It’s okay to feel

It’s okay..

It’s okay to feel. To feel is to be aware of you and your feelings. To be aware of what you need. To be aware of being in need of help and speaking up. I am very big on self awareness and breaking the silence and breaking the stigma around mental health. Everyone, everyone has mental health. It’s human. Sometimes we look from the inside out and we see such happiness surround ourselves but all we can feel is a deep hole, a wound that never seems to heal. We feel empty… and it’s perfectly okay to feel. But what we all need to understand is, it’s not okay to not heal that wound. Healing is more than possible, it’s closer than we think. Depression has a way of making us feel far away, way down below, when in reality, we never left the surface. Never feel ashamed of what you feel, never let yesterday become your today. Life is a journey full of experiences and lessons. It’s an amazing thing. If we do not fail or fall down sometimes, we would never learn to stand up taller than before. We would never be able to experience great happiness without knowing what it feels like to be emotionally down. I would never promote feeling bad. That’s not what I mean.. I mean that how would we know how great it is to feel that beautiful, warm summer morning, if we never felt the cold? It’s like a breath of fresh air, to go through change. So, sometimes that’s all we need is a breath of fresh air within ourselves, which would be the change. Changing the bad feelings into the positive, good feelings. I know personally how it feels to believe that change and/or happiness is not possible. I know the dreadful feeling of trying and failing and thinking that it will always be a never ending cycle. But what I also know is.. those feelings are not true. They are a part of the cycle of depression, so yes a cycle is right.. but not the hopelessness. Speaking out, speaking up for yourself is the very first step to healing. Finding that source of help whether it be talking to a professional, a friend, anyone you trust can make a huge difference. I remember trying multiple times to talk about my issues with depression/anxiety/ptsd in therapy and it seemed as if I was getting no where, which goes back to feeling of being stuck in that dark cycle… but always understand that it doesn’t always happen on the first try, don’t give up!because eventually we do find that perfect source of communication, a person we are comfortable sharing such vulnerable feelings with. Which then will lead to different strategies and tips to moving forward and managing your mental health. There are so many ways that you can get to that first step of healing… “feeling is not unhealthy, it’s when we ignore our feelings and/or feeling ashamed of being human, ashamed to ask for help”

Professional help list:

• Counseling (someone you are comfortable with)

• Support Groups (helps to see that you are never alone)

•Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741

(Of course it is always best to seek professional help, though I know sometimes in an urgent time of need some like to have helpful tips for comfort) (in a crisis please always remember the help line posted above!)

Self Comfort options:

•Talk to a trusted friend/family member

•A hobby that makes you feel peaceful, happy, and gives self value

•Exercise (personally, I love going for a nice jog/run! I always end up feeling a huge difference in my mood after a good running session and some music!)

• Painting! (I am honestly not the best artist, at all. lol. But I really enjoy putting on some relaxing music, or sometimes no music at all, just me and my thoughts..depending on my mood, and getting out my paints and canvas and just painting away at how I feel, it honestly helps to put down in plain sight how you feel. It is an emotional release) emotional art is art. Maybe you’ll end up with quite an eye for what you paint and remember, the sky is the limit)

•Writing! (as said above, writing down how you feel is amazing! It’s like you are pouring all of the bad out into paper, into plain sight, but it’s no longer intensely within you, it’s now on the outside…I even tend to throw away what I write down after I’m done, as in to throw away all of those bad feelings, literally!)

•Get a pet. (If possible, a pet of your liking can be very comforting! I personally have 2 cats. And sometimes when I’m feeling a bit down or just want some relax time to re-group, a nice cuddle session with my fur babies help dramatically. The always love us for who we are. It’s like your own emotional service animal.

Now that we talked about some tips to help, how about going over the signs and warning signs that we may be struggling with an emotional/mental health issue.. because honestly, sometimes we don’t fully know or understand what we are going through. Signs of emotional distress:

•Long-lasting sadness or irritability

•Excessive fear, worry, or anxiety

•Extremely high and low moods

•Social withdrawal

•Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits

Of course these are just a few signs, but always stay self aware! Know when you may need to seek help or find that positive comfort in your life.

Looking over the list of signs and tips to get help are a way to understand what is normal for you personally and what is abnormal, and how those can be managed. Even if you are unsure, it never hurts to talk, to break the silence and get help understanding what may be going on with yourself emotionally. Maybe it’s just a bad day, an unlucky week, or maybe you are in face showing signs of depression, anxiety, or another type of emotional issue.

Always remember, we are worriers, and giving up is never an option! We all have a beautiful purpose in life.

Break the silence, break the stigma!✊💚