Hi, friends!
I know it has been a while, but y’all.. life has been wild. As some of you know, or may not know, I have been taking a much needed break to focus on both my emotional and physical health, following a scary health issue that began in early April. I will talk more on that at a later date when I am ready to do so, but in the meantime, I have been thinking a lot about how important this break has been for me. I also happen to think it is quite fitting that this is overlapping with mental health month. What I am hoping to model through my social media absence right now is how important it is to prioritize your well being. I want to normalize taking a step back and focusing on you.
We live in a fast paced society and slowing down can feel weird. I get that. I struggle with that. However, my online community and social media presence revolves around prioritizing mental health and normalizing being an imperfect human. You know me, I throw in the whole loving yourself, taking care of yourself, and accepting yourself for who you are, just as you are because I truly value that! BUT, IT IS HARD SOMETIMES. We all have stuff, trust me, but it really is okay.
Anyway, I would not be doing my job if I pushed through to create during this time when I know very well that I have serious matters to prioritize right now; one being, my physical health of course. Trust me, I am resilient and I have a tendency to try to push through almost all things regardless of how I truly feel. I am working on myself to challenge that because I am finding that I need to slow down and to be honest that is hard for me to even admit. I need to slow down not only for myself, but for the people around me and also for the people I work with. I cannot be me, the me that most know, and dare I say love (LOL), if I am not first taking care of myself.
Mental health month raises awareness of trauma and the impact it can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children, families, and communities. Mental health month highlights those very things I strive to convey through social media content all year round. This month gives us an opportunity to celebrate the small steps the world is taking in raising awareness and reducing stigma around mental health related matters. SO COOL.
So, in honor of mental health month, please consider celebrating in the following ways:
- Reach out to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while and check in on how they are doing. Start a conversation! Ex., “hey, I have been thinking about you lately. How have you been doing/feeling?”
- Provide resources to someone who may be in need of additional support and/or services. Sharing is caring!
- Lastly, perhaps just simply let someone know that they are not alone.
Please take care of yourselves and I cannot wait to return to you all, healthy! Until then, be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and please drink some dang water. I am so grateful for you. We will talk soon.
xx
Jocelyn
