Customise Your Mental Health First Aid Kit
"The universe wants to break free, so it manifests chaos." - Sylvie Laufeydottir from the Loki series.
Not sure what our universe wants to break free from? Is our world going through some sort of big evolution? We have no clue. All we can agree is that these few years had been a bit of a dramatic ride. We were, and we are still dealing with great uncertainty every day, simultaneously adjusting to the ever-changing dynamic. Needless to give any examples, we all know how the current situation is impacting us.
It's definitely okay to feel not okay in this midst of uncertainty. We all struggle at some points in our lives, you're not alone. Still, have you ever felt that these negative feelings are clouding you for a little too long? Do you want to find a way to the warm sunlight, but don't know where to start? I remember an occasion in which I was hiding in my room crying for half an hour non-stop, wanting to feel better, but just didn't know "how". That feeling of helplessness added another few pounds to my already overwhelming mental status.
There's why we say "Be prepared for your falls", equip yourself with a handful of mental health first aid kits. Of course, there's no one perfect bandage / medicine for everyone or every situation, while having more items in your mental health first aid kit is better than having none (thus having to passively wait for the negative feeling to subside). So here we are, suggesting some grab-and-go kits you can keep in your pocket for your critical times.
Although the following are short term strategies, instead of a long term holistic plan we use to maintain healthy mental well-being, we hope some of them might give you a quick boost like a panadol temporarily eases our pain. By taking an initial step, we are more likely to overcome this hardship.
1. Cry
Don't stigmatise the behaviour of crying. Shedding tears doesn't mean you're weak. It doesn't mean you want to draw attention either. Instead, forcibly suppressing your emotion isn't a healthy habit. So, if you really need to cry, find a safe place to let your guard down. Crying does help, scientifically, it does have a calming effect and it helps relieve both physical and emotional pain [1].
2. Talk
While some prefer crying alone, some don't mind letting others see them cry. There is no right or wrong preference. Talking to someone you trust is not a novel idea, but the power is sometimes underrated. It is understandable why some people prefer to keep it all to themselves, one of the reasons is "nothing's gonna change at a practical level". In some circumstances, yes - maybe talking about it won't end up with a solution, yet knowing that someone is willing to listen to you hopefully lightens your load.
When you share your happiness it gets doubled, when you share your worries it gets halved.
P.S. Talking to counsellors or psychologists is a nice idea, too. Let's normalise seeking mental health help!
3. Music
"Where words fail music speaks. This is what feeling sound like."
Music is a great medium for us to process our emotions. It definitely helps set my moods, likewise, shifts my mood. I like playing some quiet and gentle music when I want to cry; I prefer peaceful music when my thoughts are messy; I pick playful and upbeat music when I want to cheer myself up.
These are only my preferences. What about yours? At the end of the day, your mental health first aid kits should be tailored-made just for yourself!
4. Video
Very similarly, some genres of videos carry the effect to dry my tears. I love cute animal videos. I used to watch hamster videos when I was stressed and in the middle of my mental breakdown. Take a short break from the stressors and let the cuteness does its job and relax your mind. The strong healing effect will blow your mind. But again, cute animal videos are not the only option, you know what lights you up!
5. Expressive Exercises
Not everyone prefers expressing themselves through talking, and that's not a problem at all! At times, it's hard to verbalise certain feelings or difficulties, or maybe some situations are way too complex you don't know where to begin even if you wish to voice it out.
Writing, drawing or even dancing are some exercises of expressive therapy. For myself, I like typing how I feel even when the thoughts are all tangled up, turns out writing it all down gives my always-messy thoughts an outlet.
There are countless more expressive activities: photography, digital art, clay making, upcycle / decorate an item, nail arts, coffee arts, cooking, write fan fiction, more and more! The important message is (which applies to any kind of expressive exercise): You don't have to have a background or training in any of these areas, it is a channel for you to free your feelings via art, let the art-making process be your therapist.
We merely covered the tip of the iceberg - there are way more mental health first aid kits than we can ever think of: sports, religion, mindfulness, take a bath, drink a cup of tea, and numerous more. Like the branches of trees, they all have the same root - to give you some peace and relief during these difficult times. Most importantly, I want to emphasise this again: please appreciate yourself for trying to understand and testing out these different kits. This is a huge leap to getting better.
When there is shadow, there is light.
Wholeheartedly,
The Lights Within
(Always delighted to write a Part 2!)
Finding help:
Lifeline: Call 13 11 14
Source:
[1] Burgess, L. (2017). Eight benefits of crying: Why it's good to shed a few tears. Medical News Today. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319631#benefits-of-crying
Related article:
Feeling down? Take a walk in woods, by Pacific Standard
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