Hey there, lovely readers of Scrink.com! It’s your cheeky, chocolate-loving scribe here, ready to dive into a topic that’s near and dear to my heart-mental health, or as I like to call it, brain health, and the ever-so-important dance of emotional well-being. So, grab a cuppa (or a sneaky square of chocolate), and let’s chat about the wild, wonderful, and sometimes wavy journey of keeping our minds in check.
I think I may be watching too much BrittBox or reading too many cozy mysteries that take place over the pond, haha, who am I to ask you to grab a cuppa? Hahaha, it sounds nice though, doesn’t it?
Therapy Thursdays: My Biweekly Brain Tune-Up
If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, you know that every other Thursday is sacred in my world. It’s Therapy Thursday! Today was one of those days, and let me tell you, I’m feeling like I’ve just been handed a life preserver after floundering in some choppy emotional seas. I’m beyond lucky to have stumbled upon a therapist who doesn’t just nod and “mm-hmm” her way through our sessions. Oh no, this woman really listens and then hits me with questions that make my brain do a double-take. Nudging me to think deeper and to step outside the tiny box I’ve built around myself. And somehow, every time, she equips me with tools to navigate the turbulence of life with a little more grace and a lot more grounding.
Today, though? Whew, it was a doozy. The first 36 minutes of our call were basically me trying to cram the past two weeks of chaos into a CliffsNotes version of a Lifetime movie script. I even cracked a joke about it, saying, “Bet you didn’t know you signed up for a client with a life straight out of a made-for-TV drama!”
When she asked how I was managing the whirlwind of “many things” happening, I couldn’t help but quip, “Well, chocolate’s been a pretty solid coping mechanism.” And I’m not even kidding, chocolate has been my MVP lately. My Brian gifted me two bars of Cadbury milk chocolate for Mother’s Day, and I’ve been savoring them like they’re the last bars on Earth. Once these are gone, I’m already plotting to snag a Cadbury with fruit and nuts. A girl’s gotta treat herself, right?
The Lake of the Mind: Calm Waters and Pesky Pebbles
Now, let’s get a bit poetic for a moment, shall we? I’ve been thinking a lot about how brain health and emotional well-being are like a lake. Picture this: sometimes, that lake is placid, almost still, reflecting everything above it with mirror-like perfection. The trees, the sky, the fluffy clouds-they all stare back at you from the glassy surface, and everything feels… calm. That’s the good stuff, the days when your mind is clear, your heart is steady, and you’re just cruising along.
But then, out of nowhere, someone-or something-chucks a pebble into that lake. Plop! Suddenly, the reflection shatters. Ripples spread out, the water gets murky, and the dirt at the bottom gets all stirred up. Things start moving around, and you’re left squinting at the surface, trying to make sense of the mess. That’s mental health in a nutshell, isn’t it? One minute, you’re smooth sailing; the next, life tosses a pebble (or a whole darn boulder) your way, and everything feels in flux. Maybe it’s a tough conversation, a stressful week, or just a random wave of anxiety that decides to crash the party. Whatever it is, it shakes things up, and you’re left navigating waters that aren’t quite as friendly as they were before.
Giving Yourself Grace to Ride the Waves
Here’s the thing, though, my dear friends: just like a lake eventually settles after the pebble’s ripples fade, so too can your mind find its calm again. It might take a little time, a few deep breaths, or, in my case, a good therapy session and a square of Cadbury. But the key is to give yourself grace while you’re paddling through the murky bits. You don’t have to have it all figured out the second the water gets rough. Sometimes, it’s okay to just float for a while, let the dirt settle, and trust that the reflection will come back into focus.
My therapist reminded me of that today. She didn’t just hand me a quick fix for the chaos of the past two weeks, although she did kid and say she wished she had a magic wand for me. But she gave me something better, tools to ground myself, practice better self-care, and remember that even when the lake of my mind is all stirred up, I’ve got the strength to ride out the waves. And honestly, isn’t that what brain health is all about? Not avoiding the pebbles, but learning to steady yourself when they hit.
So, here’s my cheeky little challenge to you: the next time life tosses a pebble into your lake, don’t panic. Take a deep breath, maybe treat yourself to a little chocolate (Cadbury, if you’re feeling fancy), and remind yourself that the calm will return. And if you’ve got a therapist, a friend, or even a trusty journal to help you navigate those waters, lean on them. You’ve got this.
Until next time, keep your chin up, your chocolate stash stocked, and your lake as calm as you can. Catch you on the flip side, Scrink fam!
With a wink and a ripple,
Your Scrink Scribe
