May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and keeping tabs on our mental health is more important than ever during these trying times. As restrictions start to lift, there is a lot of anxiety and fear of the unknown: fear of job security, paying bills, and other things.
As i understand is hearing from those who are struggling, and has provided some advice on some ways to cope with fear and anxiety.
Recognize fear
Begin to recognize your fear by analyzing what you are most worried or anxious about. What is causing you fear?
Ask yourself some questions
Ask yourself; how deep is my fear? Does my fear bring thoughts of wanting to harm myself? Is my fear justified? Am I losing sleep thinking about my fear? Listen to your own answers to see just how much your fear is affecting your daily life.
Self-Advocate
If fear is getting the best of you, now is not the time to keep things to yourself. You must speak up and let someone know your feelings. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to take care of ourselves. Find a trusted friend or a family member that you can share your feelings with.
Write your fears down
Take time to write your fears down, writing will help you to organize your thoughts and allow you to process stress and how you feel. Writing your fears and thoughts down can help you gain control of your emotions while helping reduce your stress level.
Acceptance
As we say often say, “acceptance is the key”. The first step to survival is acceptance. We must accept our situation for what it is, if we ignore or push it away or let it control us – we may make our situation much worse. By not accepting we are choosing denial. Denial is a safe place to be for many yet, with denial can come self-medicating, loss of sleep, reckless activity and blaming others.
Understand
We know that some things we may never understand yet it’s important to know that you are not alone. Know that help is available if you’re willing to recognize and accept the help that is needed.
To learn more about the resources and services i understand provides, visit iunderstandloveheals.org.
