the beauty of mental health awareness month - week 3

on how sometimes you just have to persist--if you read one posts, let it be this one.

for the final week of mental health awareness month i want to share what has been the most important thing i’ve done in my own mental health journey. it’s not fun or easy, but it produces results—at least it has for me.

in my opinion, the most important thing you can do in your mental health journey (or in supporting someone you love) is to just keep trying.

if you are the one who is struggling, keep struggling. don’t give up. show up to appointments. try new treatments. try the new dose, the new medication. keep being vulnerable with yourself and with the people you love. keep journaling. keep going on walks. keep going to therapy. keep drinking your water and eating your food. keep praying. keep hoping. keep waking up and sending the “it’s a hard day” text.

if you are the one supporting someone who is struggling, keep struggling to support them. keep having empathy even when it’s hard. keep reminding them that you are there, that they aren’t alone. keep responding to their texts. keep holding them. keep telling them that you love them. keep going to the loved ones’ support group. keep doing what you know to do and keep showing up even when you don’t know what to do. (please keep taking care of yourself too.)

the value of persistence truly cannot be overstated.

it is so easy to be fall into discouragement, into the idea that things won’t get better. it might take time, it might take a lot of effort, but they eventually do get better.

it’s not magic, but it is resilience that begins to form inside of us when we practice persistence. the more days that i have gotten up when i didn’t want to, that i have showed up when it was difficult, the more i realize that i can do things despite how i feel.

in talking about this idea, i am not talking about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. i am talking about learning to employ the resources that you have gained through therapy, through the people around you, through the past experiences that you have had. i am talking about learning to be gentle with yourself, to offer yourself empathy on difficult days, to remind yourself of the strength that you have had to make it even this far.

one of my favorite pictures of persistence and resilience is captured in the following quote from one of my favorite novels Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry—

“The living can’t quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can’t because they don’t. The light that shines in the darkness and never goes out calls them on into life. It calls them back again into the Great Room. It calls them into their bodies and into the world, into whatever the world will require. It calls them into work and pleasure, goodness and beauty, and the company of other loved ones.”

this is the truth of resilience, of the virtue of persistence—that life hurts and sometimes things turn terrible. we are wounded and discouraged. we face set backs and heartbreak. we struggle with our minds and are weighed down by our hearts. however, we are not defeated by our pain. we show compassion to ourselves and to others. we practice vulnerability and allow ourselves to be swept up by those who love us and the beauty of small moments.

recognizing the beauty in little moments is one of the best ways that i know to build resiliency. i have a tattoo of my favorite quote my Marilynne Robinson that says, “There are a thousand reasons to live this life, every one of them sufficient.” the truth of this is boundless. there are reasons all around us, everyday to keep persisting.

you can do it. keep going.

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beauty from the week—

umm, TACO BELL!? why am i just discovering this goodness?? this order (in my opinion) is supreme. one doritos locos taco, one supreme bean and cheese burrito, and a cheesy roll up. diet pepsi on the side. i had taco bell twice this past weekend and i’m not sorry about it (my tummy wasn’t happy though—worth it!) haha.

i recently bought new sunglasses from giantvintage.com and i’m obsessed. they sell tons of vintage sunglasses for an average of about $30. such a steal!

i’m currently reading a book of poetry by Molly Burford called “Moments to Hold Close.” it’s so beautiful and holds so many important reminders of the little things to hold near.

that’s all for this week.

thank you for spending this time with me!

so much love to you,

catherine <3

p.s. it would mean so much to me if you would share this newsletter if you found it encouraging! thank you in advance! you can use the button below :)