“Self care, I’m treatin’ me
Right, yeah, hell yeah
We gonna be alright”
– Mac Miller on “Self Care“
In this fast paced world, it’s easy to misalign priorities. For example, many forget to place importance on their mental health because there’s so much else going on. And trust me, I get it. That’s why I feel we need to be more deliberate in taking care of our own health. So yeah, it’s helpful to check in with yourself from time to time.
What’s up, y’all? Welcome to the June 2020 Opinions Column. This is the place where you get to enter the brain of Ajaxxx and learn what’s going on with me! Lol. For those that are new to the site, welcome! And for those returning, welcome BACK! I wanted to spend this month talking about mental health, and the importance of checking in with yourself, especially as there’s so much going on in the world. So here we go.
It’s true that there’s a lot going on in the world, especially this year. To add to that, many of us may feel disconnected with stay-at-home orders. The human touch is important, and it can be tough to get through things without it. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of virtual communication, but it’s not quite the same as an in-person interaction. So when we’re alone in our thoughts, it can be difficult.
To add to that, I feel like we’re a culture that pushes people to work harder, put in more hours, and prioritize those things over our own health. I can tell you from personal experience my health suffered in my previous job. I had increased stress and anxiety, and the mental health issues started to affect my physical health. It’s definitely not a good feeling and borderline scary. So when we’re expected to “just work through it”, and now we’re in a pandemic, how do we navigate this?
Well, I’ll share what’s worked with me so far. The main thing is I’ve become more DELIBERATE with taking action to prioritize my mental health. Instead of thinking it’s too difficult to handle, you can take specific actions that’ll help. Like what, Jaxxx?
1) Talk to someone
This is perhaps one of the most powerful ways to feel better. If you’re keeping something bottled up inside, especially for too long, it can build anxiety as you feel a feeling of unfinishedness. Instead, call up that person, send them a text, or Facetime it up. Whatever it takes, reach out to people. One thing I’ve noticed throughout all of this is that people are more inclined to communicate with each other. Use that.
2) Meditate
Clearing you mind and reducing the clutter can be extremely powerful. Look, I’m always doing 20 things at once (or at least that’s what it feels like) and it’s challenging to concentrate on one thing. I’ve tried different organizational approaches to keep me more focused and locked in. From YouTube self-help videos to cleaning up my calendar to using a planner, I do a lot to stay focused. Even with that, it’s hard. Meditation focuses your brain and strengthens it, kinda like exercise. It helps to reduce anxiety and stress, increase creativity and compassion, and helps our memory too. There’s a lot of strong evidence that points to the benefit of it. If you even have a few minutes a day, I’d encourage you to try it and see how it changes your life.
3) Find an outlet
I can’t emphasize how important it is to have an outlet to express yourself. I mentioned talking to someone, but it can also help to write things down too. Me personally, I like to use my rap notebook and write rhymes about stuff. Others may find it easier to blog, whereas some may express themselves through a Word document. I mean, you can even record a video where you can freely talk. It’s whatever works for you. The key takeaway here is to get it out of your system. The more things continue to stay within, the more it’ll continue to weigh on you. So get that outta you and hopefully it’ll also make you feel better.
4) Diet and exercise
Of course diet and exercise can help your physical health, but did you know it can also help your mental health too? Yup, eating right and exercising can make you feel better, concentrate, and be sharper too (among manyyy other things, of course). This is definitely a big one, but you can break it down into smaller goals to help you get better. Start out small, make small changes, and build habits that you can use as a strong foundation.
5) Take a break
Man, sometimes you just gotta get away from it all. I talked about this earlier in the year, but sometimes when the world got you super stressed, just get away from it all. Whether that’s a 10 minute walk, or a week-long vacation, take a break. Clear your head. Hit the reset button. If you spend ALL your time working, it can take a toll on you (without you even knowing it). So definitely spread your time out if you can…this can also be very beneficial to your mental health.
If none of these work, maybe it’s time to see a therapist. And actually, that’s also a good idea because they’ll be able to give you additional resources to help.
Through it all though, we gotta continue to maintain a positive attitude and keep moving forward!
Aight y’all, that’ll do it for me for this edition of the Opinions Column. I wanted to talk album stuff, but it’s still semi-early at the moment. Just know that the wheels are in motion.
Until the next one….stay up, stay safe, and hold ya head. Ajaxxx signing out, PEACEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
