#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth is acknowledging that more is needed than just a hashtag to nourish yourself. We are ALL at risk for increased stress, anxiety, negative thinking, you name it, and most of the time we can avoid our mental health pitfalls with a little commitment and consistency. Whether it’s 5 minutes of gratitude journaling, 5 minutes of meditation, 5 minutes of quiet stillness with your favorite music, or five minutes of deep breathing exercises, YOU ARE WORTH IT. And the people around you will thank you, too. It’s a win-win. 

So what does worth have to do with it? It really comes down to the value we place in ourselves. We must see ourselves as worthy and deserving of the time it takes to reset, nourish, and heal ourselves. The alternative is what most of us are already doing now. Overworking our nervous system, constantly engaging in fight or flight, constantly plugging in and becoming expert multi-taskers, feeding stress, anxiety, and overwhelm. It’s not sustainable. Our bodies will let us know in the form of anger, short temperedness, moodiness, shut down, exhaustion, depression, disease or sickness. Our relationships will let us know with discord, disconnection, disagreements, and disharmony. It must come back to self worth. Knowing we are worthy of taking care of ourselves mentally and emotionally. We talk about physical health all the time, but the connection between mental health and physical health is undeniable. What’s the saying? “You can’t put the cart before the horse.” Your mental health is the horse. Your physical health is the cart. Yes, that is oversimplified, but you get the point. 

We are worth taking the steps necessary to create boundaries around our time to replenish and rest. Self-care is not a privilege, it is vital to our well-being. The excuse that we don’t have time is untrue. What is more usual is that we are unwilling, stuck in a pattern that feels impossible to move. Many of us were taught that self sacrifice is where we find worth. Maybe we were taught that giving, without needing or asking to receive, is noble, stoic, and within the moral fabric of being a good person. Guess what, it isn’t true. Yes, it might take effort to make the time, to make a dramatic shift. Perhaps we might upset or disappoint others because we’ve set up expectations and unhealthy obligations. Perhaps, it feels self indulgent and self serving. That isn’t true either, not when we understand that you are just as worthy of help, support, time and nourishment as any other individual.

We need more warriors for mental health. We need more advocates, more people to recognize and reflect the importance of taking care of our nervous systems. We need more people who care enough about their mental wellness to create sovereignty around it, protect it like we would anything that creates, sustains, and enriches our lives. Do it. Make the time. YOU ARE WORTH IT.