4 Ways To Better Yourself: Change Starts With You!

Change starts with the individual. It’s common for people to say they are going to change the way they eat, exercise more, write the book, etc. It always sounds good but don’t let it stop at talking. Make sure you follow that talk with some action.

We are heading into a new season. Fall has a way of showing us how change can be different yet beautiful at the same time. Depending on where you live, your wardrobe may alter, those sandals at the front door turns into boots and the unconsciousness of grabbing our jackets become common as we make our way out of the door. And just like the season, we change as people, change happens to everyone. Despite what it looks like for you, understand that not everyone will like it, but at some point you have to realize that is their problem and not yours.

So now that we know change is going to happen some may ask how do one change for the better? I say it all starts with thinking, then writing, and lastly making a plan of action. People have over 5,000 thoughts a day and one of those thoughts are typically about your future. How you view things and what you want to change or keep consistent in your life. To make change for the better, write down these things:

1. What makes you want to change (what is your inner voice telling you)

2. The things that make you want to get up in the morning (what are you passionate about)

3. A skill you want to learn, invest how you can obtain that skill (join a class)

4. Dumping (think about bad habits or people you need to disconnect from)

After you write these things down, read it and write down a plan of action. Give yourself a timeline especially if you have more than one interest, skill you want to learn, bad habits to disconnect from, or what you are passionate about. Also be sure to take a minute to hone in on what makes you want to change. It could be a health scare, your children or your environment.

Making change starts with you and sometimes it has a lot to do with who you have in your life. I cannot stress enough on how we should always take a mental note on who we surround ourselves around. To give you additional insight, if someone is causing you to be anxious when you get off the phone, that’s not a good sign. Someone you are around should motivate you and you should be able to be vulnerable with them without being criticized.

Change is ongoing. If you need assistance on learning more about changing and how to change, it’s imperative to connect with one of our magazine issues. Our digital magazine is always a win for those who are on the go. Also check out our support boxes to help you as you navigate this new journey in your life. Change is going to happen, be sure that it’s for the better!

What are your thoughts about change?

Let us know in the comments we would love to have a discussion about it.

This Is How You Check In On Yourself

I talk about mental health….a lot! Practically everyday I am having a conversation with my someone regarding emotions, behaviors, the mental health system, etc. I can go on and on. It often grinds my gears knowing there are people out there who are a ticking time bomb, meaning it’s only a matter of time before they go off, cuss someone out, or have a mental breakdown. Trust me this does not always happen OUT OF NO WHERE!

Many people sadly see a breakdown as attention seeking, whereas I see it as a cry for help. We walk around this earth with so many things on our shoulders, thinking about things we could have done better. reminiscing on things we have no control over, or having anxiety about things we only can imagine. It happens far too often that we build this whole scenario of how we THINK something is going to happen. Especially when we don’t have all the facts in motion. Our mind spirals causing us to become hesitant on some things or to not move at all. That is why it is important to take heed into what you are listening, reading, or watching. Your thoughts feed your mind which alters your actions.

We may not know everything life has to offer but I assure you the importance of understanding the basics of mental health goes a long way. One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to provide self-care and I am not talking about external, but internal. It’s nice to keep up with physical appearance, but you can look your Sunday’s best and still be a complete mess on the inside.

How To Check In On Yourself

You have to do your due diligence in educating yourself because life be life’n and you have to hold yourself accountable. We often tell people to check in on your loved ones, but it’s most important to CHECK IN ON YOURSELF! And Here’s How!

Notice how your mood changes when certain people or around: how do you feel when you get off the phone with someone or when you leave their presence. Are you drained, encouraged or entertained?

Check on how you are feeling after a busy day: recap by checking in on your thoughts, what did you do after the busy day. How are your feeling, how often does these busy days occur, and what can you do to delegate. Ask yourself are you doing too much, if so why (are you avoiding something)? If you provide a service or a product are you being overworked? If so, take a moment to think about what should happen to allocate more time for yourself because you DESERVE TIME.

What does a break look like to you: ask yourself if you had 72 hours to do whatever you want and it does not effect your flow of income, what would you do: write down those thoughts and be in tuned with what you are writing. After you complete the list make a plan to tackle one thing at a time…give yourself grace and all the time that you need, but make it a goal to complete all these activities at some point.

We have to be intentional when it comes to our health: physical, spiritual and mental. It’s vital and it is no one else’s responsibility once we become an adult to make ourselves happy. If this is something you have challenges with I encourage you to check out one of our magazine issues, and do not worry we offer digital versions that you can go back to any time that you want. Let me know how this activity has helped you. Be sure to let me know what you do after a busy day, or what you would do if you had 72 hours of freedom. I am intrigued to hear you response.

We Did Not Have Examples

Millennials are in a space where we are growing our families, creating or living in our careers, and being challenged daily by the internet. All generations are apparently going through this but one thing that is certain, this gentle parenting did not come with any guidance from the older generation!

We want our children to express themselves, be honest with their feelings, and let us know when something is off. Back in the day…whether you agree or not, some families didn’t allow children to express their feelings. We didn’t have jobs or bills so to have the audacity to say how we felt was non existent. It was commonly told to stay in a child’s place. I remember I said something was getting on my nerves and my aunt said I was “too young to have nerves”. I don’t know why that always stuck with me but it did. Ironically, I didn’t have bills at the time, but I had feelings and emotions that sadly no one considered. And now I know that I am not alone.

So for all my millennials who are focusing on gentle parenting but sometimes get frustrated, know that you are not in this by yourself. Sometimes those old ways slip out because we attend to go back to what we are used to even if it’s unhealthy. The yelling may come out or the words like I don’t care about your feelings may blurt out. But even if it comes out before you can catch yourself, remember to regroup and take some space, and apologize because our little ones also deserve respect. And it’s time we normalize that.

3 ways to be vulnerable

1. Identify their feelings: it is sooooo important to show empathy and display understanding to children. Do not dismiss…I repeat do not dismiss their feelings. Showing empathy helps them feel connecting and safe to open up. When you say, I understand what you are going through, inform them on how you understand and be genuine about it.

2. Share stories: when you children open up to you it’s important to do the same. You can do this by sharing childhood stories and life lessons. This will help them learn more about you and come to you when they are faced with challenges. Tell them how things were growing up and the difficulties during your childhood and how you made mistakes as well. Being relatable and having an understanding mindset shows vulnerability.

3. Apologize: saying "I’m sorry” and meaning it goes a long way. Children deserve to hear people apologize to them when they are wrong. We are human and we all make mistakes. But it’s important to hold accountability. We want our children to be accountable and we have to set the example. It’s critical and needed!

It’s hard for us sometimes to think the little person navigating life has a voice. We attend to think we speak for them and WE ARE their voice, in fact, we are to a certain extent. It is our responsibility to have their back and support them but not solely speak FOR THEM. We are guiding and preparing them for their future. What we do now, how we treat them and the things they are going through currently will be their stories and the foundation of their behaviors when they get older. Our voice becomes their consciousness and that’s a big responsibility to have, so we need to use it wisely.

Their mental health matters! We don’t want to raise them up only for them to go to therapy as adults trying to heal from the drama we caused. All because we were in our feelings or felt that we always had to get the last word. It’s challenging living life period, with all the demands and roadblocks we face. However, we have the ability to change our situation, whereas our children do not especially at a young age. They have to live with the decisions we make and still follow rules and listen to what we want or need them to do. We may not have all the answers but showing vulnerability is important and helpful as we set the example for our little ones.

Learning this is helpful and can be a jumpstart to a healthy and healing relationship with your children, students, peers, or anyone! For more tips check out our magazine issues. We have digital and physical copies. Each issue is packed with advice, recommendations, and programs Let me know if this was helpful!

Now It's Your Turn

It’s not uncommon for relationships to go sour or experience miscommunication. But it’s all in what you do about it. I agree that some relationships are seasonal and if it hinders your peace and wellbeing it’s time to cut ties. Ask yourself this question: what involvement do you have in sour relationships? Is it really a misunderstanding or do you carry toxic traits that you are unaware of.

It’s easy to point the finger at someone else but you know the saying: when you point the finger at someone you have 3 pointing back at you.

Let’s Dive Deeper

I want you to read this blog and focus on accountability. There is no shame of being wrong or being corrected. We are all human beings and do not have the answer to everything…and that’s okay! Take a moment and think about a relationship that went sour. Is this common in your life? Do many of your friendships / relationships end up sour and toxic? The end of a relationship may not be totally your fault, but think about what part you played in it.

This month is Mental Health Awareness Month and there are a lot of virtual and in person events for you to engage in. Changing habits and social environments starts with you. Not everyone is open to hearing or even reading this but it’s important. Do a self-check with yourself and get involve with attending an event that discusses mental health. I assure you there will be a lot to learn when it comes to generational trauma, habits, and traits you have and are not aware about.

How To Change For You

1. Search: Facebook Events and EventBrite is a great place to start. In the search bar type mental health events will come up, also any event with this topic will pop up. A lot of events are happening now. But do not worry if you cannot make an event. Reach out to the host of the event and see what other activities they plan to have later in the year.

2. Be in the moment: be present. Engage in conversation, participate in workshops and speak to clinicians and/or ask the question that may come to mind. I strongly encourage you to ask questions or connect with someone at the event to get a better understanding.

3. Implement what you learn: be sure to take the new knowledge with you, use the techniques, write in the journals, read the affirmations and if there is something you do not understand, ask questions. A lot of times we do not implement something because we either don’t understand what is being asked, or the know how.

4. Seek Help: get involve. Don’t just attend but follow up, sign up for support groups, go to other social events even after Mental Health Awareness Month. Be intentional about surrounding yourself with positive people and those who have optimistic mindsets. You have been around negativity and settled in bland relationships for too long. It’s time for a change.

Overall we all must take a look in the mirror and work on something to better ourselves. If you have no idea what you need to focus on, ask close friends and family members and seek their honestly on how you are. They will be the best to provide feedback since they are around you and know your personality better than you yourself. If you happen to have any difficulty coming up with ways to better help yourself. Check out our magazine, our digital fast and easy and our physical copies will be sent to you desire address.

What are some things you worked on in the past and noticed a signifiant change?

Reflect & Reset Can Advance Your Self-Care

I had something totally different to blog about this month but the last two days have been quite interesting. I was driving from the post office and drove past my old apartment. Typically I would ride past and not think anything of it, but I wanted to show my oldest son Micah where I used to live. He looked around the neighborhood and was intrigued by the community pool that has not yet opened, and of course the play ground. After glancing around for a few seconds seeing this area for the firs time, he remained quiet and continued to observe. But for me…it brought back memories.

The actual unit I lived in was vacant. I noticed a maintenance man working on the balcony inside of what was the utility closet. From what I can see it appeared dark inside and I assumed someone must have moved out. I wondered if it was the family who moved in after I did, back in 2013?

Exiting the complex brought a smile to my face. Those few short minutes was monumental for me. I realized I have grown so much since living completely on my own since college. I gave myself a pat on the back. Now if you would’ve told me back then life was going to be okay, I would’ve laughed. I experienced some losses in that apartment but left out gaining a lot of wins. At that time I was single, living in a new state and afraid I would live in that apartment forever. A decade and some change later I have a husband and two boys to share life with. That moment of reflecting I realized was more for myself, versus showing Micah my old neighborhood.

“It’s okay to reflect”

I had to remind myself that reflecting is not always a bad thing. Sure there are moments we don’t want to relive but look where you are now, admire who you have become. It’s pivotal moments that makes us who we are. So on my journey of reflecting I want to share this with you:

1. Visit your old stomping grounds: go past your old high school or any place that helped you become who you are. If you are not in that town, look at some photos from back in the day. I am sure you have some stored somewhere. Or go by your old university, if none of these apply listen to music during that time in your life. Those memories will come back into play. Music always had a way of bringing the past to the forefront, causing laughter and maybe a few tears.

2. Sit in your feelings and journal about it: allow your mind to go wherever, be attentive to what you are thinking about, how are you feeling, are you tensed, do you chuckle? Whatever you are feeling just sit in it, don’t try to rationalize just let your thoughts be. We need that from time to time, (as long as you are not trying to hurt yourself or anyone else). Then write about it, jot down how you are feeling. Sometimes we need that in our lives, it helps us in the future, especially if the thoughts are challenges we’ve overcome. Sometimes those thoughts can bring back memories of worry, doubt, distress, but afterwards, admire where you are today.

3. Motivate yourself and know you have more to do: reflecting helps us see how far we have come. It also motivates us to do more. Remember that time when you didn’t think you would get over the first love, or that first closed door to a career opportunity? Look at you now. Continue to reflect, especially during those quiet moments. By the end of reflecting, write down the next three goals you have for yourself.

How do you reflect? I would love to know. I don’t get many moments to sit in quiet, but when I do I often like to read and practice mindfulness. If you are having any challenges with resources or learning how to navigate your feelings our magazine is a great resource to help you. Check out one of our digital copies today and get started. A digital download may be the first step to getting you closer to better self-care.

I am looking forward to your response.

~Jamie

It's Time To Put You First: Here's How

When was the last time you put yourself first? Honestly, put yourself first without feeling selfish? It’s common to put other things before us, causing us to be last on our list. It happens far too often but I am glad to hear more about self-care at work, home, and even in church. It’s about time we stop chasing the clock or even chasing the “bag” without putting ourselves on the schedule.

Self-care is critical and now more than ever, we hear or even read about what self-care is and how it benefits our life. But it leaves some of us pondering on HOW to do these things, while we understand the benefits and may even tackled into some self-care every now and then, it’s easy to get stuck on the how, resulting in hesitancy or discontinuing our self-care practices.

How can one take off or take a break when they have multiple responsibilities? When work, parenting, and other obligations cannot be put to the side? Whenever we ask these questions it’s hard to figure out the how resulting in an unmet need we set within ourselves. This leads to frustration and can cause one to be overwhelmed. Our bodies need to rest and we MUST listen. If we don’t listen to our bodies at some point our bodies are going to make us listen!

Recently I discussed, Signs You Need To Take A Mental Health Day, it goes into detail of what to look for and when to check in on yourself and put a pause on things that are frustrating you. But how do you take a mental health day? That’s the question I want to answer for you here.

How To Take Your Mental Health Day With Ease

1. Plan: look at your calendar for the next month. Take a good overview of what you have going on. Where you see some gaps, think about what day would be best to fit YOU on the schedule. Add Personal Time to the calendar and put the request in. Take it a step future and look at the following month, continue to do this for the rest of the year. When you schedule yourself on a calendar you can plan around your personal days, versus you planning a personal day around your busy jammed pack schedule. Thank me later!

2. Reach out: this is the time to put pride aside. Asking for help does not make you less of a person. When you reach out, people will find ways to help you, if not then you are not in the right circle of friends, (my personal opinion). If you have children who have places to be, think about carpooling. Talk to a parent, significant other, or a family member about helping with pick ups and drop offs. Hire a sitter, think about a neighbor or a good friend you have that can babysit to lessen the burden of your daily routines.

3. Do it: planning is one thing, but implementing it into your schedule is another. Don’t be the person who plans and don’t act. Make it a priority to put in personal time. Take the moment this week to see how you spend idle time. Are you running around all day or spending time scrolling on Tik-Tok or Instagram? Are their pockets in your days for personal time? Observe every aspect of your life and what you have going on. You will be surprised to see what you do with frivolous time.

We all need a break! At times we get so caught up with work, we forget to take a day off. Plan something fun or don’t plan anything at all. Reset in a positive way is important and something we need to take into consideration. I personally think mental health days should happen every six weeks at the least. If you are having trouble check out our magazine and read articles on what we have to offer, regarding mindfulness, self-care and more! We even offer subscription services to make purchasing less of a worry for you. When you put yourself first, it allows others to receive the best part of you. And most importantly it makes us feels good.

Let me know what are some of the things you like to do during your personal time? Share below, what you may do can inspire someone else to do the same!

No Valentine...No Problem? Self-Love At It's Best

This time of the year comes with mixed emotions. Some people enjoy this day as they are immersed with love, receiving gifts, candy and chocolate. It can be a dream for someone but let’s face it, this is not everyone’s reality. Love is amazing…don’t get me wrong but not everyone receives this amount of love, on the day we know as Valentine’s Day. So do not allow social media or any media outlet make you feel bad for spending this time solo.

I must admit it’s nice to be thought of…I would be lying to you if I said it wasn’t. But we must remember that no mater who we are with, single, married or in a complicated relationship, it’s imperative we care for ourselves and provide self-love.

The subtitle for the magazine this month is Normalize Self-Love and I intentionally titled this because people attend to put themselves last. You make sure everyone else is okay, checked off all the boxes in making sure everyone else feels good…but what about you? It’s not until something happens or you are depleted before you think about the last time you put yourself first. And let’s face it, making yourself a priority is different for everyone.

We attend to think we have to lavish ourselves, (I mean if that’s what you need then lavish on!) but it does not have to take all of that. A nice pedicure and manicure is good and it feels great to receive some type of service, but what are you doing on the inside? What are you doing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, to get yourself together? When was the last time you collected your thoughts, explored your dreams, crossed off things from YOUR goal list and not your routine TO DO list, (we are only in February, its time to check in on those resolutions) or quality some time to yourself to just be? A time where you are not doing pick ups, drop offs, grocery runs or sitting in the waiting room, while your child attend extra curricular activities after school. Let’s face it you deserve to show yourself self-love, everyday and most importantly on Valentine’s Day.

3 Ways To Show Yourself Some Self-Love

Believe it or not, some people do not know how to be alone. They bounce from one relationship to the next, avoiding themselves. It’s time for you to get to know yourself, we are evolving human beings and we have to check in every once in a while. What time is better than the present? You can learn a thing or two about yourself and by doing this, it will allow you to figure out what you will or will not tolerate in future relationships, (this includes friendships and family relationships).

1. Write down your feelings: awareness is important. When we are aware of our emotions we can do something about it. This is something you do not want to hide, journal how you are feeling to get a baseline of where you are emotionally.

2. Get Active: write down activities you like to do to boost your mood. This can go a long way, a walk outside or a exercise video has a way of boosting your mood and making you feel good about yourself.

3. Pamper yourself: Buy yourself some flowers, who says you have to wait for someone else to do it? If candy is something you like, add that to the shopping list. Light a candle and here’s a tip on candle smells: lavender helps with mood, pine scents help with stress, citrus smells helps with energy, and peppermint helps with concentration.

Remember this: no one can make you happy. If we depend on other people to make us happy, we are in for a rude awakening. Be intentional with adding yourself to your calendar. It can start with once a week and increase to an hour a day. It may sound impossible at first, but think of things that you are doing that are considered time wasters, scale back on those things and introduce these three activities to get your personal time started. If you need any assistance at all, be sure to check out our magazine here for tips. Let me know how this goes for you in the comments and I look forward to the well needed discussion. And remember no Valentine…no problem! Show yourself some self-love.

5 Reasons You Are Stressing & What To Do About It

This country is unpredictable, as a matter of fact the world is. The gun violence continues to increase making it challenging to want to attend events, or send our children to school. Police brutality continues to happen, and every time you go on social media you see others living their best life, making it hard not to compare the moment they decided to put on social media, to the reality you are living at that moment.

So many things causes stress and the environment has a lot to do with it.

Stress comes in so many forms but one thing I try to remember is this…stress is here to STAY. When you are over one situation, here is another one ready to throw punches. It’s no wonder people are overwhelmed, tired, and appear to have more unproductive days than they intended.

If this resonates with you I want you to know that you are not ALONE!

The Rundown On Why You Are Stressing

1. Demands are increasing: you want to do all the things at once, lose the weight, make more money, start a business, travel, and raise children that everyone will admire and adore.

2. Watching and reading the news more: you do not want to miss out on what’s going on, therefore you dive into reading or listening to what others are saying about whatever is going on in the world. Bad news spread and get a lot of views online, making it visible on our social media feed and depending on the content it can trigger us providing more stress.

3. No Clarity: some individuals are just existing. You are doing the day to day stuff and that’s it. When you do the same thing over and over again expecting different results…that leads to stress because our expectations are not met.

4. Feed into the pressure of social media: everyone is selling everything online. If you look for a product, the next thing you know, you will see that product on your feed. You start to see other information regarding that product or other companies selling it. Top things many people see on their social media feed are exercise programs, personal growth (lack of something), and food consumption. If the issue is relatable to you it becomes easy to put yourself down and/or purchase the product thinking it will be an instant life change.

5. Limited support: this is critical, support goes a long way. Anyone who is successful at anything has a support system or someone they can talk to and help with strategizing.

   What You Should Do

All things consider please note change starts with YOU. Not from your parents, children, or even your best friend. They all can encourage you however, if you want to change its vital to reflect in order to produce the change you need to feel better about yourself.

1. Demands are going to be there: but it is up to you to prioritize what matters most. Each night before you go to bed, make a checklist of what you want to do the next day. Be sure to prioritize them after you write it down. The next day check off the things you complete, and whatever you do not get done, save it for the next day.

2. Take note of what you are paying attention to: how are you spending your time? Ask yourself: is this encouraging me or depleting me. How do you feel after engaging in this activity? If it is not helping you grow, write down how much time you spend doing this, and write down what you would like to invest your time in instead.

3. Get clarity: doing the exercise stated previously will help you gain clarity of what you are doing day to day. What short term goals are important to you. Once you write your short term, think of some long term goals. Also write down what do you want to get out of life, include what’s important to you, faith, family, business, etc.

4. Get on a routine: limit the time you are on social media and other news outlets. Be strict about it. If this is challenging start in increments, cut yourself off for 20 mins and then increase the time to your liking.

5. Find your interest: once you figure out what you like search groups where you can be a part of. Start with your church or programs in your community, find activities and explore. A great place to start is Eventbrite, look for local affairs in the area on Facebook or ask neighbors what’s about upcoming events on the Neighborhood App.

Routines are important, we know to get up to go to work everyday, or get up and take the children to school. This is important, we speak so heavily on routine with our children and even our spouse, but we have to be on board and do the same thing. Do some self-reflection and start a detox from all the things that are not serving you and making you a better person. When we start living for ourselves, it can help us manage stress.

If you are having challenges working through life stressors seek a therapist, sometimes past experience can hinder us from moving forward. Therapy can help unpack trauma by identifying unresolved issues which will help us move forward in life. If you are hesitant about receiving services, check out our magazine. We provide resources and conversation starters in addition to support from others who have experienced similar challenges. You can start here for digital or visit here for our soft cover copies.

After doing this activity let me know what worked. What did you find out about yourself? I would love to know!

5 Effective Ways To Improve Your Self-Care

The awareness of mental health is being talked about on the news, radio, and social media, even celebs are coming out to say they are not okay. The awareness is good and it makes us ask ourselves, how are we really doing? This question is important and if you are thinking about this, you may wonder…what’s next.

Sure you have heard about self-care, that has been one of the most used words other than quarantine since 2020, but just because you heard it a lot doesn’t mean you know what it is and how to do self-care…effectively.

What Is Self-Care?

This is a question you may or may not have asked yourself.

The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health: - Google Search

So what does this mean: it means taking care of yourself. Putting your health first and being in tune with how you are feeling. Think about things that make you happy, it could be from tasting your favorite candy to seeing your favorite family member. These energy boosters have a way to help us heal, getting us back to productivity, and even helping us feel accomplished.

5 Effective Ways To Improve Your Self-Care

Check-in on yourself. Be sure to write down what you need or what you think is missing. This will require self-work and I do not think this is something you have to know overnight. Take a few days to really think about the last time you were happy, what were you doing at the time? How can you get back to that? If someone was in your life that was making you happy, and they are no longer around, think of the things you did that made you happy whenever you two were together. Work on returning to that person you once were when you were happy.

Start a routine. Having a routine helps with consistency, which leads to results. This is another thing that will not happen overnight, and you may have to play with different routines to see what is best for you. You might find that working out at night is better than working out in the morning. Or writing down your goals at the beginning of the week is better than the end of the week.

Exercise. This does not mean you have to get a membership, lift heavy weights, or join some intense workout group. You can start by walking, engaging in YouTube video workouts, or a stretching video before you go to bed. It is important we move our bodies to avoid stiffness and moving our bodies also becomes a mood booster.

Saying No. This can be hard for a lot of people, especially when it comes to family and close friends. It’s IMPORTANT to say no to the things that you are not comfortable doing, or just don’t want to do. Do not put yourself on the side for something or someone else. Your performance will not be as effective because you will not be able to give your best self. It’s hard to do but just start off by saying, “I am not in a space where I can do_________ for you.” True family and friends will understand.

Sleep. Make it a priority. It is common to be up past bedtime, tying loose ends. It is not uncommon to wait for the children to go to bed and get started on our work. We need just as much sleep as our children. If going to sleep at an adequate time is a challenge, try going to bed 20 minutes before you typically do, set an alarm, and whatever is not done, make it a priority to do the next day.

We All Need To Read This

Take these steps into consideration and be sure to make yourself a priority. Do this for the next 30 days and see how your mood changes. When we put ourselves first we are productive, and effective, and can be there for others. They say you cannot pour from an empty cup and the more I hear this the more I understand the importance of making myself a priority.

Reading is also another great way to put self-care into practice. Take a good book, magazine, or even an audiobook to learn new things and put your imagination to use. Be sure to check out our magazine to learn more ways to care for yourself, find support, and engage in conversation starters. If you are not a fan of paper, check out the digital content and download the latest version or any of our versions today.

Let me know how these activities help you put your self-care into practice. As always I am rooting for your…let’s continue this conversation in the comments.

Signs You Need A Mental Health Day

Taking space from your job, family and everyday obligations are IMPORTANT. We work ourselves to the core until we explode, and typically the majority of us are running on fumes. I would not be surprised if you too felt as if you were running on autopilot.

For years you would see people produce so much work with little rest, I feel like a decade ago people were team NO SLEEP. It was work work work and I am glad to see society for some of us is shifting the gears on what success looks like. When we put our needs last we continue to do ourselves a disservice. If we don’t make US a priority then who will? Your boss, parents, or children? Most of them (if they are not aware) may not see that you are two seconds away from exploding. YOU cannot take care of anyone from an empty cup, so in moments when things become overwhelming, it’s time to take that Mental Health Day my friend.

What is a Mental Health Day?

It’s a day you primarily deal with your emotional well-being. You use this time to focus on relieving stress, enjoying time doing something you like and most importantly relaxing. It’s a day to reset in which is something we all should do.

So when is the right time to take one?

There is no specific day when you should take a mental health day, the important thing is that you take one, especially when your stress levels are at it’s peak. So whether you want to schedule it during the week or the weekend is totally up to you. However, I would say one of the most rewarding times to take one is when you feel is best. For some people there are days that are less hectic than others, for instance on Tuesdays you may not have to run errands and the office may be a little less busy compared to a Friday workday. The reason I say this is because your return back to the office may not be as erratic if you plan accordingly.

But let’s be clear, do not think you have to schedule your Mental Health Day, sometimes we wake up and the desire to get out of bed becomes challenging. So do not feel bad if you have to call your job and say, “hey I just cannot come into the office today.”

signs that display you need to take a mental health day

• Low mood

• Difficulty staying on tasks

• Inability to finish common tasks

• Showing signs of distress

• No desires in doing anything ex: like cooking, washing dishes, getting children ready for bed

• When you are feeling tired, restless, and frustrated at EVERYTHING

This is for your emotional health and no one is responsible to make sure you take your mental health day but you. So when that day comes, let it be all about your well-being. It’s easy to check your email for a few minutes or answer a call regarding work, but it’s critical you allow that to take a back seat as you focus on your emotional well-being. I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH

If you are not sure if you have been showing signs of frustration ask those you are around the most. Their honesty will let you know how you have been appearing to them lately. If you do not know how to approach them you can simply say: “Hey,…so I have been thinking about taking a Mental Health Day, do you think this is something I should do? Have I been a little tensed or shown frustration more than usual?” These questions alone can spark a conversation to help you along your wellness journey.

moving forward

Now that you are aware of a Mental Health Day and know when to take one, it’s time to plan for it! Think of your schedule for the next five days, or even the next two weeks if you have to plan further ahead and put MENTAL HEALTH DAY on the calendar. As the day gets closer you may even feel some excitement about putting your health and wellness first. Let me know how it goes for you! And if you want more tips for your wellness journey check out one of our issues, we have soft-cover and digital versions available for you.

I am excited to see how it turns out for you! Keep me posted!