12/01/2017

Hey It's Okay To Not Be Okay



This title probably alludes to advice we could all do with remembering but it is without a doubt easier said than done.

So 2017 is and really has been the year of acknowledging the above. A lot has changed. I stopped studying, got a full time job, ended some relationships and came to terms with life altering events. Without saying too much, if you have ever seen/experienced someone dealing with an illness, you will know how devastating and scary it can all be.

This has also been the year in which I took charge of my mental health. Since early in the year I have been seeing a therapist. Since starting, I've been having regular sessions a couple of times per month. I am extremely grateful to be in a job where mental health is absolutely valued. I am also fortunate I can afford these sessions. They aren't cheap but the difference my therapist makes to my life is worth its weight in gold.

She encourages me to write and write with abandon. It's no secret that writing is always very cathartic for me but it really helps me to make sense of the ever-present thoughts in my mind.

Mental health has been a topic I've wanted to delve into on this corner of the internet and offline as well for ages. There's still way too much of a stigma around it and that seriously needs to shift. We all perhaps personally experience something like anxiety and depression. Alternatively we know somebody else that has been affected. If there is one thing I have learnt this year it is that talking helps. It helps so much. This is only the beginning, I will be talking about mental health more in the New Year on the blog. 

So I've really drifted from the title of this post. What comes with having no plan as such but it needs reiterating. It is okay to not be okay. Cut yourself some slack. You are stronger than you think and I bet those around you think you're doing amazingly. Hold your head high and be kind to yourself.

If you need to reach out to someone/want more information on services within NZ:

Mental Health Foundation (more information and additional services+contact numbers here).

 Lifeline

 Depression Helpline

 Youthline

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