September marks six months of living with a pandemic — six months of face masks, hand sanitizer, uncertainty, heightened anxiety, restricted travel and social gatherings, and for many, six months of serious hardship, financial instability, and the pain of losing a loved one to this disease. September is also Suicide Prevention Awareness month.
I’m going to cut right to it, love: this shit is hard, and it’s ok if you’re struggling.
In fact, it would be a surprise to me if you weren’t struggling in some way.
The thing I need to keep reminding myself is that I can only see how I am responding to this crisis. Others’ coping strategies are much harder to spot, especially through a screen. You may feel that you’re the only one who’s unproductive, distracted, or disorganized, or that the ratio of chores completed to Netflix shows binged is way out of balance (ahem: me). But others truly are in the same boat. We just can’t see their struggle the same way we can see our own.
In the spirit of acknowledging and prioritizing mental health this month, I want to share some resources for professional support and then share a few things that, in addition to regular therapy appointments, help me to put one foot in front of the other on the hardest days.
Mental Health Support
- The National (US) suicide hotline number is 1 (800) 273-8255. Please reach out if you’re struggling, even if you feel embarrassed, even if you don’t think you “qualify”, even if you’re not sure. You deserve support, and they are there for you without judgment.
- If you prefer non-phone support for urgent mental health needs, try the chatline at Lifeline.com (there may be a wait time) or reach the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. Again, these are both services within the US.
- For those outside of the United States, here is a list of resources for support in your country.
- Reach out to your health insurance company or your employer to see if they are waiving any fees to see counselors or therapists during the pandemic. You can also find therapists that offer sliding scale payment options. It takes some effort to find this professional help, but it is so, so worth it and is one of the best investments you can make in yourself.
Everyday Self Care
For a long time I thought that self care meant simply indulging when I felt down, without restraint; now I know that it means parenting myself with love and giving my body and my mind what they actually need in order to function. I matter, and I need to treat myself well. You do, too.
Listed below are a few small things that I rely on days when I am really struggling. Sometimes a shower is the only thing I accomplish on a given day; other times, it’s just the jump start I need to get a few other things done. None of these is a substitute for professional help, but I do know that each one is a small act of self love that makes me feel just a tiny bit better.
- Take a shower
- Get outside
- Eat and stay hydrated
- Create
- Go to bed at a reasonable hour
In sum: this shit is hard. It’s so, so hard. And you need, and you deserve, to take care of yourself as you’re dealing with something that is unprecedented in our lifetimes. Fill your cup. Please use these resources. You are worth it. You really are.
Together, we will get through this and someday things will be different.
Sending so much love.