NaBloPoMo Day 1: My Mental Health Tool Kit Break Glass In Case of Emergency

It has been a good long while since I did the annual NaBloPoMo in November! I'm back at it this year because I'm not doing NaNoWriMo... I finally completed it last year! So I don't feel a burning desire to churn out 50,000 words in 30 days! I do however like the discipline of a blog post every day for the month of November. So, this is day one and the first prompt is:
"When you're having a bad day with your mental health what do you do to help yourself?"

Over the years I have built myself a mental health survival tool kit. Things I've learned on my journey towards healing, wholeness and love. The tool kit is big and deep....I've been at this a very long time.

This blog is a direct result of trying to hold onto myself as I was going through storms! Writing out my pain, joys, growth, celebrations, sorrows, mundane shit. Writing/journaling has been the biggest tool in the tool kit.

Seeking help. I am not afraid to go and get the help I need to stay rooted and grounded on earth. I have given up the myth of be strong, go it alone. I have retired the "Strong Black Woman" tome for a much more realistic chant of I NEED HELP!

I have a hand picked tribe/squad/community/friends/sista-gurls who are all about my growth and uplift.

Sleep/Rest is prayer. When I am overextended it is because I am not rested. I make better decisions rested.

I eat well. I work to be mindful of not eating my pain away. I do not beat myself up if I do. I just start again.

I create art. I fancy myself an artist and I just set aside time to create stuff... Draw, paint, glue shit, sprinkle glitter.

I get outdoors. I take walks. I sit on my front steps.

I cry. I cry. I cry. Then I dry my eyes and fight back.

In case of emergency I know how to break the glass. I know how to get help. I know how to call someone. I notice when I am isolating. I notice when I am retreating too far away from my support.

I blog. It is immediate. It is me and the solitude of the mood.

I read. Sometimes fiction is needed. Sometimes spiritual books, devotionals. Sometimes a steamy love story. Sometimes a memoir is just the thing... Reading about someone Else's story of survival and triumph.

I am of the mindset, that I must do all that I can to secure my happiness, calm my mind and positively feed my spirit. I've seen some dark days... Some unspeakable. And yet here I am. Thriving or attempting to thrive daily.