With our society right now, and with everything going on everyday all over the world, it is very important to keep a leveled head while dealing with life itself. We often ignore our mental health and place more of a focus and emphasis on our physical health, which is backwards because they go hand in hand. I recently have taken more time out for my own mental health due to traumatic experiences I have had over the last five years, and additional minor issues that have piled up to create bigger issues.

One of the main experiences I have had that really made me focus in on my mental health would be a head on car accident I was in about two – three years ago now. It was not the fact that I was in the accident itself that caused a lot of stress mentally, but the after effects or feelings from everything that happened so fast. I often thought about the what-ifs from the traumatic experience, common questions like, “What if I had not have been out driving?, What if I had not have swerved?, What if I had not have made it out of the situation alive?” These thoughts kept me down mentally, asking a lot of questions, really questioning the entire situation instead of looking at what I should have been thankful for and the lesson learned from the entire situation. I ended up being diagnosed with severe depression and insomnia brought on by sleep apnea. Due to me being sad all the time about what I had lost from the accident itself, this led to me going through stages of depression constantly.

With my search for peace again mentally, I have ran across some really great blog sites and websites that have helped me out a lot, including my own Art Therapy regimen I often do from my own home. When most people hear the phrase “mental health” they automatically think about an expensive psychologist where you walk into an overly clean office, with fluffy carpet and this long chair that you have to lay on your back and reminisce about your past to someone with a clipboard in their hands trying to figure out what is wrong with you, and that’s just not the case realistically. There are many things you can do from the privacy of your own home that can help balance everything out mentally. With the internet growing so much every single day, resources are endless online for mental health awareness, and often are 100% free.

If you need some additional resources or would like to read some additional articles, feel free to check out any of the sites listed below. They are wonderful all the way around from article postings, to interactive activities to help strengthen your mental health.

• Life In A Pile – Free Mental Health Resources That Won’t Cost You A Thing
• JOYday Movement
• Artist Self-Care & My Shortcomings | Sketchbook Sunday #27
• Three Ways Your Own Brain Is Lowkey Holding You Back
• Hitting Rock Bottom Could Be The Best Thing To Happen To You
• Because Self-Care is the Best Care
• HHouse Cleaning
• 6 Things Not To Say To Someone Suffering From Depression
• The Real Roots of Mid-life Crisis
• How To Fall In Love With Yourself Again
• Art Therapy

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (available 24hrs)

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