tips

Mental Health Monday

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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.)

Mental Health Monday – Election Edition

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Whatever happens (or doesn’t happen) tomorrow and in the following weeks, once you’ve cast your vote, there isn’t anything left to do. Settling into that in-between time between when the polls open and when the President-Elect is announced can be fraught with anxiety and worry. I feel it, too.

I’m going to vote first thing in the morning with my final first-time voter child, have an unhealthy breakfast (probably McDonald’s), drop my other child off at work, and then go to work myself, and then I’m going to let it go until I catch up to Rachel Maddow in the evening.

We planned our dinner around watching the returns, but my plan is to remain in a neutral frame of mind. That doesn’t mean that I don’t care about the outcome – I care very much, but it will be out of my hands, and I need to hope that everyone understood the assignment.

My advice to anyone who’s very anxious is to turn off the television and do something else. You will know when it’s time to come back to the news. Read a book. Drink water. Watch a rom-com or another favorite genre. I may hit up the Supernatural reruns because they soothe me. What soothes you? Use it.

And tomorrow, we’ll see what the world wants to tell us.

Peace.

Travel in the Time of Covid, Again

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Back in November, I published a travel piece on covid traveling. I was about to write a new one for this summer as protocols have changed, but in reading it, except for the references to Thanksgiving travel and with the Delta variant and low vaccination rates in parts of the country, it is sadly still up to date.

You can read it here: Travel in the Time of Covid.

A few things that I’d like to emphasize if you’re planning on a family vacation or even a stay-at-home vacation with local experiences:

1. Masks, social distancing, and Hand sanitizer. For all practical purposes, nothing’s changed. Wear your mask, wear a double mask in places with higher covid numbers, and wash your hands and use hand sanitizer when soap and water isn’t available. Keep six feet (or 2 meters) away from non-family/group members.

2. Contact Tracing. Expect to give out your name and phone number when asked for it. Each locality will have different rules and requirements.

3. Attractions. Check on capacity and if you need a reservation. Many places will limit how many people can visit at a time. Places may have timed tickets. Places may require social distancing. They may also require proof of vaccination.

4. Restaurants. They may require reservations. They may have longer wait times due to social distancing and capacity limits. They may have limited menus, and may also be short-staffed. Their hours may be different than normal.

5. Hotels. Hotels that offer free breakfast may not; they may have substitutes. They may have limited housekeeping due to staffing or wanting to limit how many people go in and out of each room. Pools and fitness centers may be closed or have limited access.

6. Shopping. Use your debit/credit card as much as possible and avoid cash if you can. Some places we went to last year refused to take cash at all.

I’d love to hear what tips you have used for your most recent vacations or trips. Comment below.

Stroke Awareness Month – Diet and Healthy Lifestyle

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Link: As a stroke survivor, here are some diet and healthy life suggestions from Stroke.org

In addition to this last post for this month’s awareness series, I have three other links for you to visit:

Strokes in Young Adults (recent – Luke Perry and John Singleton)
John Singleton
Luke Perry