Project Happiness Articles — selfcare

Facing mental health issues leaves you caught in the headlights. It strips you of everything you think is essential and forces you to reevaluate your life, and that's what has happened to me. Crazy, I know, but thats how my issues with mental health can alter my thinking. And yet I am not my illness, and every day I strive to take up the challenge to celebrate life for all that it is.

Along the way one teenage girl who was taking a break from snowboarding asked me if I was “crazy” for doing it, so I informed her that I was healthy for doing it. One guy who was sitting with his friend trying to encourage him to continue boarding on down the mountain said to him at least he wasn’t hiking like this gal!

Admitting you have a problem is the first step in helping yourself and allowing others to do so as well. When my cry for help came, I was exhausted to the point that even thinking about the solution was tiring for me. But let’s start from the beginning.

I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve looked back at decisions I’ve made, often the frightening or difficult ones, and had an incredible amount of gratitude wash over me. Gratefulness for that one person who had the guts to take a leap; my past self.

I've discovered that some people love setting goals around this time of year and others hate it - like seriously despise it. Whatever category you fall into is fine by me, but I believe anyone can benefit from making a vision board. It's a physical, tangible reminder of what you want the coming months to reflect.

Have you ever spent a night, tossing and turning in your bed, wondering if you could ever become as beautiful as the models you see on TV and magazines? Have you ever been the subject of criticism from your peers about body image? If so, you’re not alone.

If you work and study nonstop without even a single thought about your physical and mental health, yes, you will likely succeed, but does it make you happy?