All in all, autumn is a pretty stacked season for mental health awareness. With mental health week from October 3rd-9th, World Mental Health Day on October 10th, and Men’s Mental Health month coming up in November, a lot of conversations are currently ongoing.
After all, everyone’s heard the “eat well, exercise, talk to your friends” spiel. And while it’s helpful, it doesn’t necessarily address the core of the issue when even those “simple” tasks are too much to handle. The real key to improving your mental and physical wellbeing starts with reframing the way you think about these tasks and your relationship to them.
1. Starting is always the hardest part.
Once you get past the first five seconds or minutes of a task, studies show that you’re much more likely to continue. And even if you don’t, at least you can have the comfort of knowing that you did something. Flossing a few of your teeth is better than not flossing any. Writing one or two sentences of your essay is better than not writing any words. Progress accumulates all the time; the hardest part is learning to do things in small increments rather than feeling like you have to tackle a big task all at once. That’s how you start to feel hopeless and paralyzed; that’s how you end up not doing anything at all.
Just start. Brush your teeth (or just gargle with mouthwash, if that seems too daunting), do one (1) math problem, or take a few sips of water. Every little thing counts. And if you can’t keep going after starting, do your best to forgive yourself. Learning healthy patterns takes time, and you don’t have to get it right immediately or even consistently. Something is better than nothing; just hold on to that.
2. The little things are important.
It’s true: sometimes, everything just seems impossible. But it’s important to recognize that not only is the act of starting something worth celebrating; the even the most “silly” or basic tasks are milestones on the hard days.
If you’re a to-do list kind of person, try putting “get out of bed” or “change out of pyjamas” on the list somewhere. Being able to check off these little things will empower you and help you feel like the things ahead of you are more manageable.
3. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries.
Especially for high school students with little control over their homework schedules and sometimes their lives as a whole, this one can be difficult. But there should not be shame attached to needing an extension on an assignment or taking a sick day every once in a while just to focus on yourself for a bit. Trust me: if you don’t carve out time to rest and prioritize your well-being over the bajillion things you need to do, your body will do it for you. And you’d much rather live a balanced life in the first place than go through intermittent periods of suffering for no good reason, right?
The art of the sleep schedule, at least in my experience, is probably the hardest aspect of your life to get a handle on. But sometimes it’s better to get your full eight hours than it is to grind out that last bit of math homework. Seriously.
4. Ask for help.
This plays into the last one, but there are people out there who can help you no matter what it is you’re going through. Yes, “you’re not alone” is a massive cliche, but people say it often because it’s actually true. Ask your teachers, your parents, and your friends for support; odds are, these are people who want to support you. If you don’t feel that way or you think that you may not get a positive reaction from the people around you if you ask for help, there are also multiple helplines which you can call or often text in order to get immediate assistance.
ConnecTeen (Calgary distress centre helpline for teens, by teens): (403) 266-1601
Kids Help Phone (you know, the one on all the Smarties boxes): 1-800-668-6868
AHS Mental Health Helpline: 1-877-303-2642 (toll-free)
No one deserves to suffer in silence. To close, here’s a short video (3:27 minutes) featuring some more advice from people who struggle with depression and anxiety.
Until next time!