Mental health struggles have become a large part of my life in the last couple of years. Only this year have I started to take care of myself by naming the mental health issues I walk with, depression and anxiety, and finding the extra support I need to find more harmony in my life. But even though these are new ways to help myself, reading and writing have always been my barometer for where I stand emotionally.
I have been through short and much longer stretches of not being able to read or write due to depression. This often throws me into a spiral of shame and despair because reading and writing are what I love doing. Books help me learn and relate to new ideas or similar experiences. But in the depths of depression it becomes so much easier to lay down in front of the TV and blast through all the seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, again. Which isn’t to say that can’t be good or what I need at the time. But there is something about losing the ability to read that leaves me feeling hollow.
I’m still learning how to be nice to myself. I thought I would share a few ways that I try to keep reading and writing in my life, even when my mental illness starts closing doors. Continue reading “4 Ways to Keep Reading and Writing When You Struggle With Mental Health”
