May is considered to be Mental Health Awareness Month, aiming to raise awareness and educate people on ways to cope with mental illnesses. This month emphasises strategies that we should follow towards a better mental well-being. Who said following a blog can’t be one of those strategies?
As we continue to live amidst a global pandemic, attention to mental health remains one of the most important things on the planet.
As human beings that naturally need socialisation, we constantly speak of how much we miss hanging out with our family, friends and loved ones.
Outdoor activities have been limited for over a year now, and quite frankly sometimes it gets pretty hard to keep a sane mind and a sane health just not doing anything except staying home.
However, there are tricks we can use and habits we can develop, that can help us feel more at ease as we’re waiting for this situation to cool off. Luckily, the internet has helped us a lot in communicating with each-other virtually, but it can also help us in many other ways which you may not think about.
Looking back at the moment when you wake up from sleep, or go to sleep, what is it that you most likely do before that?
The answer which most people will have been – scroll on the phone. Well, how do you think that impacts your mental health?
Think about the news (most of which may be fake or propaganda) that is published in front of our eyes.
We read so many articles on wars, fights, fires, deaths, and chaos that is going on all over the world and we quickly become anxious – a state of being which either does not let us have a good night’s sleep or it impacts our mood throughout the day.
And I’m not saying that you should refrain from becoming more informed on what’s going on all over the world, but from time to time, and especially upon waking up and falling asleep, try switching to something positive for reading.
It can make a huge difference if you read about rituals to perform during the night for a better sleep, what tea to drink for detoxification or what sort of meditation techniques can ease your insomnia.
But I’m not all words and promises. I can also provide you with a list of blogs which I read myself, to keep my feet in the ground whenever I forget to take care of myself.
And I’ll share six of them with you.
The Millenial Therapist
Sara Kuburic, known as ‘The Millennial Therapist’ in social media is a guru of self-care, boundaries and mental health awareness.
She is an existential therapist, writer, and life-coach, who can pretty much explain your life and trauma in a single post. She’s my personal number one go-to for self-care and well-being tips.
Elephant Journal
Elephant Journal is dedicated to ‘sharing the good life beyond the choir’, putting a focus on being fully present in the moment, and being mindful through writing about yoga, organics, sustainability, conscious consumerism, enlightened education, the contemplative arts, adventure, bicycling, family, pretty much everything that matters for your well-being.
The Mental Elf
The mental Elf is pretty much your number one community of mental health experts that strive to post blogs every week day with short and snappy summaries that highlight the latest evidence-based publications relevant to mental health practice.
With different categories and numerous articles, you can easily access them and find detailed info regarding whatever it is that seems to have you off.
The Mighty
The Mighty’s online presence has proven to be very powerful, not only through blogs but also through posts via different social media platforms.
Every time you read one of their posts on mental health, you’ll feel like their community is actually talking to you personally and listening carefully to your concerns.
They tend to be very supportive and at the disposal of the people who need them.
Blurt it Out
It wasn’t until recently that I found out about the existence of such a blog, the main mission of which is to increase awareness on depression, understand it better and also provide help for people who suffer from depression.
Their blogs cover concrete techniques on striving through dark mental health times, and I particularly suggest you read one of their latest blogs on ‘What I mean when I say I don’t know how I am’.
Therese Borchard
Therese Borchard is the founder of Project Beyond Blue, an online community for people with chronic depression and anxiety, which was named a Top 10 Depression Blog by Health.com and Healthline.com.
Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, USA Today, Psychology Today, and The Washington Post, as well as on Time.com, AOL.com, and Fox-News.com.
Therese was also named a Top 10 Influencer in the Online Depression Community by Sharecare.com. Her blog covers everything from personal stories, tips to handle anxiety and depression and opinions on what well-being really means.
You can find her at www.Thereseborchard.com
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