13/05/2024
It's Mental Health Awareness Week and this is a subject that's very important to me.
I've suffered with mental health issues for most of my teenage and adult life.
Back when I was in high-school, there wasn't much focus or support for good mental health, especially for young people. We were taught to "Shut up and put up". It became very isolating and I struggled in silence most of the time. It affected my relationships, my self esteem, my boundaries and my life choices.
Thankfully, my wonderful Mum, who also struggled with poor mental health, was there for me and was always a brilliant listening ear. She was my therapist when there wasn't a professional one on offer. I'm forever grateful that she allowed me to talk openly and that she gave me the tools to cope with the worst days.
It is now my mission in life to teach my kids the same skills that Mum taught me and ensure that they have the emotional intelligence to know when to give themselves grace and understanding and look after their precious minds.
I'm massively impressed by how far the world has come since I was a child and that good mental health is a top priority in schools. Even in my 4 year olds class, they teach them all about emotions and how to communicate them and tools to self regulate.
Imagine how much things will have progressed in another 20 years.
Hopefully this means that the next generation won't have to suffer like mine did.
Hopefully we have broken the cycle of suffering in silence and being made to feel like failures for not being able to cope with the harsh realities of life.
There are some wonderful support services on offer now, so if you're struggling, please access the help that's available.
My thoughts on how to keep moving in the right direction are;
IT'S OK TO NOT BE OK ❤️
TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS 🧡
ASK FOR HELP 💛
BE KIND AND UNDERSTANDING TO OTHERS 💚
PRIORITISE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH 💙
DON'T SUFFER IN SILENCE 💜
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN SELF CARE 🩷
I'm here for anyone that ever wants to chat about things, I will listen without judgement, I promise.
