Why it is important to support each other
Mental health...we over look that at times.
We over look how we are feeling...deeply feeling.
We over look our heart and what is going on there.
We over look our emotions
and we over look what has become of our truth.
We walk through our inner garden and feel the clouds never part and that the new growth is struggling.
We strive to fit in.
We strive to be perfect.
We strive to be a part of something that society says we must, we have to, we should be.
We strive to fit in the norm.
The norm! What exactly is that?!?
Sometimes we feel that we fit in to the "norm".
Sometimes we feel that we are on the furthest outer point there is. Sometimes we feel that we walk the tight rope of "normal vs heart's truth". Sometimes, we walk in balance.
Other times we wobble.
I light this candle for you my friend,
if you or a loved one of yours are experiencing signs of mental health. I light this candle to let you know that someone is thinking of you, someone is here for you, someone is reaching out to you. Someone has lit a candle that can shine light in your inner darkness.
Sadness. Apathy. Depression. PTSD. Emptiness. Anxiety. Stress. Eating disorders. Addictions. Feeling like the clouds never part. Feeling as though the inner dragon is fighting you. Constant pain...the list goes on....
My children have never EVER liked school and there came a point where their happiness and mental health suffered. The school they attended is a wonderful school. They had the most amazing teacher last year who supported them in so so many ways. And while on the outside, they looked as though they were coping well, when they came home their sadness and
emotions filtered out,
and out
and out.
So we stopped and re-evaluated what educating our children means to us, we re-evaluated ourselves as parents, we re-evaluated life in general and whoolla, here we are in the magical world of homeschooling. I'm actually excited. I'm incredibly relieved. And I am bursting with happiness again as I hear my children say
"I can sing loudly cause I'm free!"
In my early 20's I suffered terrible anxiety and an eating disorder. An interesting cocktail. I would constantly faint in public because of anxiety. I would get hot and sweaty. My heart would race. I would get a dry mouth. I felt too weak to go anywhere. My inner dragon was ferocious at that time. I stopped work. I was too sick to work anyway! and I took time for me. I had fallen and crashed.
Recently a very dear friend mentor and teacher died of symptoms relating to severe mental health. Despite reaching out mental health took her life. Her sudden death has sent ripples to all those who knew her. Ripples of deep grief, sadness, shock, pain, hurt, sorrow. If you know anyone who is suffering severe mental health symptoms please reach out, released of judgement, in what ever way you can.
Anxiety. Grief. Sadness. Stress. We all must feel these emotions. It is part of experiencing life. However it is when they become so HUGE and OPPRESSIVE, when they TAKE OVER OUR LIFE-FORCE that our lives shift from functioning on all cylinders to not being at "home" (home in our heart).
So I gently ask you again,
How are you feeling today?
deep down? beyond the "I'm OK!" kind of answer. I ask because I truly am interested. I ask because I know what living in the "I'm-OK-Land" is like. I ask because I care.
COVID-19 has certainly increased peoples anxiety and stress levels. Lockdown. Lack of hugs. Lack of work and finances etc etc Are you getting the support you need at the moment? Are you able to ring a friend or have a friend ring you?
What does your inner garden look like?
Is the light in your lighthouse glowing?
Is the basket in your heart broken?
Here are some suggestions that have helped me (and still do) in my own personal journey:
walking in nature.
being by the ocean. being in the ocean. being surrounded by the ocean. just the ocean!
gardening
walking in the rain. the wind. and the very wild elements.
having a cup of tea... slowly supping and knowing I can PAUSE.
going to a cafe and being near people
chopping veges - I was told by a lovely naturopath many many years ago that the chopping action of making a stir fry, for example, helps to increase the happy hormones inside. I can vouch for that! I know for me when I chop lots of veges something positive shifts inside
talking to a friend
springing clean my room
going for a swim
having a shower
using essential oils - mandarine, lavender, geranium, sandalwood, orange, patchouli, clary sage (word of advise: seek the advise of a professional aromatherapist or naturopath before embarking on your essential oil journey)
dancing. putting on some jiggly-music, drumming my drum, shaking my rattle, or just listening to the inner music within as I wriggle, jiggle, stomp and do the dance-around-the-fire-on-a-full-moon-kind-of-dance. Wild. free. unabashed. powerful. alive.
Yoga, meditation, receiving a healing / soul retrieval
having a massage
What has worked for you in the past? What is working for you now?
I have worked deeply on my own anxiety. I have walked through tunnels I knew and didn't know existed. My inner dragon now is my ally and a wonderful wise spirit guide and My basket is over flowing
That is why I walk this road and have learnt so many different skills.
My friend,
If you find you are walking a path of inner darkness please reach out,
reach out to any service that you feel is important to you - released of judgement or self criticism -
May the path you take uplift you, empower you and gift you with a sense of purpose, self love and self empowerment.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS FOR THOSE SUFFERING MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS:
Emergency Australia – 000
Lifeline Australia | 13 11 14
Kids Helpline | 1800 55 1800
MensLine Australia | 1300 78 99 78
Suicide Call Back Service | 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue | 1300 22 4636
Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling | 1800 011 046
The Butterfly Foundation | 1800 33 4673 - eating disorders