It happens to all of us often – several times a week, I get stark reminders that I’m only human. Sometimes those are conscious reminders, but many times the reminders are because of my physical limitations. Like many people, one of the biggest reminder of my physical limitations is that I get tired. I push myself physically, mentally, emotionally, etc., and by the end of the day (or few days) I am exhausted. But because of my mental health challenges, I have a lot of negative connotations with feeling tired, and it’s something I’ve come to loathe. Here’s how I figured this out – and how to figure out what’s next.
Continue readingAuthor: Nathan Smith
Are We Really Talking About Mental Health?
I am tired. Tired of a lot of things, but today I’m sharing one specific reason I’m tired. I’m tired of seeing mental illness get weaponized. Tired of seeing mental health being brought up in bad faith, in harmful, disingenuous and shameful ways that undo the work people have put in for decades to shrink the stigma surrounding mental health. And because I’m bouncing back between rage and sadness (which is just what it is right now) over this and have been for sometime, I just want to express those feelings today, because they need to get out.
Continue readingWinding Up Versus Winding Down
Every so often, I deal with situations or moments that I’ve come to recognize as “winding myself up.” I know that it’s a pretty well-known phrase and this happens to a lot of people, but I wanted to talk about my experience with getting wound up because I think it’s a unique insight into what it’s like to experience anxiety. Even though it can be extremely easy to get myself wound up, it’s much, much harder for me to calm myself down in a similar fashion. So today I ask – why is it so much harder to get wound up than to settle down?
Continue readingA Look at Mental Health in the LGBTQIA+ Community During Pride Month 2022
For the past few years, I’ve done research surrounding mental health and the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month. I think it’s important to understand what mental health challenges exist for unique communities and groups of people, and these statistics help paint that picture. There is a lot to unpack here, but one thing is clear – there are many, many LGBTQIA+ people, both youth and adults, who are unable to get the mental health care they need and deserve.
Continue readingI Took Time Off And It Felt So Good
I’ll be honest – it wasn’t my plan to not write a post last week. I’d had a few things planned but never hit the button to schedule them, so they didn’t happen. But for the first time in a long time, I took a vacation where I was totally, completely and 100 percent offline for a whole work week. And let me tell you…it was wonderful. And I’m writing to you today not to advocate for vacation (which I think you already know is great), but to make the point that actually being offline – whether that’s personally, professionally, etc. – is something that’s sorely needed every once in a while for our mental health.
Continue readingFive Ways To Prioritize Rest
Earlier this week, I wrote about my upcoming vacation, which is coming on the heels of learning just how bad at resting I really am. Most of the time, my first step toward change is awareness – in the past few weeks, I’ve become painfully aware of just how poorly I prioritize rest and getting what I need for my physical health. That’s why I decided to try and five ways that can help me begin to prioritize rest – not because it’s what I want, but because I know it’s what I need.
Continue readingDo I Know How to Rest? Probably Not.
Exciting news – for the first time in a while, I’m going on vacation! I’m going to see my family, enjoy time off work, and hopefully reset and recharge in the way many of us do on vacation. But one thing I’m nervous about is that I’m going to try doing something that doesn’t come easy to me: I’m going to try to rest. I recently learned that not only am I pretty terrible at resting, but it’s probably something I’ve never learned how to do. So how do I handle that?
Continue readingFive Things I Do When I’m Not Feeling Like Myself
Earlier this week, I wrote about what I do when I’m feeling restless or “off.” I think this self-awareness is important for everyone who is trying to understand themselves in a better way. Getting to know yourself is a lifelong journey, and there are many chances to get to know ourselves in a better way, almost daily. I mentioned that there are some things I try to do when I’m not quite feeling like myself, so I wanted to share them today as a chance for reflection, and hopefully some inspiration to anyone aspiring to do the same!
Continue readingWhat to Do When You’re Feeling “Off”
Every so often (maybe one or twice a week), I get a little restless. I feel like I have a lot of nervous energy, and I don’t know what to do with it all. In larger sense, I describe it as feeling “off.” Most of the time, I end up finding a clear reason about why that is – a big life event, a change in my schedule, even just missing a meal or a step in my routine can cause it. But sometimes I can’t quite pick out what’s missing, and that’s what I want to talk about to today. When we’re feeling “off,” what can we do?
Continue readingIf We Know There’s a Stigma, Why Is It Still Here?
When it comes to mental health, one of the things that is discussed a lot is stigma. The stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness comes up a lot in this space, and it’s something that can become impossible to ignore. But as much as people bring it up when we talk about mental health, the stigma continues to exist and cause harm to people who experience mental illness or other mental health challenges. So today I want to answer the question: if we know a stigma exists, why is it still here?
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My Brain's Not Broken 