The 10th of October is World Mental Health Day. It is thought that one in four people in Ireland will experience metal health problems which is around 1.2 million.
I suppose at some point major life events put us under pressure and things like coping with grief can be very hard.
I'm a big believer in small things that we can build into our day to keep our heads in a good place. It's different for everyone one but things like waking, exercise, crafting and art are great places to start.
For me crafting is a huge thing. I was introduced to the idea of mindfulness a few years ago and before that I knew crafting had a great calming effect but couldn't articulate why. Mindfulness is about living in the moment. Not worrying about what's coming tomorrow or the next day and not mulling over what happened yesterday.
When you do something creative or crafty it occupies your mind and usually your hands.
And because of this you are being present in the moment thinking about the task that you are doing. This has been proven to reduce stress and improve mental health.
This week we will do a craft Activity in our crafternoon class with the kids that I came across on a course a few years ago. It's designed to promote a positive self image and I was thinking that us adults might be able to use of some of the other activities I did so I thought I'd share them. One is to understand ourselves a bit better, what we are good at and where we need help and the other is things that we like to try and build them into everyday.
Do something every day that keeps you head in a good place and I'll leave you with something that was said to me that stuck or and has helped me feel 'normal' on some bad days....
'you can be blessed and still be struggling. Everyone has ups and downs that's part of life'.
