anxiety

Mental Health Awareness Month 2024

Nathan Smith6 Comments

One of my favorite months of the year is upon us – it’s Mental Health Awareness Month! Held every May in the United States, Mental Health Awareness Month is a month of raising awareness and sharing resources about mental health. It’s a time to educate the public and shed a light on the mental health challenges people face every single day. Together, we are shrinking the stigma surrounding mental illness, suicide and mental health challenges. To start this month off, I wanted to highlight a few campaigns to follow. Regardless of how you get involved, I hope each one of us can raise awareness and hope when it comes to mental health!

Mental Health America – “Where to Start”

Mental Health America, the organization that started Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949, is using the theme of “Where to Start” this year. Per Wikipedia:

“The Where to Start theme was chosen for 2024, with the goal “For anyone struggling with the pressure of today’s world, feeling alone, or wondering if they can feel better, this is Where to Start.”

MHA is also offering a mental health toolkit for people who would like to get more involved in the conversation, but don’t quite know how to start (there is also a Spanish version on their website).

One of the most overwhelming aspects of mental health challenges is getting help. Mental health is a wide-ranging and varied topic, interconnected to many other areas of our lives. A lot of people don’t know where to even begin to get help and because of that, they never do. This campaign serves as a reminder that there are places to go when you don’t know where to go. There’s always a place to start, and this is a good way of doing so.

National Alliance on Mental Illness – Take the Moment”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has titled their Mental Health Awareness Month campaign “Take The Moment.” This campaign encourages people to start conversations and have open dialogues. By sharing the vast amount of resources offered, people can find what works for them when it comes to mental wellness.

We are each on our own journey, and finding what works for each individual drives this point home. When our dialogue about mental health is rooted in empathy and understanding, it’s easier to see a path forward.

SAMHSA – Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit

SAMHSA, or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is an organization that works to highlight the connections between substance abuse and mental health. This month, they have prepared a mental health toolkit as a sort of “one-stop shop” to share information and resources about mental health. This includes social media messages, graphics, and best practices for having healthy discussions about mental health. You can find the toolkit on SAMHSA’s website, which actions and suggestions for posts throughout the entire month.

This month on My Brain’s Not Broken

As I like to do every May, this blog will be a place for sharing resources and information about mental health. In the 7+ years of writing this blog, I’ve seen a lot of growth and improvement in how we talk about mental health. But with everything going on in the world today, it’s more important than ever to check in. Check in with ourselves and our loved ones. Check in with our communities and our local leaders. See who is making mental health a priority, and who might need a gentle push in that direction.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, mental health impacts us all. Mental Health Awareness Month is a time to shine a spotlight on this fact, to learn to live in a happy and healthy way. Sending positive thoughts and vibes to everyone as we continue to shrink the stigma!

Am I Taking Care of Myself? Am I Really?

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Do you ever feel like your day just isn’t going well? I know we all have good days and bad ones, but I’m talking about something different. It’s those days when everything feels a little off, or when every decision you make seems to be the wrong one. These situations are tricky because things could certainly be worse (as we remind ourselves), but that also doesn’t solve the confusing problem at hand. Unfortunately, anxiety can exacerbate some of these more challenging days, taking situations that are challenging and turning them into overwhelming messes (I know where of I speak). But I’m here today with a possible solution, and it’s relatively simple – drink some water.

Okay, okay; this isn’t my entire bit of advice. But it is the lead-in to an important question that, in my opinion, we don’t ask ourselves enough when considering our mental health. And that question is, what am I doing to take care of myself?

Look, I get it; there’s enough going on in our day-to-day lives, it’s easy to understand how some things can fall through the cracks. But taking care of ourselves does not have to seem as difficult, time-consuming or labor intensive as we think. One of the reasons I used to find this topic so daunting is because I thought about this in the context of ‘self-care,’ which to me meant something else entirely. I don’t have time to take care of myself in the ways I need, I’d think.

But here’s the thing: I was wrong. I thought that self-care revolved around a lot of the buzz words and activities we hear about today. Maybe I needed to take more mental health days, or visit a spa. I could do more yoga, or exercise in a way that made me feel good. And while all those things do contribute to self-care, I’ve learned that there are basic things that, when missed, make my day-to-day life more difficult. One of which is just…drinking water.

I remember when I wrote about how our health is more than just physical, and all the research I did into figuring out the different aspects of our health. Even though it made perfect sense at the time, putting it into practice was more difficult than I anticipated. It’s not that I needed to be actively thinking about this; I just needed to be more intentional.

There have been times where I’ve had a headache, or I’ve felt sad, and now I think to myself: do I just need to drink some water? Do I need a snack? A nap? I’m not saying those things solve all my problems (believe me), but there are times where my anxiety or depression can deter the other ways I need to take care of myself. I would guess that over the years, some bouts of depression were made more difficult due to my lack of taking care of myself in other areas in life.

Now before you get ahead of yourself, I want to say that this advice isn’t recommended as a singular fix, or for someone mental health crisis or facing recurring challenges. I didn’t come here to say that your depression will be solved with a drink of water and a little treat (unfortunately for us both). However, figuring out the best ways to take care of ourselves from one day to the next is how we can build a strong foundation for when times are difficult. With patience and practice, our self-knowledge can grow, and make us better equipped to face the next challenge when it comes to our mental health and wellness.

How My Depression Changed Over Time

Nathan Smith2 Comments

You know, it’s funny. You would think, after ten years of living with depression, of experiencing it on and off, I’d have a better understanding of it by now. Some days I feel like I do. I feel like I understand why I’m experiencing symptoms, or I know exactly what I can do to alleviate these symptoms and feel better. But other days, it’s like I’m dealing with depression for the first time. Maybe that sounds like I haven’t learned much about depression, but I’d disagree. For me, there’s a difference between learning about depression and learning about how to deal with my own depression — and that’s what I’d like to talk about today.

When I first learn about a new idea or concept, I love to take in as much information as I can. I don’t know if this is the most helpful way to learn, but it’s my instinct to cast a wide net. Early on in my journey with depression, I cast as wide of a net as I could. I read books, listened to podcasts, watched videos, and tried to glean as much as I possibly could about what it’s like to live with depression. And even though I learned a lot that was helpful, I was also overwhelmed with the amount of information and experiences that exists. Not all the information I learned worked for me, and I got frustrated quickly.

I’ve written about this on the blog before – when it comes to dealing with depression, what might work for me might not work for you, and so on and so forth. But this isn’t simply a message of finding what works for you. What’s gotten me frustrated lately is to see how my depression has changed and adapted to the changes in my life as I continue to move through it. The intrusive thoughts have changed course, attacking different areas of my mental health. The things I was insecure or anxious about at 20 years old aren’t the same things that exist today, and my brain knows that. The symptoms of depression may not change for people over the years but sometimes, it feels like they come from everchanging sources.

At some point in talking about depression, I realized I had to change my focus. Instead of learning as much about the topic as I could, I needed to learn more about myself. I needed to learn about my instincts, my habits, how I dealt with success and failure. I didn’t really know myself, and that lack of self-knowledge was a barrier to mental wellness.

That’s not to say any of this is easy; getting to know ourselves is a life-long journey. We’re constantly growing and changing, and so is the world around us. This is all to say that what’s true for us one day might not be true a few years down the road, and that’s okay. The better we come to know and understand ourselves, the better equipped we are to deal with the mental health challenges in our lives. I know that despite everything, I am better equipped to handle my depression than I did ten years ago, and that fact gives me strength for the present and hope for the future.

I’d love to hear from you on this topic! Do you think the way you experience mental health challenges changes over time? What tips or techniques have you done to help improve your own mental health? Let me know in the comments!

How I Misunderstood the Meaning of Rest

Nathan Smith3 Comments

It’s the wintertime, which means that we’re all tired, and the desire to do anything is as frozen as the weather. I often write about how challenging the wintertime can be for our mental health, and it happens every year. Like seasons, we go through our own cycles, reaching the same points across the calendar year. Even though January has become known as a time of resolutions and rebirth, I enjoy pushing back on that. To me, January is a time for rest. But despite feeling this way, I don’t think I’ve been going about it the right way. Reflecting on this has led me to a new way of thinking for how – and why – I need my rest.

Why do we rest? At first glance, this question has a simple answer: we need it to function. Rest has several benefits for our quality of life, for certain (sounds like a good idea for a future post!). But at the end of the day, humans need rest to be our best possible selves.

So, given that we all know how important rest is, why don’t we get enough of it? According to the results of the “Rest Test,” a survey completed by Durham University,

more than “two-thirds of the public would like more rest…the study also revealed that nearly a third of respondents said they need more rest than the average person, while 10 percent think they need less.”

Science Daily

This survey, which was completed by more than 18,000 people in 134 different countries, speaks volumes about our view of rest as a society. We need rest, and we’re not getting it.

Looking inward, I thought about why I rest. I know the benefits of rest. It improves my health (physical, mental, emotional, etc.); calms me down when I’m riddled with anxiety; and plays a vital role in my mental health toolkit. But here’s where I’ve been wrong in my thinking. Almost 100% of the time, I use rest as a tool. And while I think it’s a good tool, it shouldn’t only be used that way.

In fact, when I think about it, I’m often resting so that, when I’m done, I can immediately go do something else. This doesn’t foster a healthy relationship with rest, and it puts undue pressure on me. My rest needs to be “good” rest, otherwise I won’t be able to do what I want to do. I’m not resting for the sake of it, which can take away the power and benefits of doing it in the first place.

In this era of productivity and life-hacking, I’m concerned that rest often gets misappropriated. Why should I be looking to get the most out of resting my body? What’s the point of rushing through a process that restores my cognitive and physical health? What are we doing here?

I know a large part of this is because of the time of year. I’ve started to think of winter as my time of hibernation, and rest is key to that hibernation. But it’s an important thing to reflect on all year-round. As I move through the winter, I am hoping to reassess my relationship with rest – why I do it, how I do it, and what I’m trying to accomplish. In doing so, I hope that not only can I develop a healthier relationship with rest, but with myself.

I’d love to hear from you on this topic! How do you think we view rest in today’s world? Why do you think people aren’t getting the rest they need? Do you think you’re getting the rest you need?

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein

One Foot in Front of the Other

Nathan Smith2 Comments

Time can be tricky to manage. Sometimes, it feels like time is moving at a snail’s pace. Other times, it feels like our life is moving faster than we can keep up with – weeks, months (even years!) might feel like they pass in the blink of an eye. Regardless of how it moves, my least favorite aspect of time is when I tend to lose track of it.

This fall, I celebrated six years of blogging. In fact, this is my 500th post on My Brain’s Not Broken – a number so high I can’t even process it at the moment (and no, I didn’t intend for this post to be number 500, but here we are!). At some point a few years ago, I got into the rhythm of writing two blog posts per week. It felt manageable, I had a lot to write about, and I felt like there was a ton of experience to pull from in writing my posts. But in the past few months, I started to feel pressure when it came to my blog, and it was a new experience for me.

I’ll be clear, though; all this pressure was internal. I don’t quite know when it happened but somewhere in the past few years, I started to feel the pressure I’d put on myself to churn out two blog posts every week. For all you creators out there – you know what it’s like to put out content because you’ve made a commitment and you told yourself you would do it. The goals I set for this blog are entirely internal and up to me to create and yet, I feel extreme pressure from myself all the time to live up to the expectations I set – even if those expectations aren’t always realistic.

This post is my way of trying to return to this space feeling a little fresher, a little more rested, and ready to get back into blogging. But in the spirit of honesty, that’s not entirely true. Sometimes, taking a break from something can give us the rest we need. But it can also become a source of anxiety and stress if we don’t know what our break is for or how long we’re doing it. When I take a break from something, that’s usually what happens.

Unfortunately, I am not returning to this space refreshed, or ready to tackle this project with a fresh sense of perspective. However, I am returning with a renewed purpose. Going forward, I might not be posting as much as I’d prefer. But I’ve determined that continuing to write, to continue sharing my story and the stories of others is ultimately more important than not posting at all. I’ve seen the power and strength that come when people speak up about mental health and mental illness, and it’s these moments that continue to fuel me.

However this journey continues for My Brain’s Not Broken, I am excited. I want to give myself the grace and understanding I give to others because we’re often kinder to other people than we are to ourselves. Even though mental health awareness has improved in many ways since I started this blog, people’s mental health and wellness are being tested in ways that I couldn’t imagine a decade ago. All I can do now, in this moment, is to keep moving at my own pace, deliberately, head held high, one foot in front of the other. And I hope that when you have these same moments when you feel like you have no more to give, you can find it in yourself to do the same.

“You simply have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Put blinders on and plow right ahead.” - George Lucas

Jumping From One Thought to Another

Nathan Smith2 Comments

One aspect of mental health that I think is fascinating is the idea of high-functioning mental illness. I’ve written posts about high-functioning anxiety and high-functioning depression and even though I’ve learned a lot about both over the years, there is still so much to learn. Lately, I’ve thought a lot about how my brain works when I’m experiencing high-functioning anxiety – the way I race to get things done, the pressure I put on myself to finish things by the arbitrary (often unrealistic) deadlines I’ve set. Today, I want to reflect on why it can sometimes be challenging to race from one thing to another all the time.

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A Busy, Busy, Busy Mind

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As someone who lives with anxiety, my brain often feels like it’s moving a million miles per hour. I think we all feel this way at one time or another; we have so many things to do, and it doesn’t seem like there’s enough time to do it all. I’ve noticed the themes of relaxing and slowing down on my posts in recent months, and I think that’s a response to my current state of being. I always deal with the challenge of a busy mind from time to time but lately, I feel like it’s a daily struggle. Why is my brain trying to do everything, everywhere, all at once? And what can I do about it?

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Summertime and the Living is…Busy

Nathan Smith1 Comment

It feels like I write a version of the same post every year. I don’t intend to write this post, and I don’t even know how I get to the point I do. But at some point during the summer, I take a moment, I look around, and I take in just how busy I am.

Oh, you thought I’d say how calm everything was at the moment? That after writing about the importance of slowing down, I’d be able to have create more time for myself? Though I have been able to create some time for myself and been able to spend time with people I love, my life feels anything but calm.

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My Brain’s Not Broken Song of the Month – Don’t Matter Now

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I love music. I love listening to it, having it on in the background, seeing it live, popping on a record. I love the way music can make me feel any and every emotion there is, sometimes without even trying. Most importantly, I love music because of the way it impacts my mental health.

That’s why, each month on My Brain’s Not Broken, I’m going to share a song with you. It might be a song I can’t stop listening to at the moment, or a song I have a history with. It could be a song I don’t know much about, or I’ve listened to a thousand times. Regardless of the reason, these songs have inspired me and my mental health, and I want to share them with you. Whether you’ve heard of them or not, I hope these songs give you more insight into my world and my approach to mental health.

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More Overwhelmed Than I Used to Be

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It feels like it happens more often than it used to these days. I’ll be trying to finish a task or make a decision, and my brain will freeze up. I’ll get panicked, and I won’t be able to complete the task I started (if I can even remember it in the first place). I lose my breath, lose focus, lose my grip on whatever I was doing. This feeling I get, the feeling of becoming overwhelmed, has become more of a problem for me in recent years. In today’s post, I want to try and figure out why.

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