Just Checking In With You

I’m about to be a little vulnerable with you all. But it’s important to start normalizing the discussion about mental health and tough feelings.

Yesterday, it really hit me hard that my mental health has been slipping lately.

I’ll be honest, the last two years have been some of the best times of my life. A lot of healing happened. A lot of personal growth. A lot of discovery. But I feel like I’m starting to enter into a darkness I haven’t felt in years.

As an analytical, (overly) thoughtful person, I lately find myself spiraling down harmful thought patters and feeling trapped in the shadow parts of myself. I see patterns in my thoughts that are changing the way I feel about myself and look at life. I feel more introverted, isolated and conflicted.

Phew! What’s the most shocking part of it, I only really realized it yesterday. After some reflection, I noticed this has been some months since my mind has been well.

You’d think, being in the health field could help us practitioners understand quickly when we are entering into unhealthy territory! Not always the case, clearly!

But the thing is, I didn’t recognize it. I co-existed with it. I felt it was my new normal.

I didn’t check in with myself.

You don’t know what you don’t know. Even something as prominent as our thought patterns can still escape our attention if we try hard enough.

So here’s a question for you… Have you checked in recently? How are you doing? How does your body feel? Mind? Spirit?

Are you allowing yourself to recognize hard feelings or internal conflicts?

How can you be more in-tune with your needs? How can you be more real with yourself about the state of your body, mind and spirit?

What sounds like a nourishing self-care activity you can try?

What I’m going to try this week: chatting with friends, less time on social media, sitting in the sun and taking a long shower

Check in. You are worth deep, authentic self-care and love.