour from a cup that’s not running over.
Talking about mental health is a lot less taboo than it was several years ago, but does that really mean we’re substantially better at taking care of our minds?
Think about this, do you….
- take time in stillness to tune into how you’re feeling?
- aspire to improve your mental health as much as your physical health?
- take breaks from social media?
- read books and listen to podcasts that teach you how to take care of yourself internally?
- meditate, journal, get enough sleep, get sunlight?
- intentionally take time away from tv, the news, your cell phone?
- ask yourself “how am I doing today?”
Not once a month, not once a week, but every day? Do you make sure your cup is running over or are you trying to pour from an empty fucking cup?
Here’s the thing. Your cup is exactly that…. yours. What runs over is for everything else- work, school, family, partners, friends, strangers, acquaintances, and so on, and so on.
But kindness, compassion, patience, empathy, care, and checking in MUST start with you. If you don’t have enough for yourself, you’re sure as shit not going to have enough for anyone else either.
Cue the daily check in!
As much as I want to encourage you to ask yourself these 10 questions daily, sometimes we just really don’t have the time. So let’s start with 1 a day for the next 10 days, sound fair? Write down your answers somewhere, it’s insanely valuable to be able to look back on our past answers and see how things have shifted for us over time.
- What am I feeling at the moment?
- Am I getting enough sleep?
- Am I being kind to myself?
- What’s been the main cause of stress for me?
- Do I need a self care day?
- What is draining me?
- What is a feeling I want to have more of this week? One way I can reach that is….
- Today I am grateful for…
- How am I really doing?
- What is taking up my headspace?
Get fucking real with yourself. Be honest. Open up. And of course, SHOW UP. If you can’t tale the time once a day for a 5 minute check in, you probably need it even more than the person who’s taking an hour a day to do it.
As you start incorporating a check in into your daily routine, what you’ll start to notice is patterns in what you’re doing, how much you’re showing up for yourself, and how it’s affecting your mental health.
Reflect on it. Shift what needs to budge. Continue showing up.
Your mind is the only place you’ll exist 100% of the time for your ENTIRE life, make sure it’s a nice place to live.
November 18, 2022
by: ania
