The last year has been incredibly frustrating and challenging, especially for our mental health. If you've been finding yourself hitting burnout faster than ever before, you're feeling less tolerant than usual, and most days run out of energy by 2 pm, I'm right there with you. I read an incredibly validating post by @villagetherapyab on Instagram about The Covid Mental Load, and it hit home. It talked about the invisible weight we are all carrying right now, whether we recognize it or not. And while I am no self-care master, there have been a few things that have helped me when that mental load gets too heavy, and I thought maybe they might help you too. If not, this can be a kickstart to create your list of things that you can come back to whenever you need it.
1. Reading
Not just reading any book, but the genre you love to read. Pick up a book by your favourite author. There is great value in stretching ourselves by reading outside of our comfort zones and from different perspectives. But on your most difficult days, I encourage you to pick up that book you know will fill your cup. Allow yourself to escape for a minute and get lost in the world of your favourite characters, time period, or trope. This almost always leaves me feeling more refreshed than when I started. This is the time for a comfort read.
2. Create a mood-boosting playlist
I heard about this idea once, and it has had my back multiple times. Create a playlist filled with songs that you love. The songs that come on and you can't help but sing along to, dance around your kitchen, or bring up good memories. Mine includes a lot of musicals, Disney and Elton John. Then save that playlist only for the rainy days to pump you up when you need it. Don't wear it out, or it will lose the magic.
3. Having a goal
Having somewhere to direct my energy and refocus after a tough day/week/month has been instrumental for my mental health. For me, the goal has been running. I want to get faster, stronger, and go longer this year than I was able to in 2020. Plus, the boost of endorphins from moving my body certainly helps put me in a positive mindset.
The magic comes from having a goal that excites you to work towards when you're feeling stuck. Your goal can be anything that brings you happiness, recovery, energy, or closer to who you want to be. I don't care if your goal is to laugh more, learn to cook or complete a triathlon. The thing is, we are all going to stumble, fall off the plan we made, and feel stuck in this season. And after we've allowed ourselves to be in that place and given ourselves grace, we come back to that goal that excites us. Listen to a podcast about it, brainstorm, take a little step forward and start to get momentum again. It's about having something that will help pull you out of the water when you feel like you're drowning. It's okay to float there for a while. Once you're ready to get out, that goal is the lighthouse, so you don't get lost on the way back.
I hope these three ideas can help some of you as much as they have helped me. If you try them, please let me know and send me a DM on Instagram @literarilylauren. You can also check out the list below for books I've read that brought me joy, no tearjerkers here!
Joy Booklist:
1) Furiously Happy - Jenny Lawson
A Non- fiction book about mental health that will make you laugh out loud.
2)Life's Too Short - Abby Jimenez
A romance novel that will make you see life with fresh eyes.
3) Wonder - R. J. Palacio
A heartwarming book for all ages about inclusion and kindness.
4) The Book of Awesome- Neil Pasricha
This is a fun one for all my non-readers who want to appreciate the little things.
Yours Literarily,
Lauren.
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