Well friends, we made it to summer! Year in and year out, May remains one of the busiest months of the year. This year was no exception; it felt like every day brought something new. Another task to complete, another new task popping up to add to the list. When May ends, I try to take a deep breath and resettle myself. When we can take a moment for ourselves before jumping into something new, it can make a world of difference.
Continue readingmental health
Closing Out Mental Health Awareness Month 2023
As we reach the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, I’d like to reflect a little bit. I often reflect on the state of mental health; I try to figure out how we, as a society, view mental health and wellness. In the year since the last Mental Health Awareness Month, have we improved things? What does it mean to spread awareness, and are we doing a good enough job? There are many conclusions this month has led me to, but what I want to focus on today are next steps. How do we go beyond mental health awareness? How can we build a better world, focused on wellness and healing?
Continue readingMBNB Song of the Month – You’re Not Alone
Last month, I started my Song of the Month series of posts. Each month on the blog, 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. This month: “You’re Not Alone” by The Mowgli’s.
Continue readingFinding the Right Words
How would you describe yourself? What words would you use? Would you describe yourself using full sentences, or create a list of adjectives? When I think about the way I describe myself, my brain freezes. It’s not that I’m afraid of using the wrong words, of talking about myself in a way that’s disingenuous. Actually, it’s the opposite; I’m worried I won’t include words that would clearly state who I am. I get scared that there’s a part of me that will never be known, things that will never be shared.
Continue readingThe Vulnerability of Sharing Your Story
Oftentimes during Mental Health Awareness Month, people share their stories about mental health. They open up about their struggles, the challenges that mental illness can present. These stories can vary in experience, but there is a common purpose: to raise awareness. By sharing our stories, we are creating spaces that help other people share theirs. But sharing our stories is much easier said than done, and that’s what I want to talk about today.
Continue readingGetting The Help We Need
Wouldn’t it be nice if mental health was simple? If we could do one or two things, and that would solve our problems? I’d love that. One of the aspects of mental illness I dislike the most is how persistent it is. I’ll be going on about my day, trying to get tasks done, and then feel a flash of anxiety. Or I will get sad for no reason at all, as if the world is closing in on me. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way; for millions of people, it is a daily challenge. Some days I’m up to the challenge; other days…not so much. But regardless of what I’m able to do in that moment, I’ve learned something over the years that has brought peace and understanding in hard times. We can try our best to look after mental health, but it’s not only up to us. And more than that, it’s a myth that it ever was.
Continue readingFive Ways You Can Raise Mental Health Awareness Right Now
How can we raise mental health awareness? The answer isn’t as easy as it seems. Many people agree that it’s important to raise mental health awareness, but they don’t always know how or when is the best time. In my opinion, there’s no bad time to raise mental health awareness. It’s always a good time to talk about mental health, and you never know who it can benefit. In fact, I came up with five ways that you can raise mental health awareness right now! I hope one of these ways will help and inspire you to raise awareness, in your own way, this month.
Continue readingBy the Numbers: The State of Mental Health in the US in 2023
Every year during Mental Health Awareness Month, I find statistics and data that help show the state of mental health in the United States. Mental illness and mental health challenges are extremely prevalent in today’s world, and diving into the data is one of the clearest ways to show that. The more we can rely on the numbers, the sooner we can stop relying on assumptions and anecdotal evidence to talk about mental health. Here’s the most recent data I could find about mental health in 2023.
Continue readingMy Brain’s Not Broken Song of the Month – Don’t Matter Now
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.
Continue readingLosing Track of Where I Am
There are many ways my life has changed in the past few years. Many of those things are in my day-to-day life, but I also feel like the world is changing around me. From the way we work to the way we interact with the world, these changes mean that my life looks different. One of these ways is the ever-growing presence of multi-tasking in my day-to-day life. I’m not here to defend or attack multi-tasking (at least not today), but there’s no denying that it’s part of our lives. Not only is it easier than ever to multi-task, but I also tend to notice I can create more issues than I solve by doing so.
Continue reading
My Brain's Not Broken 