My February Mental Health
Have you ever gone to a professional and wondered how they care for themselves within their field? Like does a hairstylist take excellent care of their hair? Or does a dentist take great care of their teeth? Well, I can speak for myself when I say that as a mental health professional, I do try and give intentional focus to my mental health.
So, to give you some insight into what I’m doing here are 5 things I intentionally did in February to take care of my mental health:
1) I got outside. Thankfully there have been some really warm and beautiful days this month. But, even on rainy days, I found even 10 minutes to go outside. This was made easier by my son getting some pretty sweet rain boots that he hasn’t wanted to take off. So, stepping outside into the rainy yard and streets was enjoyed in a whole new way as my son stomped around in his light-up rain boots.
2) I cleaned my house. It’s a losing battle sometimes with my one-and-a-half-year-old son. I’ve always been a very organized and clean person, and my son loves to explore things by throwing them around and tossing things all over the place. My balance is that I clean up when he naps or goes to bed and it’s a sanity saver for me. I may not be able to control the weather outside, but I can have at least some control over my space inside.
3) I give myself time to study things that interest me. I’ve always loved learning. When I was younger, I was the kid that was upset that it was summer because it meant a break from school. Even if it’s just looking through a book for 10 minutes here and there, I’ll take it. This month, I explored some gardening books. I’m still not sure yet if this will be the year I jump into a gardening adventure, but I know at some point I want to so I enjoyed reading about the art and science of gardening.
4) I’ve laughed. It might sound minor, but at the end of winter, it’s something I have found I need to be really intentional about. My husband and I have chosen more comedy-driven shows to watch together and as my son’s personality continues to present itself there are many moments I’m able to laugh and lean into joy if I’m fully present.
5) I’ve said “no” to things. I wish this one was easier, it’s still a battle up until I give the definitive “no”, but I’m slowly but surely learning that it’s okay to say no to things. My initial internal dialogue struggles with feeling lazy and unproductive when I say no, but what I have found time and time again is that I have much more energy for things that truly matter to me. So, as hard as it may be, I’m continuing to work to value my time and energy and say no to things that I don’t feel my heart is fully into.
There ya have it, a mental health professional’s intentional choices to take care of my own mental health. Remember, what I do doesn’t have to be what you do. Part of caring for your mental health is learning what works for you. It’s okay if your list of things is different than mine. But, if you reflect on February and realize you didn’t do much to intentionally care for your mental health, I encourage you to try to end March by having at least one thing to reflect on.
