“Learn How to Just Be – Part 2”

How’s your mental health this week?

My birthday is May 22nd. It is just 10 days away! But I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first? Okay, I’ll start with the bad news …

THERE WON’T BE ANY PERSONAL BLOG POSTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MONTH OF MAY.

Uncertain if that’s considered “bad news” for you, but it makes me feel a little sad. I have already committed to some paid, collaboration opportunities over the next few days, so I will continue with those commitments because it doesn’t hurt to get some extra income! So, check out the OTR Collabs tab if you’re interested in reading any of those posts! But I’m going to try not to feel sad or guilty about the decision not to post any of my personal blog posts because of the good news I have to share …

MAY IS RECOGNIZED AS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH!

In addition to this being my birthday month, this is also a month dedicated to encouraging us to check in with our mental health. We should definitely try to do that frequently, if not multiple times throughout the day. But I like how we have a month dedicated to it — organizations will devote time to sharing ads to remind us. Our mental health is soooo important and our mental health matters! And I’m just going to be honest, vulnerable, and open with all of you — work is currently kicking my butt! My work load is heavy right now, and I have a lot of court the next couple of weeks on some pretty big cases. Everything I do, I want to do it in excellence, so I don’t want to write or publish any half-done blog posts or not devote the appropriate time and energy to them. And even though it pains me to not write any personal blog posts for the next couple of weeks, it also brings me joy to know that I have the strength to prioritize me and my mental health!

Last year on my birthday I wrote a post called “Learn How to Just Be,” and I shared how I felt restless entering into a new chapter of life and not starting anything new in my life. I shared how I felt I wasn’t doing enough. I shared how I felt that I sabotage my self-worth because I am trying to fill in every second of my life with something. Now, here I am just about a year later and I am feeling overwhelmed. So I am going to take a page out of the Essentialism book I read last year, say no, choose me, and lighten my load where I can. Do necessary tasks only.

I texted my best friend yesterday morning and I said: “I’m in a mental funk this morning as my bday approaches all these thoughts of being grateful, blessed, yet overwhelmed, reflecting on success and failures, putting pressures on myself to see what’s next in this new chapter.” She responded with exactly what I needed to hear: “Just take a second and breathe. Control what you can control right now.”

lEARN HOW TO JUST BE.

I hope you all can understand where I’m coming from, but more than that, I hope you all will check in with your mental health this month! If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of others.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; bot as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” — John 14:27, NKJV. (I shared this Bible verse back in November 2020, but sharing it again as a reminder!)

Moni Jay, Off the Record