Life Update! Mental Health Took a Turn for the Worse

Picture of me in a blazer and hair pulled back for an interview. These interviews have helped me feel confident and capable, which have had a positive impact on my mental health.
Interview outfit! I have had several interviews for accounting internships over the last several weeks that have all gone really well! Now I just need to make a decision on where to accept an offer! Black Blazer | Pleat Neck Sleeveless Top
Picture of a cute yellow dog looking straight at the camera. She does good things for my mental health!
This is probably my favorite picture of Lolly from the last few months! I have loved getting to spend some quality time with her and have had some good snuggles! 🙂
Image of an island off the beach, very low tide, can walk to the island. Sitting at this beach does wonders for my mental health, allowing me to just sit and think
I have had many beach walks over the last few weeks! The beach is my happy place and really allows me to recharge and think. The sound of the waves is my absolute favorite! It’s so calming and peaceful!
Image of a blue sky with clouds and the sun trying to peak through the clouds. Staring up at clouds and listening to the sound of the waves, has huge positive impacts on my mental health!
There were a couple days I just sat on the beach listening to the waves and staring up at the clouds! This did my soul some good.

It’s been a while! I’ve missed being on social media and Instagram, but I’m back for the foreseeable future! This week I wanted to hop on and give you a bit of a life update, and explain why my mental health took a turn

Life got super busy between working at the bank, and taking two online classes during my January break, so unfortunately my blog got put on the back burner, and I am finally returning to it after what turned into a several months hiatus!

I moved back to school at the end of January and it has been a very busy start to the semester!! School work has definitely taken up a lot more of my time than I had anticipated it to. I was taking an intensive seven week online class that ended a few weeks ago, and my life has finally quieted down as a result.

Mental Health Took a Turn for the Worse

A day after I moved back to school, tragedy struck my home town. We learned that a young mom, suffering from post partum depression (and likely post partum psychosis), killed her two kids, and injured the third. Sadly, on Friday, the baby succumbed to his injuries and died. That same day, we learned that that family is related to our extended family.

This whole tragedy has been incredibly hard to process. I can’t imagine the pain, loss, and grief that this family is currently going through. As a result, my mental health has not been great. It has taken a ton of effort to try and just get through each day and accomplish the bare minimum that I need to.

Fast forward to mid-February, I am still super heartbroken and trying to come to terms with the tragedy that struck my town and family. Unfortunately, bad news just keeps on coming. On February 14, we learned that there was a report of an active shooter at the high school that I attended for four years.

This totally rattled me. While this threat didn’t turn into anything, it very well could have. I have no idea what would possess someone to make this threat. I am saddened for the students, their families, and the faculty and staff who had to go through this. It haunts me that this is the life that we currently live in. These two incidents in my home-town have put me in a bit of a funk that I am still trying to work my way out of.

Moving Forward

With all this horrible news, I have been super tired, depressed, stressed, and anxious. School work has taken up a lot of my time, and while I don’t always love my assignments, it has given me something to do and a distraction from all the horrible events that have taken place recently. However, while school work is at the top of my priorities, I also need to prioritize and take care of my mental health first and foremost.

I let myself grieve and feel sad and depressed for the entire month of February. However, that is no way to live life, and I am going to work hard to continue taking back my life. March was a bit of a better month and I have high hopes for April! This month my goal is to take back my mental health and begin feeling positive and energized once again. I know that this won’t happen overnight, but I’m hoping that I can make some little changes to my day-to-day life that will have a lasting impact on my mental health.

I do have some fun things planned for April that I am really looking forward to! A bit of a sneak peek of what’s to come: my 21st birthday is at the end of the month and I am travelling down to Orlando in just a couple weeks! I’m really looking forward to the much warmer weather in Florida!! Stay tuned for more on these!!

My Plan to Take Back My Mental Health

  1. Get outside for a walk at least 4 days a week
  2. Be intentional with my time
  3. Drink 60 oz of water every day
  4. Try to be in bed by 9pm and wake up at 7am every day
  5. Meditate daily
  6. Read every day
  7. Limit screen time
  8. No screens after 8pm
  9. Begin seeing a therapist
  10. Stick to a routine

While this list is not exhaustive, these are just a few things that I can try to begin incorporating into my life in order to be happy and live a more joy filled life once again.

Endnote

Life is not always full of sunshine and rainbows, as I’m sure you know. The reality is, we live in a very dark world where times get tough and hard. And while you should feel your feelings and grieve your losses, don’t let them take over your life. I want to be happy again. I don’t want to feel this heaviness any more. And I realize that the only way for me to do that, is to be proactive in supporting my mental health. I need to take action, and so do you. We can’t wait around for good things to happen to us because we may be waiting a very long time.

What are two things you can do today that will help you live a happier and more joyful life? Come find me on Instagram and let me know!

I’ll be back next week with another post! In the meantime, head to my homepage to see any blog posts you may have missed!

Until next week, friend!!

Phoebe