Sleep is my new favourite thing

 Saturday 16th October 2020
It's not good having a healthy body if your head is a mess!

Today's world mental health day and I think this year more than ever, we all need to be taking care of our heads not just our bodies!  I remember when I went back to Express Workshops, I'd almost forgot how to communicate with others as I'd spent that much time at home with mom, the art of small talk was a forgotten talent!  I got back into it over the first few weeks but with members not being able to stay for the chat, it did affect things.  This new job is giving me the chance to talk more to others, all be it over the phone, it's still good to chat to people and have a natter about everything and nothing.  I absolutely loved my virtual workshop last Sunday, that was as good as the real thing, with everyone on there. 

How can we take care of our mental health then, well I'm doing a Mental Health awareness course via Walsall College at the moment and that covers things like bipolar, post natal depression and others and I've noticed that regardless of the condition, eating healthy, getting gentle exercise and sleeping well are all suggested to help with your mental health.  

Now I'm thinking, mmm that's the problem sometimes isn't it, we know that we should eat well, move more and sleep enough BUT we don't always have the time to do these things, or we have that much going on in our heads that we can't get to sleep or like me you have another person (OR DOG last night) waking you up and disturbing your sleep.  THEN WHAT can we do?  

Okay we struggle for time, how can we get some back?  Put your phone away, get off social media, tik tok and candy crush - not completely because they are enjoyable but don't let them consume all your time, oh and if you have any 'negative' FB friends, unfollow them, you don't have to delete them just hide them from your newsfeed, follow positive people, that'll help lift your mood.  

Get outside, even if it's a 20 minute walk round the block, a bit of fresh air is good for you!  Multitask if you must, so when I walk Alfie, I make my phone calls or I listen to my audio books, making the best use of my time. 

Meditation does help, I know it isn't easy, you don't have to sit on the floor, I saw this post on Facebook the other day; 

For many of us, this is the most stressful period of our lives. Between the ongoing pandemic, major elections, and general social unrest, we’re all feeling an impact on our mental health.

That’s why, in honor of World Mental Health Day, we're offering a free one-year subscription to Balance to anyone who wants it this month.

Unlock your free year by emailing access@balanceapp.com for instructions.

I've been using it for a couple of days and so far I'm impressed, it's starting very basic which is what I need and only 3 minutes, I did use it to send me to sleep the other night too, brilliant.  Just remember to cancel it before the year is up (set reminder on your phone calendar) it cost £67 a year. 

Going to bed earlier is a no brainer if you're able too, I was thankfully in bed for 9 last night, mom woke me up at 1am, then  the bloody dog woke me at 2am, but I was able to go back to sleep and the dog woke me up again at 6, so I've had 8 hours thankfully, I managed an afternoon snooze yesterday too. OUR BODIES NEED SLEEP!  

Now we know how important it is to surround ourselves with good people, to talk more about the good and the bad, it's also important to disconnect, find a hobby, something to tune you out of the mundane, listen to music, read a book, paint, draw, create, cook (that's my thing at the minute) play with your pet, Alfie was proper frisky this morning so at 6.01am I was rolling around on the floor playing tug of war with him, it's one way to wake up!

A lot of our worries are built around things we can't control and once we realise we can't control others, how they behave and lots of other stuff, once we except that we can't control a lot of stuff, we'll feel a lot better.  Focus on what you can control, be the change you'd like to see in the world lead by example!

Oh and practice gratitude, no matter how bad you think things are, there's always positives!  I was beyond tired yesterday, I couldn't even see straight so I was grateful I didn't have to drive, I enjoyed my walk on the park with Alfie, the trees are glorious with their autumnal leaves right now.  I was also grateful for the district nurse coming to redress moms legs, especially when I found out moms leg results show there isn't any infection which is just brilliant, I know she's in pain but it isn't infected, I'm beyond grateful for that. 

Do something today that's good for your mental health, catch up with a friend, plan to do something fun, plan a healthy meal, read for 10 minutes, go for a walk, book a date night, write a gratitude list, unfollow negative social media accounts, don't watch the news, facetime someone you miss.  Whatever it is - just do something. 

Let's make today a very, great day. 

mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx