By Ammi Midstokke
The landscape of understanding around mental health is rapidly changing. Where we once were limited to hushed discussions about distant cousins having been checked into asylums, we’re now having more open conversations about the states of our minds.
Perhaps most importantly, we’re beginning to understand that not being mentally ill does not exactly mean we are mentally well, and that caring for that wellness might need to be an intentional act. This is no less true for those diagnosed with mental illness.
These days, we’re a society inundated with the unknown impacts of social media and screens; plastics that affect our hormones; information about crises and tragedy occurring real time and globally; the visceral, felt reality of climate change; and yeah, navigating Costco. I’m not sure our brains are evolved enough to handle any of that, not to mention all of that on a Tuesday.
The World Health Organization suggests that mental wellness is a state of being in which the individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community. Perhaps the problem begins right there, because the “normal stresses of life” sounds pretty damn vague and nothing feels normal about life’s stresses right now (see: pandemics, politics, microplastics).
With that in mind, it is a great time to reevaluate your own mental wellness and maybe set up a bit of a toolkit for support. First of all, grab a copy of Dr. Brown’s book, “Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.” As a person who struggles to participate in nonsense, understanding the importance of play for the sake of play, fun for the sake of fun, and the benefits of laughter was a game-change in my own self-care strategies.
Go outside in nature, but don’t always be a warrior about it. Your adrenal glands will thank you for the occasional stroll or, *gasp* sitting on a park bench. And while you’re staring at birds or the slow passage of time on the trunk of a tree, consider the well-established benefits of meditation. I’m not talking about joining an ashram. Just find a soothing voice on an app and tune into a guided session and out of your rambling mind. The Calm app is my favorite and I have an established one-directional love affair with my meditation boyfriend, John, there.
Set timers for your screens—perhaps connected to electric shock bracelets, especially for news consumption and social media use. Or scrub the latter altogether. Your real friends will call you. This magazine is beautiful in print. Also, manage your self-talk. Erica Barnhart, professor at University of Washington, says most self-talk is trash-talk. “The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you have with yourself.”
And don’t forget the power of human connection and support systems. Foster relationships that serve you, prune away those that do not. Have more conversations about what mental wellness looks like for you and how you can support it for others. With any luck, you’ll discover one of your friends also loves eating ice cream cones on a park bench.
Ammi Midstokke maintains her sanity by drinking coffee and running far with her brown dog. This spring, they’re training for the Sun Mountain 50k in the Methow Valley.
