MANAGING MINDSET

Words for World Mental Health Day

I just finished my book tour, I am home now for the foreseeable.

And whilst this is a happy thing, it will probably mean a period of unease for me and my difficult mind.

I know myself well. I will now begin to process the energy of the last few weeks and the lack of busyness and adrenaline may leave me feeling a little bereft, uncertain and open to attack from mind monkeys throwing rotten tomatoes.

The fact that I am about to move house means this period is one I have marked with a warning - overwhelm ahead…

So I'm ready for myself.

I have my tools waiting…I will set my intentions the moment my eyes open so my brain and its neurons know which thoughts to keep and which to delete. I will look for light in every moment and I will be kind to myself and not throw impossible lists at my frontal lobe.

In short, I have got myself, in the way I would support one of my boys facing a period of whatever their lives are throwing at them.

I haven’t had time to get stuff done, exercise, or eat well but I won’t scold or punish myself for this, or force myself straight back in; I will add one healthy thing in every day until I feel ready to take on my old routine again. The damage we do to ourselves with derision and disgust is far worse than a few weeks of bad choices.

My words will be KINDNESS, PATIENCE AND CALM.

Guilt, stress and pressure will be stopped at the door and told to keep moving. This is done as simply as it sounds, by repetition and determination to replace negative mental chatter with selected, healthy signals. The science behind this is entirely supportive and fascinating.

It’s World Mental Health Day and as you all know, mental health and its minding, is my mission.

I didn’t set out to become a poet, I set out to create daily words we could use and share, to keep one another well.

When I have suffered in the past, I turned to affirmations and books such as Louise Hay, with their comforting accessibility - because overwhelm stops me from being able to absorb anything more.

When I am struggling, I shut down.

But even in these moments of paralysis, I can take in a poem or a quote that will plant itself into my soul garden and start to grow roots.

I created my books for others to do the same with. Poetry is a wonderful way of spreading these mental health messages but the poetry itself is secondary for me. I’m just talking to your heart and your soul, which will remind your mind how to breathe and create space for peace and clarity.

We are all moving too fast in this modern world, we know this.

Good mental health relies on us regularly sharpening focus on what is important. And allowing the rest to be the blurred background in a photo sometimes.

Honing in on the now and being aware of how much we are in every moment, letting a little of that go to the flow of this life and trusting we will be held somehow.

The power in sharing a quote or poem, that speaks of what we’re feeling in that moment, is immeasurable. I know this from my own experiences but also from the messages you send me every day telling me how.

It is mental health messaging. It is soul sharing. It is heart holding.

You do it every day and I am so very grateful to be a part of it.

There are many ways to be mentally well and there are many times when life throws so much at us that we just have to cling on and survive. But if your practice is in your muscle-memory, you will be so much closer to shore than you were before - even when the waves are high.

I would be delighted if you choose to use one of my books as part of your daily rituals (a random page a day for the message you or someone you love needs. Even if it does not immediately seem to fit - let it ruminate, I promise it will bring what you need, from your own stores and internal library.)

I would be further delighted if you choose to journal with me next year. I will be starting the daily questions in December to run for a year. Writing (a very small amount is all that is needed) each day, is a wonderful way to keep well. If not, the very best.

And if you have other books you rely on or recommend, I would lobe to hear about those too.

Stay well, my friends. You are a universe in skin. What a thing.

Donna

GROWING BRAVE UK, USA

DAILY JOURNAL