EPISODE 4: BUILDING A MENTAL HEALTH TOOLBOX
Hello and welcome back to the Is That Soh Podcast!
Now recording live from my at home studio space AKA my closet! That’s right, we are all set up and ready to rock and roll with these episodes now!
In today’s episode, I am taking it back to the basics for a little solo session where I share some tools or ‘practices’ that I like to use to help with my mental health. I know this COVID lockdown has been difficult for many peoples mental health so I thought Id share some techniques that I have found to work wonders for me in the past so that you can benefit from them also.
All right, are you ready?
So as explained in the episode, I am going to break my toolbox down into two sections, things you have to STOP doing for your head, your body and your heart, and things you have to START doing for your head, your body, and your heart.
STOP
STOP beating yourself
If you are dwelling on things you didn’t do right in the past or are blaming yourself for things that have gone wrong, you need to stop. It is time to forgive yourself and move on to be that better version of yourself.STOP playing the comparison game
When you do this you dishonor your own journey
STOP isolating yourself and insisting that you can fix things or recover on your own
Although I do commend doing independent work, it cannot replace the professional guidance of a therapist, dietitian, or physician that have years of experience and training.
STOP holding on to toxic relationships including one with yourself
Stop putting the needs of others above yourself. Learn to say no. If you feel like you are always giving, rescuing, or sympathizing with someone else, you may also be enabling, so take stock of whether the relationship is a healthy one worth keeping or if you need to let go.In order to do this you will need to set boundaries and stick to them - every time you say you are going to do something and you don’t, you are dishonoring yourself.
make your own mental health a priority before helping others.
So those are all the things I want you to stop doing! Now the first thing I want you to START doing is …..
START
START being kind to yourself PERIOD. You need to be more gentle with yourself and use kind words when talking to yourself. Changing your inner dialogue takes time and its a skill you need to develop but it makes the world of difference once you do
START practicing gratitude and affirmation techniques. I know they sound really hokey but they truly do help you shift my mindset. Essentially when you put out positivity into the world, you become open to receiving positivity and it helps shift your energy from negative to positive.
Further practice affirmation helps to change your inner dialogue so that you can believe in your strength and capabilities again. Simply write them on a sticky note and stick them to your bathroom mirror so that every time you are in the bathroom you are reminded to practice having more positive thoughts.
A Few of my Fabourites:
I am resilient and strong.
I am at peace with my path.
Start and end each day with love.
I have the ability to change and control my thoughts.
you didn’t come this far only to come this far, I can and will keep going.
I wake up today with strength in my heart and clarity in my mind. The fears and shame of yesterday has melted away.
START interact with people or close family that don’t trigger you and be a good friend to them. much like Karma, in order to bring positivity into your life, you have to put out positivity.
Practice acts of kindness - that includes being kind to others, lending a helping hand, being charitable, compliment someone else, do something for someone else.
Use social media more responsibly
A few of my favorite mental health accounts on IG:
START asking for help from professionals - Call a helpline or find a therapist. Keeping your feelings or illness a secret doesn’t help anyone and only perpetuates the destructive cycle you are in.
Talkspace is an IG account that offers free therapy for anyone looking for someone to talk to during COVID lockdown.
Check Point Org is a site that lists all the helplines available globally so you can easily search for the number to your local helpline.
START using grounding techniques to focus on the present and calm any anxiety you are feeling.
Essentially you start with listing:
5 Things you see,
4 Things you hear,
3 Things you feel,
2 Things you smell,
1 Thing you can taste
START practice acts of self-love - Listen to your body, how does it feel? Have you been treating it nicely? Did you move it today? Did you feed it nutritional things that it needs and can process?
Hydrating more, get outside for some vitamin D, find some healthy recipes to try, or randomly doing easy exercises like jumping jacks or go for a walk .
Get some rest if your body is asking you to take it easy.
If you have a hard time falling asleep I recommend relaxing music, or listening (Audible)/reading a book.
Establish a morning routine - get up, shower, get dressed, and put yourself together. Its a wonderful way to feel ready for the day and prepared for whatever it may throw at you.
START Dance Therapy! Dance like nobody is watching! Also stretching the body is great to help with any tension you are felling or discomfort.
START pampering yourself a little more and do something nice for yourself
Light a candle and using it to ignite your olfactory senses.
Get yourself a hair cut or take a nice long bath, whatever you need.
PAMPER YOURSELF AT HOME WITH THESE DIY POSTS
BE PRODUCTIVE IF YOU CAN
I know getting motivated to be productive can be hard for some people during this time but for me I find that it really helps with my mental health - Things I like to do for my head, my body and my heart are:
Organize my mind and life - I don’t journal but I do make a tone of lists, wish lists, to-do lists, etc, which help organizes my thoughts so I can prioritize what I need to do now and feel less anxious about tackling it.
Organize your house and go on a cleaning binge
Organize your finances and make a budget
Create a positive workspace that enables me to concentrate better
Use a calendar app or agenda to plan out your day, ALL of your day.
Keep a routine - get up, shower, get dressed, and go.
Find ways to receive lots of small wins - do some puzzling, solve a problem, do sudoku or word cross anything to give you some positive reinforcement, and get your brain firing.
Get crafty or learn a new skill - maybe you have been wanting to try gardening, painting, drawing, or even just doodling… Anything tactile really…. Knitting! I recently learned how to press flowers and made a card for my mom for Mother Day, and it was such fun.
Get outside and go for a hike/bike ride, or a run. I’ve always been a big believer in the power of exercise and especially when it comes to work, I often find moments of clarity when I am exerting myself
Lastly, before I go, I also just want to reiterate to you to practice patience with yourself. You will continue to face challenges but each time you face a challenge you will grow a little. Even tiny steps forward are a step forward. You may even slip or relapse in some way because you found a trigger you previously weren’t aware of but it will also lead you on to a path of finding the root of the problem and do the healing necessary so next time its not as effective of a trigger.
Eventually you will know yourself better, and actually start to challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone so that you can become stronger.
Alright, well I hope you walked away from today with some new tools and if you have any questions feel free to slide them into my DM. I wish you all a pleasant week and I look forward to catching up again next week! Bye!
