World Mental Health Day falls annually on October 10th, and I think it comes at the most crucial time. Just before the last three months of the year, with the biggest holidays, this period serves as a time of reflection, heightened stress, and seasonal depression for many. While we try our best year round to take care of ourselves, the pressure can build up and become overwhelming during the holidays. That’s why a mental health routine is vital year round to ensure even the wildest of seasons don’t run through us, taking our sanity with them. As the stigma around mental health continues to dissolve, awareness is the first place we make the world a kinder place for ourselves.
Daily check-ins are underestimated in mental health. Foremost, it’s okay not to feel okay. Even the happiest people on Earth are sad sometimes. When it comes to mental wellbeing, the power of writing down or dictating where you are is vital to your emotional health. Awareness will help you find solutions or ways to work through feeling better. For instance, if you’re feeling unmotivated or stagnant, move your body. Exercise isn’t about perfecting physical attributes, it’s about the combination of physical health boosting your mental health with endorphins. In the famous words of Elle Woods, “Exercise makes you happy.”
Look, exercise isn’t the solution to everything. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part and that initial beginning creates more anxiety. Just like color transformations, some non-medical words of encouragement are to trust the process. Another big factor in mental health is burn out. Ask yourself what is exhausting to you. Pay attention to the things on your list that drain you rather than fill your cup. On the other side, make a list of the things that bring you joy. A healthy practice is to decrease the things that drain you, and do more of what brings you joy. Mental health is all about balance. Be patient with finding the rhythm, balance isn’t linear, and your routine might need occasional shifting.
Setting time aside for you and the things that bring you joy isn’t selfish; it’s necessary. You might start off easy by setting 30 minutes aside at home to pop on an OLAPLEX treatment and face mask while journaling. Journaling is another intentional way to check in with yourself. Consider coupling it with another feel-good activity like being in nature at a park or on a hike. Above all, you’re not alone. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness within a year. Little things like setting time aside to show yourself love, add up to big results in how you feel about yourself. Today is a great day to start or continue developing the relationship with yourself!
