cosmiccreativebits

Falling off the bandwagon can be frustrating; you can have your shit together for a while and then suddenly you don’t have your shit together and it can be confusing which leads to frustration! Having a mental illness is tough and it's not necessarily your fault that you don't have your shit together, you can just wake up and not have a clue how to function correctly but you do have some power in the situation...So how do you get your shit together then?  Getting your shit together requires baby steps, depending on the severity of your decline you may need to focus just on the basics for a while, give yourself a sticker when you've achieved it this will release endorphins and create a sense of achievement that you can and should be proud of; It's not easy breaking the cycle but even if you only do 1 basic task you'll start to feel a little more put together.  It takes 3 weeks to form habits good or bad; the choice is yours how long you fall off the bandwagon for but...

SO a recent reminder from the Pintrest widget I have on my phone said 'It's okay if productivity looks a little different in this season' and it's inspired me to talk on the subject. Productivity in baby steps can help you get back to normal, infact i'll go as far as saying it can give you purpose to want to wake up but over doing it i.e setting yourself a mammoth task list and attempting to do it all in a day, everyday, can lead to extreme burnout, if you don't know what burnout is you can read about it here.   Productivity can look different for everyone but one thing I've learnt is you have to take a break you can't always be all systems go it's not healthy for your body or your mental health.  Self-Care is productive it's how you take your power back, relaxing is also productive just not in the way you might be used to so it's okay if in this season you're learning how to be productive in a new way; Hustle culture is dangerous and I...

If you're in the UK and have a library card you can now download an app called Libby which has all the books and magazines that your local library offers which is pretty cool because it's on your phone, or other technology that you can have apps on for free; you can borrow up-to 20 at time for around 3 weeks not that I've utilised that I prefer reading one at once. If you don't have a library card they're super easy to get just go into a local library and ask for one and that's pretty much it after a few details you're ready to borrow no waiting in the post, they hand it to you straight away. I like the idea of traditional books but the process of having it on your phone is very convenient for defining words by just holding on the word also returning the books no special trip just a click to return and you're ready to borrow/read more all in less than 30 seconds. It's perfect for a busy lifestyle or those that struggle with mental health problems.  T...

We all know self care is important but how many of us actually make time to take care of ourselves?  We can get so caught up in our mental health malarkey that we often forget self care is a thing, self care can look different for everyone but making just 10 minutes out of your day dedicated to caring for yourself can actually make you feel a little better.  cut your nails/paint em, get a shave if that makes you feel a bit more put together, pamper yourself (try out a new product), colour in a colouring book, listen to music that gets you gassed rather than sad soppy shit you can relate to  - of course it doesn't solve your worries and woes but it distracts you for a little while meaning you're less depressed/stressed.    Self-care can be difficult at first but the more you make time to at least try take care of yourself the easier it becomes, infact you actually start to look forward to the prospect of time well spent, it makes you feel more accomplished and re...

New experiences will do your mental health a world of good eventually, it may feel uncomfortable at first but the more you expose yourself to the unknown or the uncomfortable, the easier it all becomes and you never know you may have the best experience of your entire life, it's not always the activity but the people you meet along the way.  Try new things even if you think you'll be no good at it, the only way to know is if you try, remember practice is key to most things but if you're not enjoying it then at least you've tried it to say it's not for you.  Last year I did stone carving an ancient art form yano like The Flintstones style (rock money carved out) or tombstone writing, in modern day people make sculptures but that's incredibly advanced skill level. Anyways I really liked the idea of stone carving but the execution on my behalf it wasn't for me, glad I tried it though. I did volunteering for an up-cycling group too (revamping furniture) a blesse...

A recent question I had in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was how do we become more self compassionate when the inner critic shows up . And the answer isn't as complex as you would think.  Firstly I've decided to name the inner critic as this separates it from yourself, remember we all have negative thoughts about ourselves from time to time but when these thoughts become a problem it can affect your daily life by means of your confidence will plummet and you can even start to believe the inner critics opinions which is dangerous for your mental health.  In order to be more compassionate towards yourself when the inner critic shows up you have to simply witness the thought don't become at one with the thought; challenge the thoughts by thinking of a rational/more positive counteract argument to what the inner critic is saying, yes but i'm doing okay not marvellous but okay kind of statements help to train you into the habit until it becomes a natural response to challeng...

I had this dream once that said speak to the higher power aka the universe -  it was a mad dream but anyways you don't have to be religious to pray, I learned a long time ago the best thing you can do is vent to the universe about things. Daily chats with the universe help massively; you're never alone as you think you are...even if doesn't seem like that. You can show your gratitude in prayer, your thoughts and feelings even build a friendship between you and the universe (higher power).   Prayer is the most powerful way to care about a soul, from a far or near you always have the option to pray for someone and this act of kindness actually helps your own mental health as you're doing something that isn't self centred; So the next time you have a spare 5 minutes pray to the universe for someone that's struggling. The universe or higher power responds to kindness it's a secret weapon in my eyes that you need to utilise.   So how do you pray to the higher pow...