I’ve been sharing my mental health story with middle school and high school students with NAMI-NYC through their Ending the Silence program for almost 5 years now, and late last year I trained to become an In Our Own Voice presenter as well! It’s been an overwhelmingly gratifying experience to not only open up spaces to have conversations about mental health, but to meet new people that inspire me to continue my journey.
This Thursday April 4th at 6 pm EST you can hear me share my recovery story with Kristen in NAMI- NYC’s virtual story hour!
🌟 If you’re interested and would like to attend click here to reserve your spot 🌟
Whether it’s the transition from fall to winter, winter to spring, or spring to summer, the changes in seasons seem to always affect me in different ways 🤔. I definitely notice a change in my mood, thoughts, and motivation for sure. I even notice sometimes I have a persistent low mood in the hotter months sometimes too, but I’m more inclined to go outside for a walk.
What are your thoughts and experiences? How do the seasons affect you and your mental and/or physical health?
You can also find this prompt in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here!
So very excited to announce the NAMI-NYC Expressive Arts workshop event I will be hosting this Saturday! This event will be via Zoom and on the NAMI-NYC website. You can find the link here. Click the Expressive Arts Zoom link for March 30th on the day of the workshop.
IMPORTANT: This Expressive Arts workshop and the ones following this one are from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm!
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to send me a DM or email 💟. The time of the event is in Eastern Standard Time.
*I will share any updates or changes and keep everyone posted.
Title: Taking Back My Time
Description: “Taking Back My Time” is a creative, reflective, and fun event where we will draw, write, and reflect about important moments in our lives, goals and interests that we have, and our views on the passage of time. Starting with an ice breaker, we will sketch an image and write about one thing that’s on your bucket list this year. The main activity will then be to pick one of three activities. The first activity will be to draw a clock, hour glass, or calendar and share what your thoughts and ideas are when you think about the passage of time and how it affects you, the second activity will be to write a rhyming poem about a task or goal that you are procrastinating or prioritizing, and the third activity will be to write a journal entry about an important moment in your life and how it’s shaped who you are today. Lastly, we will close by sharing our works of art.
Materials Paper, writing utensils (pen, pencil, markers, or crayons).
Schedule 2:00 – 2:20: Introductions and Ice breaker 2:20 – 3:00: Main Activity 3:00 – 3:30: Sharing and Closing
Finish this sentence: Instead of ________ I choose to _______ this week.
Oh my goodness! I’ve had so many shifts and changes in my life this year already 😅. Honestly, I can barely keep up with it all. Despite all the changes, though, I still want to set intentional time to prioritize myself, my goals, and my needs.
For this week’s reflection let’s think about things we can do differently that may benefit us. What behaviors, habits, or routines do you want to change or improve?
I’ll go first! Instead of scrolling on social media for a few hours every day, I choose to read and watch my comfort shows this week.
What about you?
You can also find this prompt in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.
Here’s to the girl that never had a first dance Who watched everyone at her school prom get asked out but her Who’s been told she wasn’t pretty growing up Who was never anyone’s first choice Who’s been ghosted over and over Who’s been told she was too much Who feels like she doesn’t belong anywhere or with anyone Who’s been used Who fell in love with someone that didn’t feel the same Who wished fairy tales were real Who has cried herself to sleep wondering what went wrong Who’s hope and desire for love is withering away with each passing day
Me too
But, despite all of this you are STILL beautiful and worthy of all the love this world has to offer. It’s OK to love on yourself, especially on those days when everything feels heavy and the shame of loneliness is eating at your mental health. There’s nothing wrong with you. You absolutely deserve the companionship you wish for. There’s still life left to live, OK?
I love you. We can continue moving forward together.
Encouragement Rest Stop: Write an encouraging message in the comments below.
Write an encouraging message in the comments below for someone who may need it this week ⭐.
I’ll go first!
It’s OK if all you do is exist today. Take as much time as you need for yourself. You are important and deserve to do what’s best for you.
Need help thinking of a message to share? Drop a favorite quote, affirmation, song verse, or positive coping strategy instead. 💌
Find this prompt in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.
What words, thoughts, phrases, or ideas come to mind when you think about the passage of time?
Mighties, we’re a few days into the new year and I’m working on building a different perspective when it comes to my ideas of time and how to best move forward.
The first step I’m taking is making a list of thoughts, words, phrases, and ideas that come to mind when it comes to the concept of time in general. Here is my list:
💫”Time is an illusion” 🌱 “Time is a series of present moments” 🔁 Past, present, future ⌛Running out ⏰ “Give yourself time” ✅ Right time 🦋 “Time heals all things” 🧘 Patience
What ideas are most true for you? ⌚
This prompt is also in the Chat Space group on The Mighty here.
Write a list of 5 hobbies, habits, coping strategies, or self-care techniques that you want to continue practicing this year.
I’ve learned so many things that have been helpful for my mental health over the past few years — some that I’ve stayed true to and others that’ve been challenging to implement on a daily basis (but I’m still trying!). The 5 that I definitely want to continue practicing this year are:
😴 Staying on top of my sleep (getting between 7 – 9 hours) 👨👩👧👦 Creating new traditions and spending time with my family 🍳Eating breakfast 🍵 Drinking 2 cups of tea every day 🎨 Including some form of creativity in my regular schedule
What are yours?
Also find this prompt in the Let’s Talk Depression group on The Mighty here!
Choose a star and complete the sentence that goes with it! ⭐💫🌟
⭐ I’m proud of myself for… 💫I’m getting better at… 🌟 I’m no longer going to…
I’ll choose the third star 🌟!
I’m no longer going to push myself past my limits or do things I don’t have enough energy for.
Which star do you choose? 🙂
This prompt is also in the Cheer Me On group on The Mighty here.
What’s something you want to practice more moving forward?
As the year winds down, I find myself reflecting on what I want to focus on — especially in terms of the relationship I have with myself. One of the things I want to intentionally practice is having more patience and love for myself. I notice that when I think too deeply or for too long about the expectations I have, I tend to be very self-critical which leaves me feeling stuck. I want to learn how to show myself more grace when I’m faced with uncomfortable or uncontrollable circumstances.
What about you? What’s something you want to practice more that’ll be helpful for you?
You can also find this prompt in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.
Dear 2023…
Activity:
Let’s write farewell letters to 2023 this week. In your letters you can add things you’ve learned, things you want to let go of and move on from, important events that happened, how you want to move forward, or how your health has impacted you. Write whatever feels good!
Reflection:
Here’s my letter:
Dear 2023,
A lot has happened this year. I’ve felt so much grief, sadness, and confusion. I’ve experienced new symptoms and felt the weight of the world on my shoulders — some days it was even too heavy to carry by myself. I’ve had moments where I gave my best and didn’t feel like it was enough, or that I wasn’t worthy of the companionship, friendships, relationships, or the love I was craving. I’ve been really tired.
2023, I’ve extended myself and my love to so many people that I saw were suffering around the world. I still hold them deep in my heart.
I’ve had conversations and listened to stories that’s opened my perspective and learned new things from others.
Moving forward, 2023, I want to be more confident in myself, in my voice, my talents, and my skills. I don’t want to hide when I feel afraid because in the past that made me feel safe. I want to continue to advocate and show others that it’s OK not to be OK and there are people who care about them… like me! I want to be kinder to myself because I deserve kindness, and be gentler with myself because I deserve gentleness. I want to continue to listen to the stories of others and grow in awareness of what they experience. (If you’re reading this, your voice matters!)
I also want to thank the people who have helped me get through this year like my therapist, my mom, sister, NAMI-NYC fam, favorite Mighty boss lady kat, fellow kind soul and community teammate skye, plus all of you reading this right now. Any kind word or positive energy sent was received and greatly appreciated.
Farewell 2023.
It’s been a roller coaster, Nina aka SparklyWarTanks
You can also find this prompt in The Pencil Case on The Mighty here.
Sometimes I look at myself and get lost in my thoughts. I think about all that’s happened up to this point. I think about the decisions I’ve made and what “success” looks like for me. I wonder about experiences I wish I would have and the possibility of them happening. I rummage in my body looking for unfamiliar feelings and accessing them more regularly. Hope is one of those feelings. I imagine myself thriving in hope. As I push forward, I sit with my fear and allow it to pass through, it’s a part of me, too. I’m gentle with myself and I’m learning to go slow as I let go of control.
I’m deserving of good things and love, of life showering me with experiences that fill me with happiness. I’m allowed to be a person, to make mistakes, and to move on from them. I’m doing a good job. There’s no timeline I have to be on. There’s no one in front of me or behind me. It’s just me experiencing this reality. I can let go of all my expectations to be anything more than what I am right now.
I’m where I need to be in the body that’s mine. I’m who I need to be in order to be successful. I’m enough and nothing can change this fact.
SparklyWarTanks 