Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

Although travelling for me was now quite a few years ago, I really owe that entire experience for helping with my mental health. I’m not being (at least I’m trying extremely hard not to be) a total cliché right now, but I do think a big part of helping mental illness is the ability to become vulnerable without running away. Well I can’t run away whilst I’m away can I, so being extremely vulnerable is really only the only thing I could do. And vulnerable I was. So here we go, five things that helped me the most. Some of them I learnt by chance and continue to do to this day. Others just made me aware of my mental state. All things learnt I’ve taken with me and continue to do in this present day. Remember this is my experience; what works for me may not necessarily work for you, but at least writing this and you, dear reader, taking the time to ponder it through, keeps the topic of mental health open and the stigma a little less prevalent.

1. Going on antidepressants and being honest about them if someone asked what I was taking

Truth be told, going on antidepressants was one of the hardest things I had to a) admit I needed and b) start taking. I still think I hold shame about being reliant on them to make me feel better, especially after a not-very-nice experience I had where someone asked quite aggressively if I was crazy (some mad projecting going on there, but I’m not going to bother letting him know). But going travelling knowing I potentially would never see these humans again meant I felt slightly more comfortable if anyone asked me what pill I was taking at breakfast, instead of lying and saying it was paracetamol. Slowly I realised people didn’t judge me – we’re forgetting the strange individual above and pretending he doesn’t count – and now I’m okay with the fact they help me. I’m also fine with the fact I most likely won’t ever come off them. Sometimes people just aren’t born with the amount of happy hormones they need to keep functioning in a healthy way and with the addition of some pretty traumatic life events, I’d rather rely on something to help me than ever feel the worst I’ve previously felt again.

2. Telling someone when I’m not feeling mentally well

This should be ‘obvious’ right? Well, not for me and I think most likely – and quite unfortunately – not for many other people. Being a bubbly, chatty person I struggled for many years with the idea that my brain, on my darkest days, was failing me. I couldn’t understand that feelings of darkness or blind panic had a space and were not to be covered up with a grin. I thought every day I should be happy and if anyone saw me differently, they’d have their day ruined by me ‘moaning’. Well I wasn’t moaning. And having low days or anxiety attacks is not abnormal. The ability to finally admit when I wasn’t feeling great and treating it like a physical sickness rather than something absurdly different, normalised the situation for me and in turn, I felt more real and less fake. It helped me to connect to the parts of me that were struggling and so through the darkness I started to put fragmented pieces together, rather than unknowingly shattering them even more by pretending all was okay. Journaling what I was really feeling on every trip I’ve ever had to the present day has really helped with being honest and saying when I’m not okay.

3. Having a go-to series or film to watch when you’re feeling not great

An extremely basic thing to have learnt here, but if I’m about to embark on something I know might make me feel anxious (eg. Flying) I’ll make sure I’ve got 5 episodes of something light to watch, in order to take my mind of it. In my case, that’s Friends. Anytime I’ve not been feeling so great, I’ll put on one of the ten series I know by heart, and zone out. When I start watching too much Friends and not getting out of bed, then that a sign things may not be so dandy, but that’s not happened for a while. A few episodes to calm me, rather than escape reality when I’m feeling low, is enough to make me feel better. Similarly, I’ll make sure I watch one of my favourite films to bring me up. Inside Out is one of the best animated movies to watch when you feel low, focusing on how the brain works with different emotions in a fun, lighthearted way. They’re bringing out an Inside Out 2 soon – naturally I’m counting down the days until its release date.

4. Learning something new

This is a tricky one, because usually when you’re in a horrendously bleak period, learning something new is the furthest thing on your mind. In fact, whilst unable to get out of bed for three days, the only thing I was willing to learn was how far under the duvet I could bury myself in order to hide from the world. The same goes for mid-panic attack, because quite honestly, learning a new language or taking up tennis as a new hobby is unlikely to happen whilst I debate whether or not I’m passing out. But if and WHEN those days pass – and they do eventually pass – consider doing something a little new. I took up Spanish after falling in love with the language travelling, learnt online with a tutor on Preply and tried to get back into home exercise classes, with as little pressure on myself as possible. I also built myself a website where I regularly posted blogs so I could read them back in the future. Oh, and you’re on it right now in case you didn’t realise 😂

Whatever it is, doing something a little different where you can learn and build on your craft is incredibly good for bringing you up.

5. Accept the days as they are

Sometimes the worst things I did was to run away from what was troubling me. I did everything possible to stop feeling certain emotions that led me into bad habits, toxic reliances and silly dramas. Now, and with the help of therapy, I’m able to open up about the things that do trigger me and which take me back into low places or anxiety-ridden feelings. With the combination of this and being on antidepressants, urges to partake in things that eventually only make me feel worse are not as strong, and sometimes, I’m able to just let the familiar ‘pull’ to old patterns go. That’s something I never thought I’d be able to do, but after recognising traits on my travels that weren’t healthy, I decided it was important to return to therapy that I had quit months before. I felt ready to tackle things I had been putting off. And finally the weight I’ve always felt heavy on my shoulders has got lighter.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, please tell someone you’re close to, contact your GP or text SHOUT to 85258 for additional support.