When people mention mental health, we often hear them saying the words ‘try to relax’ or ‘take a break’. And while they mean well, and both of these things are very important when it comes to your health, they are not the be all, end all of it. Instead of just taking a break when we find ourselves exhausted, we need more proactivity and consistency taking care beforehand. But what more can we do?

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are mine.
It is my Universe, after all.

Make a List of What’s Not Working

Up first, we need to identify what isn’t working in our lives at the moment. What is bringing us down? What can we change? If you’re like me, then you’ll sit down and make an actual list, but If it works you can just think deeply and reflect on what things need to change. Whatever works, as long as commitment is made real change.

Go Deep

This is where we need to look beyond the surface level. No, casual glances ending in shrugs and “maybe I need a nap”. And yes, we’re lifting the rug and most people don’t do this. WHY? Because who knows what is to found under there. If we don’t look, however, then we are never going to be able to take care of ourselves in a real way.

As we start to uncover the mess, here are some thoughts pn how to have a deeper level of self-care.

How About Getting A Pet?

What??? This will just give me something else to take care of! But under the right circumstances, that can be the very reason pets are good for us. We give affection and we receive affection and often this is a healthy diversion from be overly focused on our own issues. But it’s important to consider all the factors of getting a pet before doing it. As a dog and cat mom, as well as having homed rats and a gecko, this is of super importance!

They cost money

There is no free animal - take it from a mom to multiple strays. There is cost of care of the pet: buying it the things that it needs and paying the vet bills when these come around. For the record, rats and geckos get these, too with specialty vets. Uh… yeah. There are the initial costs of the purchase or adoption and then all of the items the pet will need like food, toys, a bed and so on. It’s also important to have enough time to look after your pet properly depending on the level of care that it’s going to need. For example, getting a puppy from Lucky Labs or somewhere similar, requires time to dedicate to that puppy. Puppies are fun but they take a lot. But, if you get a rabbit or a hamster, they don’t require as much care.

Stop Digging

Too many of us work ourselves into the ground, and this can be done for a number of reasons. This is probably where I should leave the kettle and pot to discuss among themselves. I am here to learn as I am sharing my journey, however, so here we go.

Sometimes it’s because we think that this is what we need to do in order to get through the day. Sometimes it’s because our bosses ask us to work extra and we find it hard to say no. Or in my case, I work for lovely people, but I have trouble saying no, PERIOD.

Other times I think we’re avoiding dealing with the tough stuff, especially when we do not know how to fix it. But, this isn’t fixing anything, it’s making it worse. Not only is it harming our mental health, but we’re heading down a path towards physical health symptoms problems, as well. Let’s agree to take a break from working ourselves silly, and then create an achievable routine.

Acknowledge And Feel

So here’s the tough stuff…
Now that we are pulling up the rug and looking at what’s down there, we have to acknowledge them. We need to stop hiding and hiding from our emotions. This never ends well. For me, I know I get too full of these negative emotions that you pushed away until I am ready to explode. In our house, it’s called “breaking Mommy”. For others, it comes out in a range of ways, but it usually presents as a massive outburst of anger or sadness.

As such, it’s important that you are acknowledging and feeling your emotions as and when they come. No, for that short time it’s not going to be pleasant, but you can’t have the good parts of life without the bad. This is the best thing for your mental health, as you are not shoving them down so deep that they will hurt you in the future. You are feeling them now, so that you can move on with your life and don’t have to worry about them taking a hold of you later down the line.

It Ain’t Easy

Mental health is complex, and it’s something that we are going to have to work at every single day. If commit to the work, I think we’ll get to much stronger healthy standings. I am glad to know that I am not alone on this journey, And just think! At least, we’ll have found a few cute friends along the way.

It’s More than Relaxing