Look, life is stressful right now. Even if you don't count political issues, there are still high prices, injustice, natural disasters, and pollution as national and global concerns. Add that to your daily stressors of traffic, jam-packed schedules, difficult people, and the constant struggle to maintain social, mental, and physical health, and you have a lot of pressure weighing on you. With all this, how does one stay mentally healthy in a world that can seem determined to bring you down? The short answer is... you can't always be OK. And guess what? That's perfectly fine!
The most important survival skill a person can adopt in these times is having compassion and forgiveness for themselves. Since childhood, we were told to be kind to others, but the lesson rarely carried over to ourselves. Often, we hold ourselves to different expectations than those around us. While we can forgive a transgression from a loved family member, we often choose to berate ourselves for not handling situations "better." Having kindness and forgiveness towards yourself means you let go of mistakes made when stressed. Maybe you yelled at someone who didn't deserve it or maybe you broke down in the parking lot. Give yourself a break. Learn from the bad moments and do your best not to repeat them, but understand everyone is a work in progress.
This may come as shocking news, but no one else is "crushing it" in life right now. While it may seem others are doing just fine amongst the chaos, no one is. Social media loves to show us everyone's highlight reel in life, but rarely does anyone disclose their struggles. Everyone is scared, confused, angry, and feeling lost right now. It is fine to have a Mental Health Day. Its OK to cry at a commercial. It is even OK to feel "numb" and not know what to do next. We are truly living in unprecedented times and there is no guidebook to help us through it.
One of the best ways to navigate through life's challenges is to lean on your support system. Friends, family, or even that one coworker who always seems to have the best snacks can be a great source of comfort. Share a laugh, vent about your day, or even just sit in silence together—sometimes, it’s the company that counts the most. Amidst the chaos, don’t forget to seek out the little joys. Maybe it's a warm cup of coffee in the morning, a funny cat video, or the satisfaction of crossing off an item on your to-do list. These small moments can provide a much-needed boost and remind you that life isn’t all doom and gloom.
The news and social media will present all the problems to you at once. Doom scrolling only serves to present you with a constant stream of chaos and misery. There are even messages sent to you saying you MUST be concerned about everything, otherwise you are "privileged" or "apathetic" or even worse "part of the problem." This type of group misery can be very contagious and staying involved with every problem in the world may feel as if you are involved and active, but in reality, you are harming your own mental health. Focus on what you can control in the world. Imagine your mental health energy as the power meter on your phone. You only have so much energy to spare and you cannot have every app open for long before the battery is drained.
So, put down the phone and turn off the TV/laptop. Go outside, take a walk, sit under a shade tree and listen to the birds. Maybe call that friend you keep canceling on, have a burger at the new place that opened in town, or maybe do something else nice for yourself. I promise you, you are doing your best right now. Times are tough and some days, simply surviving is an accomplishment.
