Today marked one of the first times I can recall…
Where I felt irritable and anxious…
And told myself…
I’m going to need to double my meditation time today.
This, I’d say, is an excellent marker of progress for my own mental health awareness.
Healing doesn’t come from passing on pain.
At first glance, the idea of taking pain, packaging it up, and giving it away sounds sensible.
In the same way that taking garbage that’s overflowing, packaging it up, and sending it out to the curb might relieve your nose of the pain it’s stench thrusts upon you when you near it.
But, pain isn’t garbage that you can just dump off at the curb for another person to carry.
In fact, pain isn’t something that’s removable at all.
Pain is the crack in your house’s foundation. It’s the constant flooding of your basement. It’s the leaky roof, the broken plumbing, or the rotting wood.
It’s structural.
And there’s no moving out of this house. This body, this mind, this spirit—is the only real house you’ll ever have.
The only way this house heals, is if you do what’s required to get it fixed.
The information for healing is out there—for houses and for humans. It has never been more accessible.
It’s the solving—the doing of the work—that’s hard. And if you’re not up to the task of fixing something structural with your house alone—just admit it!
…And then get someone who can help.
Ideally, someone who knows how to fix structural problems and is a professional in their field.
You wouldn’t hire “just anybody” to fix a crack in your house’s foundation, right? So, why would you ever consider doing that for your most sacred home?
Ignoring structural problems and spewing the pain of it all on others—is no solution at all.
And only adds more wear to the houses of those in your own neighborhood.
This post became the introduction for: 28 Poetic Quotes from Inward by Yung Pueblo on Healing, Pain, and Love
This includes your greatest joys (embrace them).
And your greatest pains (keep attending to them).
Remember this as you gracefully move forward throughout your day and into your new year.
Everything you’re carrying… you’ve picked up.
Maybe put some of that down before the New Year, eh?
Achieving goals—moving forward—becomes a heck of a lot easier when you’re traveling light.
Trust the whispers of the body.
Question the yells of the mind.
Your body might whisper “sore legs” to which your mind might amplify to “TAKING THE WEEK OFF FROM EXERCISE!” Question the mind:“Is that really what sore legs means?” Listen to the body: “Sore legs—noted. Light stretching and upper body it is then.”
Before a public speech your mind might yell, “DANGER! RED ALERT! RUN!” while your body might be whispering, “you’re ready for this… you know this topic… stay calm.”
Or, after a hard breakup, your mind might be saying “GOOD RIDDANCE! WE DIDN’T NEED THEM! THEIR LOSS!” while your body might whisper, “that hurt.”
You see, the mind is in the business of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain which usually means staying inside of the comfort zone and fabricating situations to make them more—comfortable. But, that’s not what the body needs.
What the body needs is for the mind to respond properly to its signals; for the pain to be confronted, felt, and expressed; for the emotions and trauma to be seen and heard.
It needs for the mind to be a compassionate ear—an ally. Not a lazy megaphone that operates as an independent.
Hustle without mental health is self-hate.
Did that feel too aggressive?
If it did, then I’m speaking to you.
Because anyone who argues in favor of hustle at the expense of mental health is arguing for what exactly?
And how exactly does any of that help with hustle?
It doesn’t.
More importantly, it doesn’t help anyone or anything that’s involved with that person’s life—least of all, the person themselves.
And by ignoring this—yes, they’re choosing to commit an act of self-hate. Because self-love doesn’t ignore signs/calls for help.
Take care of yourself, first. Spend time inspecting the state of your mental wellbeing. Listen to what your body is telling you—and respond.
Hustle can wait. Your mental health can’t.
First sign that you’re suppressing emotions?
“I’m fine.”
…When you’re not.
Let’s normalize saying how you *actually* feel when someone asks how you’re doing.