May Mental Health Awareness Month

 

 Since 1949, in the United States, May has been designated Mental Health Awareness month. This year, 2022, the theme is back to basics. Back to basics, huh? 

When I consider the fundamentals of MH, this surfaces;

• What is the definition of MH?
• Are their specific conditions?
• Are their symptoms present both physically and not?
• Are there any particular organizations or resources to help?
• Will I be looked at differently than before?

I'm positive more questions are out there. 

As the world continues to be in year two of this pandemic, mental health is climbing among all ages. One could say we live in not just one pandemic but also two.  

All of us are experiencing our mental health challenges in one form or another. In addition, we may know of friends and family who are struggling. In my research of this year's month of images and quotes, I keep coming upon this phrase; Every Mind Matters. 

My profession is currently on the front lines of our healthcare system. I've seen and heard coworkers share their burnouts. Educators as well are not only seeing this in themselves but also in the students they teach. These two industries, in my opinion, have the highest rate of MH challenges. 

How does one cope and seek out resources for help? I find it helpful during work hours if we talk to one another. Laughter is the best medicine. It is joyful to be able to tease, joke, and laugh at coworkers' silliness on a more serious note than it's beneficial to reach out to a trusted person. It could be joining a support group, seeking counseling, picking up a new hobby, or revisiting a past one. Exercise and a change of environment are positive ways to recharge. In passing exercises, I walked with a friend. Just having another person beside you allows for ease of conversation and safety.

Every mind Matters!!! As someone who has experienced demons with Mental Health, I urge and employ you to reach out and seek help. Mental Health is nothing to be ashamed of or thought of as a sign of weakness. Instead, Mental Health and accepting that is a considerably a sign of strength. Your mind does matter !!!

Dear Fellow Jigsaw Puzzlers & Fellow readers,

Jigsaw Puzzles have been around since 1760.  Hard to fathom that 261 years later, it's becoming once again a booming industry.  I'm sure we all can remember the first time we assembled one.  From that first puzzling assembly, it was the start of new love.  

In the nearly two years of this pandemic, jigsaw puzzles have become a new source of entertainment with family and friends.  The pandemic has also brought many other puzzlers from around the world together. 

I considered myself a person who liked assembling one once in a while. However, on a beach trip in 2017, I got my hands on a beach puzzle.  While I worked on it, I found myself being transported back on the beach.  Recalling the smell, sound of waves, the sand beneath my feet, putting my feet in the water as the water covers them. I remember searching for sea life such as starfish and sea anemonies. 

Upon completion, all that excitement vanished.  It wasn't until 2018 and my previous job that my spark exploded into what it is today. I used to be a housecleaner for the independent residents. While I would clean their cottages, I noted many of them had puzzles. Some had puzzle boards; some did them on poster board; others had them just on the table. 

These beautiful people made such an impression on me that for my 33rd birthday, all I wanted was a puzzle board and a puzzle. 

Little did I know that my mom got me a puzzle board and hit it at a friend's house so I wouldn't see it.Meanwhile, nine days before my birthday, it was hers. Mom was turning the big 60. I had her gift at another friend's house.  From then on, I created my own puzzle Instagram account. The rest is history.  

I have developed and met many great puzzlers. We have become a family. My fellow puzzle family has opened my eyes to so many different puzzles and other puzzle companies I had never known existed. It's incredible how puzzlers from around the world connect.  An example is that one puzzler started a traveling puzzle. It went from the US then onto Canada, back to the US, then to Ireland, and now back to Canada. 

Whether you are a beginner or a pandemic, or a lifelong puzzler, I hope you can find a twinkle and spark in whatever image you have on your table, board, or other forms of assembly. So may this time and season bring you to a  store, online site, or create your work of art and piece it together. 

My concluding thought comes from a dear puzzle friend. She always says; Every piece of a puzzle has a purpose, just like in life." So let's add yet, one more piece of the puzzle into our lives. 

Meaningful Rest

    
    Webster's Dictionary defines rest as; 1a: to get rest by lying down especially: SLEEP

b: to lie dead

2: to cease from action or motion: refrain from labor or exertion

3: to be free from anxiety or disturbance. The word rest has been floating in my mind quite a bit these days. Me, myself, and I ask what resting means to me. I could rattle off many answers to that question; however, the one prominent answer seems to slow down. 

As many of you know, generally, I wouldn't say I like to rest or slow down. However, working as a housekeeper at the hospital, I find it vital to recuperating from the job and overall life. So, this past June, I took a week's vacation to my happy place. As a result, I can say my body and mind weren't tense. 

During this vacation, I had a few friends join me. We had no set schedule. Being type A would usually irritate me, yet it didn't. Instead, it was the opposite reaction. I was zen. I felt calm and at peace. Did I want to come back? No, was I able to incorporate what I learned from my vacation? Yes. 

These are some things vacation manifested to me. One, I enhanced my cooking ability. My friend and I made a meal together using an ingredient I always wanted to try. Though our feed had a schedule, it didn't feel like one. We were two cooks just talking about how this ingredient makes the dishes better or enriches the flavor. 

Two, not having a strict timeline on the day's activities made it more enjoyable. We slept in late. Time wasn't determining or dictating life. Time was our friend rather than the enemy. So our day got filled with meaningful conversations and exercise. 

Three is tremendous power laying down to sleep, whether on a bed or outside on a folding chair with the ocean as your view. You allow yourself to be still. I learned that to accomplish this, one has to start from the head and enable yourself to have that feeling go all the way to your toes. It didn't matter what time of day, but when sleep or tiredness became, I heeded and slept. 

Fourth, I was free from having any anxiety or disturbance that drew negative thoughts or feelings. I wasn't thinking much about work. I tuned out of what was happening on the news. I allowed myself to be. What did that mean for me to be? It meant that I didn't have any expectations from others of how I should conduct myself. As negativity crept in, banished by a more positive and uplifting thought or task. 

Another area that rest has been beneficial is in regards to social media. Oh, how I need to unplug more. By clearing allows you to reevaluate yourself. What could I be doing besides wasting away on Facebook, Instagram, and or the news? Social Media is a double-edged sword at times; it's for good in connecting with friends( ex puzzle family), while other times, you can sit and scroll away rather than having a good night's sleep. I would put Amazon in as Social Media as well. 

This pandemic and epidemic, for sure, has turned us into buying more than we should. But, unfortunately, we clarify this as a copping tool for avoiding reality. I know I'm guilty of this. Puzzles are my Achilles heel. Do I need more puzzles? No, but do I want them? Yes. How does one regulate themselves? I can't answer. My collection keeps piling up. 

When we are in a state of rest, or zen, I conclude that we discover enlightenment in ourselves. Therefore, let us allow ourselves the time of zen. However, you and I are the masters of our fate. Consequently, it is up to us to determine how we use our zen of rest.