October is Mental Health Awareness Month.
Thank you to these members of AIA Virginia who shared their mental health experiences.
What Have You Done for Your Mental Health?
- Seeking a community that supports my mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.
- I actively go for walks in nature without using technology to process my thoughts to stay grounded.
- As designers, we have high stress jobs with many competing demands and, especially as emerging professionals, we are constantly in unfamiliar territory doing things for the first time. It can be hard to stay calm. Often I can find myself so overwhelmed that my brain stops thinking and I can’t figure out what my next step should be.
When my office offered a series of mindfulness classes, I jumped at the chance to dive in. One of the key takeaways for me was to start to notice how and where anxiety expresses itself in my body. By developing a practice where I can take a pause many times throughout the day to do a body scan, take a breath, check in with myself, and notice how I am feeling, I can help diffuse the anxiety before it builds up to overwhelm. These check-ins are very brief, but help me notice how I am feeling and make space to consider what I need in order to take care of myself and stay calm.
I joined the Brain Health Project an online, research-based program. The premise – a healthy brain leads to a healthier person, mentally and physically. It is a self-paced program with a wide range of interactive and multimedia tools. - Being conscious of the consequences of not taking care of my mental health. It became my priority in life.
- Exercising, eating healthy and being in nature more often along with finding ways to be more organized so my time is better managed.
- I’ve found that meditation, reading, and exercising helps me get through stressful times. Whatever shifts my mind towards more positive thinking.
- I actively go for walks in nature without using technology to process my thoughts to stay grounded. Seeking a community that supports my mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.
- Tried not to work so much.
- Honestly, I started counseling. It helped me to realize the habits in my life that were compromising my physical and mental health. This included working too much and also separating home, social and work life.
What Mental Health Struggles Have You Overcome?
- Postnatal depression
- Depression and mental fogs
- I grew up in the midst of a lot of trauma; it messed up our family and social units. Unfortunately, this is normal for a POC in America. Learning to work through my personal trauma and not taking on the trauma-related issues of those around has been a challenge.
- Eliminated workaholic inclinations so I have time for R&R. Friends and family. Learned to say NO without guilt.