#31daysofmentalhealthawareness

[k3schultz]

Day 124: Always Remember This. You are loved. You are smart. You are brave. You are enough. 365DaysOfAwesomeness, Day124, 31DaysOfMentalHealthAwareness, MentalHealthAwareness, StopTheStigma, Staystrong by Kelly E Schultz, photographer on EyeEm

[k3schultz]

Day 123: Be Kind. Be Patient. Be There. One of the worst things to do to someone who is suffering is to ignore them. Admitting that you feel broken, sad, alone or scared takes courage. For someone to ignore your feelings or pretend that everything is OK does more harm than anyone deserves. It's OK not to have words of wisdom for someone who is broken. More often than not, your presence is enough. 365DaysOfAwesomeness, Day123, 31DaysOfMentalHealthAwareness, MentalHealthAwareness, Staystrong, StopTheStigma by Kelly E Schultz, photographer on EyeEm

[k3schultz]

Day 122: When Anxiety Hits. Today my anxiety was elevated. Being a creative person, it's easy for my imagination to go into overdrive, especially when I'm stressed. But I'm learning to recognize stress vs anxiety vs a full blown panic attack. If left unchecked, stress turns into anxiety and suddenly not only am I worrying about 'common' things, but I'm worrying about the dwindling bee population, funding for NASA, homeless veterans and anything else that pops into my mind. It's exhausting and certainly overwhelming. So what do I do when anxiety takes hold? I stop. I breathe. I meditate. I go outside to feel Nature and if I can't go outside, I look at photos of Nature. But the most important thing I do is tell a trusted confidant how I'm feeling. She then gives me levity. Sometimes it's a word of encouragement, sometimes it's a funny meme and sometimes it's a 'I'll call you in a sec so we can talk'. But I don't try to soldier on alone. Anxiety sucks and sometimes it's not easy to understand if you've never experienced it. But don't go on alone. Talk to someone you love. Or talk to me. It's OK to ask for help and it's more than OK to feel anxious at times. People do care. Just don't give up on yourself or on other people. Things will get better. 365DaysOfAwesomeness, Day122, 31DaysOfMentalHealthAwareness, MentalHealthAwareness, StopTheStigma, Staystrong by Kelly E Schultz, photographer on EyeEm