The Things that keep me on track

Firstly struggling with my mental health is not an easy thing to admit to, especially in the workplace but taking the step to admit it has, in my experience, always given me back some control and always been met with respect and compassion. (nervous deep breath ! )

The following are just some of the things that I've been doing to keep myself "on track" during this time .

Being mindful of the little things : When asked how my day had been I used to use the blanket response "just awful !" but keeping a journal of moments in the day that gave me joy or pleasure lifts my mood enormously.  If depression is your thing a moment listening to the birds sing, watching a squirrel nibbling a nut or noticing a child's laughter can give a brief respite from your mood.  All these small moments can add up to a "not so bad" day after all.  It helps me enormously to keep my mood in perspective. 

This leads me on to "mindful walking ".  We started going for a walk as a family every evening at the start of lock down and it has been the thing I most look forward to.  Walking mindfully can be harder some days than others depending on my mood.  It's so easy to let my mind drift to worrying thoughts or a "to do" list I haven't completed.  The trick is to notice every time your mind wanders and bring it back to the moment by smelling a flower, noticing a birds song or the touching a leaf. The more I practiced this the easier it became giving me respite from anxious thoughts. 

Sometimes doing some Art project, gardening or even reading a book can seem like an unachievable mission to me on darkest of days and can lead to a sense of failure, but celebrating the small "wins" instead of focusing on what I haven't done can really help . 

Lastly I want to share a book a friend gave me recently,  "The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse " by Charlie Mckay .  The photo's included are extracts from it , I hope it helps . 

Author:  Louise Flower