Admitting COVID-19 has Affected My Mental Health

I like to pretend I’m not affected by things; it’s a protection method for me. If I don’t admit that I’m impacted by things, then I don’t have to own that I can do anything about it. Lately, I haven’t been admitting that I experience ongoing mental health challenges, and I haven’t been admitting that I am deeply affected by COVID-19 and recent events. I’ve realized that not admitting this has caused me to not take an active role in my well-being, so I am admitting it. My mental health has been impacted by recent events. I can start there and that can be enough to build upon. I can now start the smallest practices of self-care. I can start to pause my mind and check-in with my body and my feelings. I will start there and see what happens.

GrowthRachelle NiemannSeptember 25, 2020self-care, mental health, mental illness Comments

Holding Hope, Leaning In, and Looking Forward - Arriving to a New State of Normal

Continuing the consistent work and progress is necessary. Keeping hope alive to try, and try again. Keep learning and implementing the small things and eventually…one day…you’ll notice…”I feel different” and it’s a glorious feeling.

A Little Process for Growth

Growth is change and change causes discomfort but staying stagnant may cause even more pain even though it may feel like comfortable pain. It is a place we know, so we feel okay staying there even though it can be so incredibly painful. Finding ways to respond and work through the discomfort is imperative to growing and changing in ways we want to change or grow. I have noticed a pattern emerge when I’m working through new challenges or the discomfort of change and growth. It is a little process for growth consisting of Curiosity, Courage, and Compassion.

Courage: What Does it Look and Feel Like?

It takes courage to lean in to our trauma, scars, fear, and discomfort and work through the healing. It takes courage to hold hope that things can and will change. Many of us want to avoid fear, get rid of fear and be fearless. However, we cannot experience courage, growth or change without fear.

Courage often happens in the small moments just before taking an action in everyday life. We can practice ways to build our courage to be prepared for more difficult situations. The courage is within, it just needs a little help to stoke the fire.

Using the Power of Questions to Improve Mental Wellness

Curiosity is a practice and can be used as a method for discovery over and over again. Keep asking positively framed and generative questions starting with What can I and How can I and eventually the answers you are seeking will find you.

Habit Attaching

Begin to notice your habits, especially those you drawn to do repeatedly even though you may not want to be engaging in the activity, and begin thinking about what behaviors you would rather be doing or would serve you better.

Consider adding a healthier habit around one you would like to replace, and eventually when we experiment and repeat this enough, we will replace it with that new desired habit. Remain curious with the practice, reflect often, and adjust to create success.

Getting Unstuck

The pain in that moment was temporary. Once the race was over, the thought was gone, and I recovered physically quickly. But the progress of getting unstuck is permanent. That change is forever.

Building Self-Awareness

Building self-awareness is really the first step in the process of change. When we become aware that change is possible and that we, personally, can begin to take actions to make a difference in our lives, is when the transformation begins. We don’t have to let our reactions to thoughts and feelings cause us to react in ways we don’t recognize or confuse and cause shame. We can identify our triggers and take new actions to respond thoughtfully.

New Perspectives – My Genetics Half Full?

Being open to new perspectives, especially when we are in pain and suffering enables us to grow and change…to see, try and understand things differently. Be open to new ideas and perspectives, at least consider them before choosing to refuse them. It is a choice after all and it may open your world to a whole new and improved experience.

The Process of Growth

If I’ve realized anything, it is that I am brave. And you can be too.
– Rachelle Niemann

I realize that I go silent here, sometimes for long stretches of time and I wanted to try and explain why that happens. I am a work in progress; I always will be. I am still learning and growing and honestly, I hope that continues forever. But sometimes during especially intense times of growth and discomfort, it’s all I can do is focus on the growth and lessons.

The truth is, for the past 3 years I’ve been in the midst of Act 2. Brene Brown discusses this as starting with an inciting incident. For me, this was the idea of becoming a parent and passing down my pain, fear, and shame to children and not being able to fully show up for them.

Spring has arrived; I’m here and I’m ready to create something real, something meaningful. If I can push through the darkness anyone can, and I’m here to support in any way I can.