Springtime is nature’s renewal and our renewal, too. When the flowers of spring bloom, the sun shines warmer now and then, and rain might fall all day, those April showers that bring May flowers, we might renew ourselves, too, bloom the best of ourselves a little brighter.
May is Mental Health Month. We don’t have to be mentally sick to work on getting mentally better. We never outgrow our need for better mental health, nurture our own blooms as best we can.
Sometimes daily gratitude time helps turn our attention from negative to positive. There is no lack of challenge and hard things to deal with in our world.
Try an experiment. Find a time every day, any amount from three minutes to 30. Either by writing, drawing, or just mentally talking to yourself, notice what is
positive in your environment, your life in general and the world. Naturally you might think of this at other times too, but keep your appointment with yourself for the special focus. After three or four weeks, ask yourself to review, discover any difference this makes in your attitude and general well-being.
Additionally, look at the balance of giving and receiving in your life. Of course, not every situation or relationship in our lives is close to equally balanced.
Often, however, we have more choices than we realize. Look at the overall balance of how much you give and how much you receive.
Changing that balance might feel uncomfortable at first. Small changes usually fit into life better than big drastic changes, so just make a shift. Maybe you will share more about yourself, or listen more, or give yourself time alone, or volunteer to help someone. If you do this, whether in an organized way or informally, review your life and satisfaction level after three or four weeks. See if you’ve made a difference.
Remember another factor. If we do not have the basic, bare bones of physical stability: food, shelter and safety, most of us cannot work on our happiness and general mental health issues.
It is very hard to be homeless, not have enough money for food, or live in fear of physical or sexual danger. These needs need attention first. It can be hard to find a resource, friend or family to help. Be careful not to judge yourself or others.
I believe we still have a caring world enough to help each other somehow.
Let’s always work on our mental health. Some issues surface again and again in our lives, like layers of an onion. For in-depth work in therapy, one way to choose a therapist is to google
Psychology Today, followed by your zip code. You’ll find a list of therapists, each with a profile of information about their style of therapy.
Whatever it takes, let’s always work to make our mental health better.
Mary Ricketson makes her home in Cherokee County. She is a licensed clinical mental health counselor in private practice in Murphy. She has a special interest in women’s issues.