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Self Love...

In light of it being World Mental Health Awareness Day (October 10th) I wanted touch on one subject in particular that I have been trying to teach myself in recent months: SELF LOVE!
In the past few years I have personally struggled with depression and anxiety and in order to help myself cope I use various coping mechanisms that I have picked up during the years. Over time I worked out what made me feel better and what triggered my anxiety so I was more capable of handling a problem should it arise but I wasn’t always able to do this on my own. I picked up several coping mechanisms through mindfulness groups and counselling, if those services weren’t available to me it would have been a lot harder for me to understand what exactly was happening within myself.

One thing that you will always hear about in relation to mental health awareness will be self love. Self love is a very important part of the process in making yourself feel better or more able to cope. This was a concept I always struggled with,  I always viewed self love as a very materialistic thing. I thought that in order to love myself I had to be constantly pampered or out buying new clothes, anything to make me appear better on the outside. Of course being a broke teenager I didn’t always have the money for these things which in turn made me feel worse because I felt like I wasn’t capable of giving myself all these things I ‘needed’ to love myself.

As I have gotten a little bit older and wiser I have realised that self love doesn’t have to be anything big or fancy, it’s the little things you do for yourself everyday that prepare you for the day and make you feel good. Self love is as simple as taking that extra 10 minutes to relax in the bath after a long day or lighting your favourite candle in the evening. It comes in all shapes and forms, big and small. Self love is getting yourself out of bed everyday, getting dressed and facing the world. Nowadays when I’m feeling down I do a face mask or maybe paint my nails and listen to my favourite music. It’s nothing fancy or extravagant but it brings me up and that’s all that matters. Everybody has their own ways, it’s just about finding what works best for you.

Mental Health is something that can be very hard for someone to understand if they haven’t been personally affected by it. It is a very  serious issue in Ireland and is usually something that most people do not fully understand. Most people who are  suffering think they are on their own, this could not be further from the truth. I have lost friends and family due to depression and  it is something that I would never wish on anyone or any family. Mental health used to be a ‘taboo’ subject in Ireland, nobody really wanted to talk about it because it was too hard to think about. That is not an option for us anymore because a huge number of the Irish population are suffering or have suffered with some type of mental health issue.

There are loads of organisations and charities now that are trying to raise awareness for mental health and help people cope with these issues. There is also an Irish Mental Health website (www.mentalhealthireland.ie) that has information for all age groups about help and advice that is available to them when facing these problems. The website also has a blog section where you can read other people’s blog posts about their experience with mental health issues and they have information about mental awareness events coming up around the country such as awareness walks, mental health training and afternoon tea meetings. If you ever feel like you  need a little help just remember there is help out there and you are never alone.

If you have any coping mechanisms that you find help you or have a little self love ritual let me know! I’d love to hear what makes you guys feel better! Remember, it’s okay not to be okay.

All my love,

SJL X 

Comments

  1. catherinemc10 October 2016 at 12:40

    Hi, like your blog post. I agree that self love is so important. I was listening to something today and the point was if you tell yourself something negative about yourself then you feel negative. They were endorsing positive affirmations like I can do this, I have confidence in my capabilities it was all about speaking positively to yourself and about yourself. Even just getting up and putting on make up or nice clothes is an act of self love. Eating well, looking after yourself, exercising etc. Its not selfish to give yourself some time to this. When you give to you then you can give so much more to others. Take care, Cat www.forrealll.blogspot.ie

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    Replies
    1. Unknown10 October 2016 at 12:46

      Thank you so much Cat for your comment! That is something I also try to do on a daily basis. So many people spend too much time putting themselves down instead of building themselves up. We all just need a little love 😊 So glad you think it's as important as I do.. SJL X

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