Protect Your Life


Protect Your Life by Kara Stewart 

September is nationally recognized for several awarenesses, but there are two that I want to highlight that can affect everyone. Suicide prevention and recovery from mental health disorders and/or addiction can be a part of anyone's life. Life can be challenging for anyone and it can become overwhelming. It is so important to recognize when your life is at risk. Mental health providers, caretakers, health professionals, service workers, clergy, and anyone else that serves others for a living, can be at risk if they are not intentional about protecting their lives. Here are some tips to protect your life.

1. Remember that your needs must be met. It is not an honorable act to deplete your resources, ignore your health, and forego rest and sleep.

2. Constantly taking on the pain, trauma, and illnesses of others takes a toll. You need to release it. 

3. You are a human as well and life will not exempt you from struggles, unexpected events, loss, low days, questioning your purpose, feelings of failure, and fear of not being enough. Take time to reset. Take time to acknowledge what happens, accept and embrace your feelings and be open to needed change. 

4. Forgive yourself and others. 

5. Remember that you cannot help everyone, but you can refer people to other resources. Everyone is not assigned to you. You have a unique skill set that is meant for specific people. 

Try to implement these five things into your life. If you are in recovery, congratulations! Keep going! If you are someone that survived the darkest hours of your life or the day you almost gave up. Congratulations! Keep finding reasons to live and know that you are here for a reason. Don't give up, reach out, and find your people. It starts with one step. It starts with finding one person and it grows from there.
 
I wish you well and I have hope for your future.
-Kara 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Mystery of Love

Image
 Love can be the source of so many things. It can be a catalyst for change, a source of healing, or a source of pain. It causes some to choose to not move on in toxic situations. It leads others to abandon all rationale and take on impossible tasks. It can be a source of inspiration, personal growth, and self-expression. The element that makes love a mystery is understanding how to engage in it and endure even when it leaves one open to pain. When is it appropriate to hold on because of love? Additionally, hurt, resentment, and disappointment seem to be unavoidable when love is involved. How does one navigate through this and what is true when it comes to this experience called "love"? This appears to be a good place to start. There are different types of love and your ability to engage in this experience in a healthy manner depends on your definition of it and your level of love for self. Jesus gave two commandments regarding love, and he stated that the entire law is summed...
Read more

The Power of a Safe Space: Why Women Need Judgment-Free Friendships

Image
  The Power of a Safe Space: Why Women Need Judgment-Free Friendships                                                                                                Written by: Samon Sanders This topic was inspired by Women's Month from this year and it seemed appropriate and necessary to share this information. As women, we juggle multiple roles: mother, daughter, sister, friend, partner, and professional. In the midst of balancing responsibilities, emotions, and expectations, having a safe space where we can truly be ourselves is essential. A safe space is not just about a physical environment, t’s about having a person or group of people with whom we can be open and vulnerable without fear of judgment. The Impact of Having a Safe Space Having ...
Read more

It's Ok to Not be OK!!

Image
It's OK to Not Be OK: A Personal Journey                               By: Catherine Terry The Importance of Mental Health Checks Having to manage several responsibilities at once can make life feel very daunting. In addition to supporting your spouse and taking care of your children, you also assist in raising your grandchildren and deal with day-to-day life. The burden of it all can seem overwhelming at times. Many people are able to maintain the role of being strong and trustworthy for long time before they are no longer able to do so. Once it appears that everything crashes, it is necessary to discover the physical, mental and physical consequences of maintaining so many things. Realizing that mental and physical health examinations are equally important frequently takes time. When it comes to our physical health, how often do we take a moment to assess our mental and emotional health?...
Read more