It’s hard to believe that this is the first MHM of the new year. And it’s the second week of February. It goes without saying that we probably could have used a mental health check and break long  before today with everything going on in the world.

I’m becoming someone I don’t like. Uncaring. Inflexible. Intolerant. Angry. Vengeful.

This Administration is beyond appalling, and the spiderweb of fissions emanating out from the center of it will have lasting ramifications long after he and his corrupt associates are gone, dead, and buried.

We think the government is so big, but the reality is that while we can trim the fate from excessive spending, there are reasons for some of it.

One example: USAID. Funds ceased. Employees laid off or furloughed. Those people won’t be able to pay bills, rent, mortgages. Those companies will then not be able to pay their bills. And what about where the funds go? Kids across the globe will not receive schooling, medicine, safe water to drink, healthy food to eat. Shelter. And even if you don’t care about the world’s children, what about the Midwest farmers who will lose billions of dollars in lost revenue because USAID is no longer paying them for their products. Those people have their own kids to feed, bills to pay, and businesses to run. But the richest man in the world cut off their funding with complicit Republicans in Congress and the President.

Now, reading this, it wasn’t supposed to be a political post; it’s supposed to be about your (and my) mental health, but here we are.

Even when the topic isn’t the dystopia that’s enveloping us in the US and that we’re projecting on our allies and neighbors, it comes down to what is sabotaging our mental health.

For my family, while money is still a touchy subject and issue for us, I am now working. Part-time. We’ve made the commitment not to spend my paycheck except on overdue bills, medical bills that insurance doesn’t cover, and saving for our family vacation. So far, except for Christmas and other holidays, we’re managing as planned.

Our family is no different in many ways than many of those reading it.

How are you coping with the world at large so far this year? How are you coping with the little things that writ large because when we’re struggling there all big things?

5 Things I’ve Done Since the New Year

1. Breathe. Always keep breathng.
2. Journal. Write it down. Even if you eventually toss it in the trash, get it out.
3. Take a Break. When I drove my son to work this morning, I had two hours until my next appointment/commitment. I went to Starbucks for an hour and enjoyed my new favorite drink. (And of course, listening to their perfect playlist!)
4. Meditate/Contemplate. In whatever way you find comfortable. For some of us that’s sitting in nature. For others, it’s power walking around the mall. Some of us pray, and some of us watch mindless television.
5. Social Media. Whether that’s consuming more or less, free blocking the people who sabotage your mental health and mental safety. Decide how much you want in your life. (Of course, this will change over time – you’ll take in more, you’ll avoid more, depending on life’s circumstances, and that’s ok.)