What is a mental mess, and how can you identify it in your life? It’s often overlooked. Most days, your not even sure how to describe the turmoil. You can’t put words to it; you only feel it on the fringes of your mind. Other days it’s right next to you like a well-trained dog. It looks you in your face. It’s intertwined around your heart and trips you up like a discarded banana peel. Your tears indicate something is off, but being busy, you don’t take the time to deal with it. “I’m in a hurry,” you muse as you rush out the door. Coming home, you blast the radio or listen to that talk jockey, all the while ignoring the nudges that something is off with yourself. Weeks and months slip into oblivion.
One morning you wake up, the black clouds have moved in, and you can no longer ignore the fact you have a serious issue. Here is a clue, your emotions matter. You chose to ignore the nudges and whispers inside. Your soul has knocked and prodded to no avail. Depression has come knocking, and it is not leaving this time. The first step is to recognize everyone has these moments. It’s not the end but the beginning of a journey. How you got here doesn’t matter; what does matter is your healing. Healing comes by asking for help or talking to a trusted friend. If things are too big for you to face, reach out to a trained counselor. Write out what you are grateful for. It can be as small as you are grateful for the sunshine—Journal how you feel good, bad, and ugly. Journaling or talking to someone about how you feel is basically opening the zipper of your soul and spilling all the words stuck inside.
Self-care is often a back burner activity we don’t want to engage in because it is boring or not our priority. It should be, though. Self-reflection and self-care are often pushed into a corner, and the busyness of life takes precedence. When you put yourself first, you can better take care of others because your mental mess won’t spill into their lap. Choose mental clarity and take care of your emotional needs!