Maintaining Happiness
Hello there everyone, I hope anyone reading this is all well. First off I am absolutely over the moon to announce that my incredible sister has given birth to a beautiful baby boy, no name yet but he is perfect and I feel so lucky to have a new nephew along with my lovely niece Nell. Now lockdown 2 is still in England but for Wales where I'm living in we are out of our second lockdown, though everything still isn't back to normal. There's many challenges facing us all in this weird and difficult period, but I truly hope everyone is coping and managing it well.
After my last post, I have grown more and more as the weeks have gone by, and I can comfortably say, this is the person I hoped I would become. I am confident, content and truly happy within myself. I have surprised myself with how great I've been feeling. My anxiety isn't exactly cured, but I control it, I am no longer afraid of it and I understand it. I have balance and self control, which honestly I thought I'd never have. I am so content with my life right now that I feel I radiated positivity, which has always been the person I truly am. The side of myself that used to always compare myself to others and hate myself has disappeared, now in place is this goofy, happy go lucky lad that I am proud to be. A number of things have contributed to this and I'd like to share them with you all so that anyone going through a rough patch with their mental health or anyone just struggling with lockdown can take something from my experiences.
Since my last post, I have began to work at my local primary school. Its a primary school that I hold really close to me and I've always been proud to have grown up in. It's a home to me, and working there has given me so much joy and also the beauty of a set schedule, one that is healthy and truly satisfying to me. By settling into this new routine and working healthy hours, throughout the week and having the weekend off, I could feel my self confidence and general happiness grow day by day. I have always felt that to have a healthy mindset of life, working is actually great. It gives everyone a sense of purpose, it gives you value due to money, and knowing that you've done a good job no matter what your job actually is can be so rewarding. Throughout lockdown I know a number of my friends who have lost their jobs and it's so unfair and saddening, but for those lucky few with a job, even if you don't like it necessarily, you really are lucky to have it in this current climate, so try to focus on the positives of it.
For those who are out of a job or are feeling down about having too much time on their own, diving into your passions can really help you. For me, I have a journal where I write poetry (I will eventually get around to putting some on here, but being the soppy bugger I am they need some tweaking hehe). I also enjoy watching shows and movies, and obviously my job I love so I put my all into it and it makes me feel so happy. But if you concentrate on productive things during lockdown, you will feel the benefit of it, I promise.
The temptation to just party through this period is obviously going to be strong, as I know a lot of people have struggled with their booze intake this year with corona, but please be mindful of this. It is so easy to get yourself caught up with a pattern of numbing yourself, and it is incredibly detrimental to your mental health and general happiness. I myself as you guys know from my previous post have struggled for years with numbing myself with booze, but I have now found a balance. I work throughout the week and then when I can drink on the weekend, it comes from a good place of being mental strong and happy, as oppose to previous where I used this to numb myself and try to push my anxiety away.
To conclude, look after yourself please everyone. As hard as dealing with any mental health issue is, you ultimately have the power to change it, to control it, to understand it. You can fight through the feelings of sorrow, of anxiety, but you need to help yourself in doing so. Notice your patterns, anything that may alter your mental health, anything that whilst its fun at the time, may really mess with your mental health. Having a settled pattern is key, whilst I know it is so so hard to find in these times, if I can come back from the place I was in mentally nearly three months ago, so can you.
As these days turn dark early, look for the brightness. Look to your family, your friends, the things that make you happy in a healthy way, always focus on long term mental stability, rather than short term states of euphoria. As I just said crew, if I can come back and become the happiest version I've been of myself in years, so can you. May the happy times roll not only for me, but for you all.
Stay safe everyone, sending my love to you all
David