Hey team, it’s officially NZ Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) and while mental health and well-being should be an every day conversation, this week is a good time to remind yourself to check-in.
I don’t know about you but I’ve found that this lockdown (which Auckland is still pretty much in) has been the hardest out of all the ones we’ve had (I think this is number 5?). I believe a lot has stemmed from the constant extensions of Level 4 (remember when it was just thought to be a week, 6 weeks ago!) and also the rest of NZ not being in lockdown but hey, we’re getting there!
Now is a better time than any to be having conversations with yourself (as your own well-being is a priority!) and others – a good example of this is mental health charity Voices of Hope (@voicesofhope) have been running a campaign all month called How Are You, Really?, which is about encouraging deeper conversations and going past the classic ‘how are you, yeah good thanks, you’ chat! There’s a bunch of convo starters on their website to get you into the groove.
I am also a big fan of looking to inspirational words so I thought I’d share some… here are some affirmations from We The Urban (@wetheurban):
* I hope you never forget how many beautiful things there are about you. You have so much to offer this world. Keep going.
* Don’t forget to look around and appreciate the things that are going right as well.
* Be realistic with yourself.
* Keep healing. Keep growing. Keep learning. Keep unlearning.
* It’s normal to feel lonely. Just don’t forget that there are more people in your corner than you realise. You are so loved.
* Surround yourself with people who inspire you to do better.
Like affirmations, I also love quotes and have a bunch saved to look to when I need a bit of inspiration or pick me up. Here are a few of my top new ones:
