How Random Posts Enlighten My Mental Health Journey

I have always enjoyed writing and explaining concepts using creative ways and word choice that allow me to really connect to the heart of the reader or listener. But making time has always been difficult, so my solution was to use my social media platform as a writing tool to expand my creative sparkle. I committed to a weekly post on my Instagram account using one of my many photos I kept from random places and using it as a prop to write. Typically, I start brainstorming days ahead as I go over the picture selection and what to write about or I can come up with something creative on the spot and post it right away. This creative process is rewarding as it helps me get out of the mundane, while inspiring others. Although there was a flow in my creativity, it lacked structure and organization.

In the month of May 2024, this started changing as we enter the month of Mental Health Awareness. Believing that everything we do starts in the mind, requiring us to keep planting positive seeds in it, this topic was highly important to me. So, I had an insight on making a post on the topic: “How about creating a post on Mental Health Awareness on the first day of May?” After my first post, an even better idea came in “How about a daily post about Mental Health Awareness?” Since most of my posts are about positive changes in life, this task seemed less daunting. Through my words, I wanted to give insights on the need to prioritize mental health. My first post started with the quote “Your mind is the most powerful tool you have,” followed by the meaning I derived from it and that I believe will also resonate with others and finalized it with an action plan to apply to their life. I usually derive meaning from my experiences or from life in general as they relate to the picture I use. Also, I conducted a quick google search for different perspectives on Mental Health and started organizing my quotes and notes to create daily posts. The goal was to create and post daily for the next thirty days on Mental Health Awareness while inspiring others.

What happened by the end of this plan was completely surprising yet enlightening. I learned more about my own mental health needs and started to assess how healthy it really is. Is it ok to always feel bad for putting myself first in certain situations? Why do I feel bad when I am not able to help another? Why do I always feel let down? Was I setting expectations on others instead of focusing on mine? Constantly putting the needs of others before me, a sign? Taking on other projections, attitudes or circumstances like mine? Worrying about little things that do not matter much? Sacrificing the last pennies I have to my own detriment? Am I just too empathetic? Am I living life wrong? What became apparent to me is that I was mentally exhausted from feeling bad, sad, fearful, worried and anxious. I wanted to change how I perceive and deal with my feelings and emotions daily. I started to understand that if I wanted to grow and face life challenges, I needed to strengthen a more positive mindset. This attitude does not necessarily mean being happy and positive all the time, but rather adopting a more favorable mindset and outlook in life and knowing that when things do not work out as planned, I am mentally prepared to face it with courage and grace. These words of wisdom I was sharing with others also helped me check on my mental health.

Halfway in the Mental Health Awareness month’s Marathon, my daily posts had helped me familiarize myself with the topic. It was clear that prioritizing my mental health was the best work that I could dedicate myself to. Taking the time to identify areas of improvement for my well-being was crucial to a healthier life. For this to manifest, I needed to put into actions to reflect it in my daily life. Starting as little as giving daily gratitude, learning to let go of anything that can hinder my growth, work on resolving inner conflicts, understanding that everything is temporary and changes will happen, learning to be content where I am while working toward my goals. In the past, I had kept having an inner battle and resistance to change or current unsatisfied situation, making everyday living challenging. More days were wasted on worrying and fighting things that I did not have much control over than taking action to make the changes. I know I wanted inner peace, contentment in the present moment, healthy connections with others and overall well-being. I realized that what was truly at stake is my overall life journey and attaining the goals.

Luckily for me, after going through many life challenges, I had come to the realization that for me to see and experience the positive changes I want around me, I needed to change also. As such, when I started my daily posts, I had already started the process of improving my mindset, but I did not understand that mental health was as important to attend to as my physical health, as it is part of our being.

Changing one's mindset can be a very difficult transformation one can go through, as it requires changing deep rooted beliefs, dispositions, thought patterns that have been reinforced by experiences. But just like how our body can heal and transform, so is our mind. It is malleable but requires constant efforts to change. As an optimist in general, this may have been easy, but as having a human experience, it is a difficult transition to go through. Having this realization while on my mental health journey brings me more clarity and peace, knowing that I am on the right path to a healthier mindset.

Mental Health topic is broad and can take many forms. Before I took a quick look at what Mental Health was about, my view about it was very limited. I thought about Mental Health as having an illness like acting irrational, crazy, walking naked in the middle of the street and so on. But I came to find out that Mental Health is more than just the above signs. I came to understand that Mental Health Awareness is not about just looking for some type of mental illness, irrational symptoms or so on, but it also includes looking into the most common form that we most likely overlook. Those may include constant mood swing, changing personality to suit others, using food as distractions to looking within, constant lack of motivation and low self-esteem, excessive perfectionism, lack of confidence, fear of rejection, victim mentality, constant need for outside validation, negative thoughts patterns that do not benefit us, constant worries, anxieties, unfounded fears, unresolved trauma, stress, dispositions, tendencies, and adopted family history. However, most of these symptoms can change over time and may be merely noticeable in some people because they are not affecting our life in the long-term, rather, they are temporary or limited time feelings and emotions that we go through and can bounce back from if we make the time and efforts to address them. For instance, when one fear constant rejection, the answer may be to look within oneself for reasons why one feels that way, perhaps, it is the lack of understanding what matters the most or who we truly are and what we have to contribute to our connections, knowing that the right people will always cross your path when you are clear on your intentions and goals. It can also be as simple as seeking different connections, allowing us to get out of our comfort zone. It may be difficult at first, but practice always makes things easier and better. Based on my experiences, this is the category of Mental Health Awareness that I am taking about here. The type that we can overcome if we take the time and intention to do the inner work. We can go through life and can barely notice it as it becomes a habit and part of us. However, I came to the realization that when we take an intentional break throughout our daily or life journey to assess these symptoms and how they affect our experiences, enhance or hinder our growth, we are more likely to create a more fulfilled and rewarding life. This reinforces the idea of learning to slow down and have a Mental Health check-in, to assess it, understanding how it is affecting our experiences and growth and how we can take action to change it, one step at a time and at our own pace.

This creative task helped me tremendously in my mental health journey. Not only that I can improve my thought patterns with intentional efforts, but I can also see the changes unfold right before me in my reality. However, like anything worth fighting for, it needs us to put work into the process, learn to adopt a growth-mindset, and work on inner healing. At the end, when we start the process, things start to align for us, as the universe conspires to move us forward towards our goals. I believe we all learn through our experiences and sharing them can go a long way in personal growth, awareness and healing. According to many studies, when we focus on our mental health, we may see many positive impacts, from improved relationships, increased work output, finding joy, acceptance, feel more in control of your emotions and thoughts, increased self-esteem and self-confidence, better stress management, less fearful and anxious, healthy attachment, improved physical health to overall well-being, leading to more positive experiences and overall happiness.