Anika’s Thoughts of the Week 4

As I am lying here, trying to relax I thought to myself what can I share with you all that has not only helped me but might even help you.  My son was talking to me about his meeting with CAMHS and I found it interesting listening to things I had forgotten to do.

You see, I suffer from anxiety and depression and sometimes that combination of factors impacts me badly and I just go into what I call a state of “I am done”.  My body and mind can’t take any more and I just stop everything, which is what I can do. I will just sit quietly and wait until it is ready to go again.  Maybe it is shock, maybe something else but while it is going, I will wait for it to finish.

And do you know, in life there ARE times we are still and have time to think and other times we can be very active.  If you take your car to the station and then take a train to work you can think while you drive and then relax on the train.  I do know that not everybody does this, but it is just an example you can think about and how it compares to your life.

Someone once told me to leave SPACE in my day so it didn’t feel too much to do.  And space is what we need.  Sometimes we need people, and sometimes we don’t.  There are times we need our bodies and minds to rest and I think that’s good for all of us to think about.

I know I used to fill my days too full and not have any breathing space but margins like these are ESSENTIAL for our mental health and we need to give it to ourselves.  We are just as important as anybody else and we need to defend these as much as we can.  Now please note, I am not asking you to do anything you wouldn’t be told, if your mental health is getting you down.

TREASURE 

To remember that I am worthy of space which gives me the time and energy to do more things and rest my body and mind.