Taking Time For Your Mental Health

At the time I'm writing this I am sat at home, having a mental battle with myself on whether or not I should go to the Arbonne Christmas Party that at this moment in time starts in just over an hour. The outfit I'm wearing is the least Christmassy thing ever and although it was an outfit I once rocked with ease I now find myself feeling really uneasy in it, picking at every little thing and to be honest with you getting myself in a bit of a tissy. So I thought what better time to blog, something that historically calms me down and makes me feel better than now.
Let me tell you, this post is not something I ever thought I'd be writing but I thought it was something worthwhile sharing as so many people have similar struggles, its sometimes good to read these to know your not alone in how your feeling. 
As its now 2018, I thought I'd actually post this - my goal for this year is to be much more open with my mental health and to get control over it again, rather than letting it control me and dictate what I do with myself. 


I honestly never really thought about my mental health all that much, that was until this year. When my ex and I broke up at the start of the year I was all about doing things that made me happy - not really caring about what people thought of me. I'd go out a lot with my friends - spending so much money on getting so drunk that I'd be ill the next day (but hey at least at the time I was super happy) basically just drowning my feelings in alcohol. I also threw myself into pole - pole was my release, I always found money for it and always made the time for it going twice a week every week for a long time. As I started to feel better though I started to drink less and go to pole less. For a long time I was so so so happy - or at least I thought I was, I think I just managed to stuff how I was feeling into a box in my brain until it started to crack - I started to crack. 
I'm gonna say right now that David (my boyfriend) is my absolute rock. I don't know what I'd do without him, I'm so independent normally so when I first told him about how I was feeling and what was going on with me I was so nervous as past experiences doing so hadn't really gone overly well for me... He is so supportive and always has my back no matter how stupid I think whatever I'm saying or doing is. Without me rambling on much more here we go on the things I find help me with my mental health. 

Writing

Ok so I'm gonna break this down into two categories, first up we'll talk about the wondrous things called lists.Sometimes I find that just writing down all the nonsense inside my head helps me keep a clear head. Also just having a general to-do list for the day, week or even long term for the month is good! Knowing you've achieved what you set out to do sometimes is so reassuring to me. 
The second thing I'd honestly say has helped me a little is writing down how I feel each day. Keeping a diary is so helpful, even if its just to show you the amount of good days compared to the bad days. I'm not going to lie though, sometimes while I'm journaling I end up full scale balling my eyes out cause recapping the day can be so horrific for me. I haven't done this recently though as I feel a bit silly doing it if David is just sat in bed next to me - so I tend to only do it when hes on his computer.

At this point though, I'd like to say that having really pretty note pads and pens makes doing this all the much more enjoyable. 

Pamper Yourself 
I say pamper, but this could literally be as simple as having a shower. I can sometimes go days without having a shower - gross I know - but I honestly just dont have the energy nor sometimes do I even really care. Unfortunately for me, my personal care has taken a hit recently with the most effort I make being brushing my hair to go to work. 

However! Having a night in with a lovely bath, face mask, cosy pj's and a nice hot chocolate (or glass of wine if thats more your thing) can be just the thing you need to pep up your mood, if ya know your already showering on the regular unlike me... When I do take the time to have a bath, put on a face mask ect - I proper savour it. Its something I rarely do so I make the most of it, using multiple masks, the nicest bath products - I love you Lush but this is where the real luxury brands come in for me. Theres nothing nicer than using some really expensive bubble bath or bath salts when you feel like shit - at least thats what I think. 

Have things you love nearby
I adore my cuddly toy penguin - I actually have two - one in Davids and one in my mums house. Toy penguins make me so happy its unreal. I also love nothing more than having my wee dog Daisy next to me and ofc David - he'll always put a smile on my face. Playing around with my makeup is also something I adore doing - lack of energy and cares though has meant I haven't done this in ages - so it might be something I decide to put some energy into soon when I get back to being a wee bit more like me. 

Read 
Reading books gives you time to escape and get lost in a book for a little while. I recently started reading The Life Changing Art Of Not Giving A Fuck, I can honestly say hand on heart that I love this book. Its not something I'd usually go for but I heard so many people talking about it - and although its a self help type book it doesn't read like a self help book. The writer of this has two new books but I've yet to get them - hoping David can buy me them. 

What ways do you find help with your mental health?