Mental Health Matters

This is your reminder … to take care of your mental health … INTENTIONALLY.

Lots of people wait until things get heavy to do the work of mental health maintenance. I talked with a friend this week who told me they can’t think of a reason to go to therapy, but if something ever comes up or happens, they’ll consider it.

I’m not judging them. I get it.

I am learning, however, that it’s the in-between that really matters. In-between the crises and the overwhelming mountains of work and responsibility, in the shadow of our best selves.

I try not to critique myself in terms of “best” and “worst” because those terms can be unhelpful, but I think you get my meaning. I’m referring to the moments when, as they say, life is just life-ing. And in those moments, you may not be peak level functioning (which is totally alright, it happens).

Admittedly, we’re not all the same; some people “bounce back” faster than others. Only you know your recovery record. But when life demands that you perform no matter where you are on your journey, you’ll find it to be a good practice if you get ahead of what holds you back.

Prepare yourself. Devote intentional time to scanning, calming, breathing, and affirming. Be consistent in conditioning your mind to face whatever life (and teaching) brings, with the strength of whatever measure of confidence and tenacity your preparations afford you. Never forget, it’s better not to go into it empty.

This week I’m going to do my best to attend to this daily. Teaching is an exchange of energy between the instructor and an entire room of other energies. Even the silent students who never open up and have little to say tug at us internally. So unless we show up as robots, we are affected in one way or another. And this doesn’t account for the myriad other responsibilities we carry as adults, spouses, employees, friends, and family. It can be a lot.For that reason, it is imperative that you remember that—most especially for those who devote themselves to the life of the mind—mental health matters.

You don’t need anyone’s permission to prioritize self-care. You don’t need to earn it. You don’t need to feel guilty about it. You don’t need to explain it. You don’t need to apologize for it. You don’t need to share it. And you don’t need to neglect it. The things you love the most require you to be well, and there is nothing more important than that.