Today is World Mental Health Day. 

I’m often in two minds about these kind of days. On the one hand, it is great to put a spotlight on topics/events to prioritise them and bring them front of mind. 

Spotlighting topics can help us:

• pay attention to them and how they make us think and feel, 
• remember their relevance and importance,
• focus on them, and through that
• perhaps re-ignite our commitment to action(s). 

Human behaviour can be summarised by three words: thoughts – feelings – actions. 
When we think about something, we have an automatic emotional reaction, whether that’s pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. Try it. 
That emotion then triggers an action – including inaction. 

So, spotlighting events can help us notice our thoughts, our emotions and actions. This can also help us notice patterns, enquire whether they are serving us and perhaps make changes.

On the other hand, I’m a bit weary of these days, as it sometimes feel like we simply focus on the one day a year and neglect the topic the other 364 (or this year the other 365) days. We know we need to do more for our mental health and wellbeing but we put it aside as life takes over. I am saying this not with any judgement or a sense of righteousness, as if I’ve got it all figured out. I’m saying it because I notice it in myself – it can be easy to let (mental) health and wellbeing slide. 

I believe that our mental health and wellbeing is intrinsically linked to what we consume – the food we eat, the content we read/hear, the purchases we make, the people we surround ourselves with, the energy we expand and absorb. 
We can’t address mental health without addressing our physical and emotional health. It’s an interconnected system. 

So, today, as a starting point, and any other day, I’d like to invite you to take a moment to notice what emotions and actions a thought may trigger. 
Notice it with curiosity. 
Notice how it perhaps interlinks with something else. 
Not to make a judgement about whether something is good, bad or neutral. 
Simply noticing. 
A check in with yourself. 
A moment of self-care. 
A moment of pause. 

This post was originally written for my social media handle (@sustainfully_you) and is still available on there.