Since I got home from Uruguay, I re-downloaded Tiktok which has been interesting. I like seeing the ways that my generation connects with each other there and it gives me a way to connect with other people. I noticed that so many people on Tiktok talk openly about mental illness and use the platform to educate and cope (even though consuming on Tiktok isn’t very healthy in itself). With all that my generation has gone through (climate change, fighting for human rights, no access to livable wages, etc.), I’m not surprised that we have such high levels of mental illness.
Fortunately, I have been pretty mentally stable and healthy for the past few years, so I want to share three tips that might help someone who is battling mental instability, or if anything some food for thought;
When I feel like I have a lot going on in my head, I pull out my phone and start recording a voice memo and just openly talk about anything and everything that pops into my brain. Nobody else listens to them, I don’t even listen to them. It just leaves me feeling like I got everything off my chest in a healthy way, and not by bothering anyone else. The best part is that you can be unfiltered and talk about whatever you want.
I read a book in Spanish called Las Casualidades No Existen by Borja Vilaseca where he explained that we are not our thoughts; our thoughts are preconceived notions that automatically pop into our brain and that are not based on our personality, but instead our biases and stereotypes that are inevitably tattooed in our brain. I can’t explain it as well as him, but the moral of the story is that we are not our thoughts, and we should not get upset with ourselves the parts of us that we can’t control.
One of the most important lessons I have learned is that physical health gravely affects mental health. Whenever I eat good fuel for my body and go on a walk and journal and stay off my phone and exercise and read and spend time with people I love and do all the physically healthy things, I notice that my mental health is so much better. So just always be mindful of how you are fueling your body and energy; eat what your body wants to eat, sleep however much you need to sleep, and do at least an hour of light exercise every day.
I do realize that in a lot of places, being able to do these things and being mentally healthy is a privilege and not always achievable. Whoever you are, know that if you need help I will do my best to support you without judgment. I believe that when we start having empathy and lifting each other up, we start to be lifted up too.
Lastly, I just want to share a story of something that happened recently. For some context, we are moving into another house in East Wenatchee and my grandparents are moving into our current house, so there is a lot going on right now in my house(s). With all of this chaos, we had an accident where 911 was called and a fire truck and an ambulance full of EMT’s showed up. Everything was okay, but it was really cool to talk to these EMT’s in my house and realized that they weren’t just EMT’s, they were neighbors who really cared about helping my family. Some of them even knew my cat, and spoke to my mom about things going on in town. Additionally, a specific health care provider was needed so my mom sent them a quick message, and at the push of a button they were on the phone to help. I felt such a sense of community because these complete strangers were able to make me feel safe and cared for.
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