All my clinical supervisees know I always put a big emphasis on mental health, but I’m not always great at staying balanced myself. Recently, I told a friend that I didn’t feel like I deserved to rest: I had so much work to do, and also I’ve been very caught up in the tragedy of the news cycle. I felt like I had to bear witness, and it meant I spent all day working with my clients who often have complex needs, and all evening reading social media posts about war crimes in progress.
My logical brain has told me this is not kind, or right, to do to myself. So I'm reminding myself to take some space and say some positive words instead. Affirmations are a fantastic way to re-centre. The act of reading, writing, or saying these words aloud is a small act of kindness towards ourselves. Worth doing once daily, right?
One of my favourite social media accounts is that of the talented Morgan Harper Nichols, who posts beautiful and thoughtful affirmations like the following:
All images taken from Morgan Harper Nichols's instagram @morganharpernichols
And for those of you wanting a (very understandable!) break from social media altogether, may I recommend the poetry of Mary Oliver, who never fails to soothe my soul:
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