The Daily Mental Health Check-in: Why it’s a great tool.

 When it comes to mental health, it is an everyday affair. It is the relationship you have with yourself in a sense. That relationship needs to be nurtured and worked on every day. I know, that sounds like a lot, but really if you think about it, so many things we already do actually help care for our mental health. When you take a shower, that is self-care, and believe it or not, that is putting the work in for your mental wellness. It also helps cleanliness and caring for your body, the one thing that is your own. When you read a book, or journal, that is self-care. You can garden, cook a meal, get your hair/nails done. There are so many things we already do and can begin doing that count as “taking care of your mental health.” It’s not all work. Sure, there are days that really feel like it is the hardest thing to do, and you simply can’t begin. It’s that initial “start” button that is right in front of you, but you can’t get yourself to press the damn button. Believe me, I know. I have the same button that taunts me in the morning. It can feel so overwhelming to just get a shower and dressed when my mental health is not good. When I struggle to hit that start button, I check in with myself. What is my mood, how do I feel, what do I need today, what can I do for myself, how did I sleep, and what am I grateful for? Those things help kickstart my day and also allows me to be more in tune with myself. That right there nurtures the relationship you have with you. That’s a beautiful thing to start your day with. So, to make it easier for myself, I created a google doc to check in with myself, and everyday I fill it out. It helps me SO MUCH. My favorite part is when you fill in what you “need.” I never thought about that, EVER. Do you? Do you ever sit and think, what do I need today? I doubt many of us do. That’s where the magic happens for me. I actually think about what I need, as a mom, as a wife, as a human being that requires care; not just for survival, but to thrive. It is so essential to think about that everyday. It is so hard to think about ourselves sometimes. We feel guilty for some reason to care for ourselves. I wish it wasn’t that way, but for some of us it takes a lot more effort to do the things we “need.”

Think about it this way. 

Yesterday, I was in the garden. I have this beautiful white picket fenced garden with a trellis in the entrance. There is honey suckle overgrown on tops of the wire fence extending above the small white picket fence to keep the deer and animals out. In the corner of my garden there is a butterfly bush. It is the tallest butterfly bush I have ever seen. It grows wonky and I often find myself thinking “why are you like this.” It finally dawned on me yesterday. It grows like that because it needs the sunlight. The tree over it blocks the sun a lot, so it adapted, and began to curve its’ branches to reach for the sun. It paid no mind to the honey suckle vines grasping onto it, or how it would look. It NEEDED the sunlight. It was the only way it was going to survive. Each day, it would curve itself a little more, and grow a little bit taller, to one day finally feel the warmth of the sun. It was in a total shade of darkness until that very point. And still, it knew it would, and could, reach the light. Now I look at it in wonder, and yes, I did name her 🤣, Betty, is what I call her. She stands wonky and tall as can be, and she is profound. I bet her flowers will be the most beautiful they have ever been. She did what she needed to survive and now she will thrive. It wasn’t easy, and it also wasn’t selfish. She makes the garden better. 

Take care of you. It’s ok to do that, I promise. 

I have attached my Google doc. that I fill out every day, so that you can use it and check in with yourself too. I hope it helps you as much as it helps me. 💛

https://forms.gle/zJKmXjzb49Ank2p26