Pulling Together
Today my intention was to write about societies over-usage of alcohol and how it impacts our health and wellness. However, with all that’s taking place in the European Theatre right now, I feel much more compelled to write about something relevant, our mental health and wellness and the importance of pulling together.
I have no doubt that yesterday’s unfolding events have a devastating impact on each one of us for a variety of reasons. For me, as a parent to a young man who has just turned 18, it sickens me that this has become our son’s new reality. His excitement to graduate high school and go off to college in the fall turned into him announcing that he’d be joining the military if we end up going to war with Russia. His exact words were “I’m not going to sit back and just do nothing while my fellow Americans are off fighting a war.”
I’m certain many of you reading this have thought that very thing when you were younger, or perhaps even now. Either way, it’s a gut-wrenching thought a lot of us can relate to.
Another reality hitting me in the face today is being married to an amazing man, as you all know, that is still on active duty. While there is no crystal ball for me to peer into about what this all may mean for Mike and our other friends, these are difficult thoughts to bury. Like all of you, I naturally worry about the people I love and care about most.
As the invasion began unfolding, I knew I wasn’t going to get much sleep the night before last. When I finally went in the kitchen for some coffee my instinct was to go straight to the news to see what else had escalated. Nothing good! There was also a message in my inbox from a good friend in Czech. She was reaching out to share how scared she was for her family and wanted to immediately flee to America before things get worse. Surely, not your typical news feeds or messages to read about at 0500. I’m certain you all have your own accounts about how your mornings played out and what this is triggering within you.
Mike was not at home yesterday when this was all developing, but I could still hear him asking me the same question he always does when I overly worry about things… “What’s the point of getting all worked up about the things you can’t control?” While I’d say most of my worries this time are valid, I had to ask myself what I was going to do in order to have a productive day. I decided to place my focus towards something I could control, my own mental health and wellbeing.
To help combat some of my own ever-growing thoughts, I utilized some of the tools that I know work well for me when I have a lot on my mind; PVM.
· Physical Action (P)
· Verbal Action (V)
· Mindful Action (M)
Working out is always my number one go to, so I got in some gym time and then later took a long walk to clear my head (P). In addition, I reached out to a trusted agent to talk through some of my heavy thoughts (V). Lastly, I executed some short breathing exercises throughout the day that really helped to calm the mind when it was on overload (M).
*I know each one of us is greatly feeling the effects of what is going on in the world today. I wanted to share my own accounts with you as a reminder that we are all experiencing a range of emotions that we need to be talking about with others.
I also wanted my message this week to serve as a reminder to take care of your mental wellbeing each day by utilizing tools that work for you. Taking care of number one is key before you can help take care of others around you who may not be as capable.
As always, check in with your friends, family members, and buddies (especially the ones that are in the fight) to make sure they are doing okay. Not everyone processes things and/or communicates in the same ways and not everyone has someone they can lean on. With that, I’m certain many of us are experiencing higher levels of stress right now. Just remember, were all in this together. Let’s go above and beyond to make sure we’re taking care of one another during these tough times.
~Sarah
