Check in on your Mental Health

Taking time to check in with your mental health is a huge part of wellness. 1 in 4 Americans has some form of mental illness. 1-7 Women suffer from postpartum. I suffered from postpartum and currently dealing with depression and anxiety. You do not need to be diagnosed with an illness to check in with your mental health. We all go through tough times, and doing that check-in can help.

Taking a few minutes a day to check in and reflect can help you identify triggers, find things that ground you, and learn strategies to manage stress. If you are artistic, create your own Mental health tracker. If not, do not worry. There are a ton of free printables on Pinterest.

So, where do you begin? If you want to create your own, the basics you should have on the list to reflect on are Mood, Hours of sleep, Water intake, Things I am grateful for, and Date. Feel free to add a few other things like a To-Do list, morning or bedtime routine, Exercise, and anything else you want.

If you are not a paper person and prefer digital like me, you can download the Habio app. No, this is not an ad for it. I just like this one. It is free to download but to access all the features, there are monthly charges. A completely free and basic one is Moods: Mental health tracking. This one is entirely free; you can also add notes about your feelings and create your own activities you practice.

As I stated above, I suffered from postpartum depression. I was a stay-at-home mother with 2 kids that were Irish Twins and a toddler. My husband worked crazy hours to support all of us, so I did not want to burden him with how I was feeling. I started to push the feelings and thoughts down because I prefer avoiding things to dealing with emotions. Which is due to a past abusive relationship.

After a year, I could no longer hide it from my husband. He was very concerned and convinced me to see our practitioner for help. She put me on an SSRI. For a while, things seemed to get better. I did have to change the prescriptions several times till I found one that worked for me. I am currently on an SNRI.

Not everyone needs to be on medication. Some can manage their symptoms through meditation, therapy, exercise, and/or food intake. I am working with a therapist to overcome my past trauma to be able to open up to my loved ones about how I am feeling and work through any issues.

I have good days and bad days yet. I am working towards managing my anxiety and depression one day at a time. I have added exercise, meditation, me time, healthy food selections, and communication. My family has greatly supported me as I share my feelings with them. We talk through them and find ways to feel better.

You can utilize this for your kids as well. I have a teenager that has a hard time communicating her feelings. Having her journal how she is feeling, why she is feeling that way, things that make her happy, how much sleep she got, and things she can do to feel better. This has been helpful for her, my husband, and I since she gets uncomfortable talking to us about some things. This gives her a space to release her feelings, reflect on them and share what she wants with us without fear.

Know that you are not alone. Find someone you can communicate your feelings to. Track your mood even on good days. When you have a bad day, look back on a good day to remind yourself of something that made you feel good. Then use that to help boost your mood.

I wish you the best. Find things that make you happy and make time for them. Whether it is reading, meditating, doing yoga, putting makeup on, going for a walk, calling a friend, watching a movie, getting a manicure or pedicure, you name it. Make time for it if it makes you happy, recharged, and refueled. If your cup is not full, you will not be able to fill others' cups.

If you have depression or anxiety, reach out to someone for help. If you are having feelings or thoughts of suicide, please call or text The National Suicide Help Line @ 800-273-8255

💖,

The Wellness Blondie