Written by Samantha Wall, LCSW
Edited by Joe DeNoon
We are a little over half way through the year! This time can bring excitement, stress, happiness, or overwhelmed feelings. It can also make us reflect on all that we have accomplished or all that we want to accomplish in the next half of the year. We may take the time to check in with goals that we set at the start of the year, or we can check in about our mental well-being and health. Where I am in the world, it is also summer! Summer has longer days, warmer weather (hopefully), trips, and overall people ‘feel better’ in the summer. Just because we seemingly feel better when there are longer days does not mean we want to forget about our mental health!
To begin a mental health check-in, we want to ask ourselves:
- How have I been feeling over the past week/month/months?
- Did I get enough sleep?
- Have I eaten today?
- How much water have I had today?
- Do I have an exercise routine? If not, what kind of movement do I like?
- Have I talked with or reached out to people I love this week?
When we ask ourselves these questions and the answers seem to be satisfactory, we can think about what is working for us, what habits we can build, and what structures we can continue through the colder months. We want to think about how we can practice the things we want to continue through times when our mood is lower. If your answer to these questions brings to light some struggles you are having, we can start to question where we need to find balance.
In a previous blog, I discussed mental health check-ins and how we can support ourselves in finding balance. What balance is needed in our lives to increase or benefit our mental health? What areas feel out of balance? What control over the balance is needed?
Balance also looks different for everyone! Think about a time when you felt more grounded and then consider what important factors were affecting that feeling of balance or feeling of being grounded. Do you need to wake up early or later? Is there a structure you can bring to your daily life?
Mental health check-ins consist of so many questions to consider, whether you are feeling positive about your mental health or you are feeling like things need to change! If you would like more in-depth information about mental health check-ins for nurses/healthcare professionals, here is the link to the blog: https://www.operationhappynurse.org/mental-health-checks-for-healthcare-professionals/