I Should Know Better: Mental Health Self-Care for a Dummy
If you live in the UK, you are probably feeling a bit fed up right now. We’ve had politics up the wazoo, riots, a huge surge in knife crime and crappy weather. I guess that could be pretty much anywhere in the West. My point is, that having a positive mental outlook right now is a challenge.
And it’s all taking its toll on my physical health. My abdominal pain, which I strongly believe is probably an adventurous form of IBS (by adventurous, I mean the pain tends to wander far beyond my irritable bowel), is back with a vengeance. And I’m exhausted ALL THE TIME.
This is pretty bad news for someone who runs a coaching and support business for people with chronic functional illness. I mean, my job is basically to help people get better from exactly the thing I am struggling with right now! As shop windows go, I’m appallingly bad!
But I’m also appallingly honest, and that’s what this article is about.
Functional health issues — as in, stuff we suffer from that the doctor cannot explain by looking at or in the body, like Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain, and IBS — come and go, or fluctuate in strength depending on our stress levels. And when the general hum of stress all around us, caused by stuff we see on TV or hear people talking about in Costa, starts to increase, we have to become vigilant at keeping ourselves calm.
I failed. Big time.
I failed to keep myself away from the steadily negative news of the UK election. I managed to get myself all wound up when people started gathering in the streets and things got ugly. I didn’t take care to limit my time on social media and instead became addicted to checking my X account.
Honestly, it’s embarrassing how badly I have let myself slip, but I am paying a heavy price for it now. Every morning, for the last ten days, from about 5 am through to lunchtime, I am in agony. And I’m so cross at myself for it.
Now, I have to do all the stuff I tell my clients to do and protect myself. I need to get out in the fresh air, get myself connected to my energy and chakras again, and connect with the joy of life. Oh, and I need to delete X from my phone again!
I’m lucky in many ways. I have an inbuilt and highly sensitive alarm — which lives in my bowel apparently (slightly odd!) — and it tells me when my balance is off. It lets me know when I am losing myself in stress and worry, and taking my eye off the equilibrium of the present moment.
My large intestine keeps me accountable to myself…
And thank goodness it does, because, although I could do without the pain, I would hate for my mental health to slide any further into the abyss than it has already.
So my question to you, dear reader, is this: How do you know when to step in, hold a personal intervention, and save your mental health?
I honestly hope the answer isn’t as freaky and intestine-based as mine, but if it is, I see you, friend.
If the answer is that you do know when to step in and limit your exposure to stressors, then I’m delighted for you (and slightly envious). You are self-aware enough to keep yourself in good mental health, and in many ways, you are also protecting yourself from functional illness.
If you don’t know when to step in and stop yourself from sliding further into stress or anxiety, then allow me to walk alongside you for a moment. You are not alone you’re in a HUGE club, and I’m a member too. It’s possible that if you are struggling with stress right now, and you pay attention to yourself for a day or two, you’ll start to realize that your body is giving off little warning signs that your stress levels are too high.
Look for headaches or back aches. Maybe you’re feeling more tired than usual or you have some kind of low-level stomach issue like gas or pain. Maybe your skin has broken out somewhere either in spots or an itchy dermatitis-like rash.
The body will always let you know when your balance is off. It might not scream at you as mine does, but then, mine only started screaming when I ignored the small signs for too long.
If you do recognize the signs of stress overload, and you want to stop your colon from contracting wildly in the early hours (other severe and strange physical warning signs are also available), think about the following:
👉 How much time are you spending on social media? Can you take a break for a week or two?
👉 Do you spend any time out in nature during a normal day? If you don’t you can then do it! Breathe in the fresh air and listen to the birds or the breeze rustling the leaves. Get present in nature.
👉 How do you feel about meditation? Give it a try, or, if you’re a pro already, step it up. Insight Timer is a fab, free app for this. Prayer is also a fantastic option if this is your preference.
👉 Nurturing yourself — do something wonderfully indulgent like take a bubble bath with candles and chocolate, or book a day off and spend it binge-watching Netflix or your favourite movies, with snacks and drinks and zero guilt.
Anything you can do to put distance between your stressors and you will help. And, adding an extra helping of nurturing self-care and spirituality will give your mental wellbeing a boost too.
We’re all human and we all have lives to live which put us in the way of stressful stuff. Make sure you give yourself some credit for the impact it might have on you, and create some space to heal.
That’s what I’m going to do.
And if you’re someone who does have symptoms of stress that your doctor can’t explain, check out www.unitybodyandmind.com for helpful, free resources to set you on a path to health and well-being again.
