There is something so magical about seeing someone grow.
Monday 26 May 2014
MOG #71: Little
Tonight I was folding laundry and my nephew's sock ended up in my pile of clothes. It's not the first time a little piece of baby-sized fashion fell into my lap, but every time my reaction is the same. I am so grateful I have met one little person who has changed my whole world ever since the moment he arrived two years ago. How quickly he stole our hearts; how easy he became the centre of our attentions and how much love be brought into a family- all just by showing up.
There is something so magical about seeing someone grow.
There is something so magical about seeing someone grow.
Friday 16 May 2014
MOG #69: Short drives away
Seeing a message from Andrea always puts a smile on my face. She's one of my favourite people, but she can always find something to be grateful for, always. Her fourth time submitting, here's a little bit of perspective for your Friday...
Recently I've been pretty bummed out over not having thr financial resources to live with my roommate anymore. I've been trying to embrace this new stage in life, being finished university and all, but I'm always just a bit bitter that things didn't work out the way I'd wanted.
But today a friend reposted a desperate plea for the second time, in an effort to find her childhood friend that has been missing. She pointed out how thankful she was that her family was safe and it got me thinking. As much as I miss my best friend, I know where she is and it's only a short drive away and as much as I begrudge living at home, my family is all present and accounted for, and I may be unemployed but that just means babysitting gigs to keep kids safe for their parents. Everyday when I do a quick head count, everyone I care about sounds off...and thats just as irritating and wonderful as it sounds.
MOG #68: MH
Kaitlyn is just the coolest girl. She was part of a Brock University based movement called Cope Care Connect which took the school by storm with it's sole mission to support students from a mental health stand point. One of the most positive experiences I had at school was writing about this campaign because it meant I got to meet people like Kaitlyn, all of whom just wanted to reach out to a community and made a difference and found the means to put their words into actions. Read on and see for yourself...
Mental health week…. Do you know what it is? What its about? Have you even heard about it? Well I hope the answer to all of these is yes, even though I highly doubt it is! I would think that for many struggling with a mental illness it may seem impossible to find sources of gratitude, no matter how miniscule they may be.
But for me, gratitude, it keeps my mental health in check, stable, and balanced. First of all, how grateful am I that there is a WHOLE week dedicated to mental health? 10 years ago we never would have seen this! It is in our automatic nature as human beings to always want more, always try to accommodate for what we don’t have, or brand things that we want as things that we need.
This “nature” blinds us from seeking thanks for the things that we do have, and accepting what we do have as gifts. In turn, as a result from misdiagnosing all these wants as needs, our bodies become overloaded with things that we think we must have in order to be happy. This overload can create numerous different outcomes, many being distress, anxiety and even depression. All of the previously mentioned are forms of mental illness or can compromise mental well-being. So is it worth it, is it worth to get so stressed out and literally make ourselves ill over our materialistic wants?
I’m not saying that all mental illness is caused by wanting things we can’t have, sometimes its not a material thing, it could be a person, or a place, or even something complex as a life. But most of these are comprised of things. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and say one thing that you are thankful for. Right now, I’m thankful for my cat, she is sitting right beside me and she makes me happy (Insert crazy cat lady comment here). In that moment of being thankful for whatever it is, a new pair of shoes, a cat, or having a roof over your head, it brings you back down, it brings you down to earth. It doesn’t matter who you’re thanking, or what you’re being thankful for, all that matters is that you’re doing it. What if we were all thankful for each other? What if giving thanks out loud enlightened other people on things that they could potentially be thankful for?
Our disconnect allows room for all of these thoughts, which can then manifest into some sort of distraught illness. Connection is the key to so many things. Breaking the stigma around mental health, raising awareness on mental health, and most of all, educating on mental health. This is what mental health week is all about, and within all of these different aspects, I found my own strategy and theory. If we can connect with each other, through what we are grateful for, it humanizes us, and makes us realize that all those other little things, they don’t really matter. We need to stop always asking ourselves what we want, and look around and what we have.
And if you physically, spiritually and mentally have nothing, you will eventually have something, and you should be thankful for that potential. The potential for greatness and gratitude lives within each one of us, and once we dig that out from wherever its hiding, it tunes your heart with your mind, and your mind with your soul, and everything becomes that much more clear. That mental illness, it becomes recognized, it becomes lifted, and its potential to vanish is right in front of you. My gauge on mental health is not certified and I am not a mental health specialist. However I can tell you one thing, showing kindness, never brought anyone’s day down.
Mental health week…. Do you know what it is? What its about? Have you even heard about it? Well I hope the answer to all of these is yes, even though I highly doubt it is! I would think that for many struggling with a mental illness it may seem impossible to find sources of gratitude, no matter how miniscule they may be.
But for me, gratitude, it keeps my mental health in check, stable, and balanced. First of all, how grateful am I that there is a WHOLE week dedicated to mental health? 10 years ago we never would have seen this! It is in our automatic nature as human beings to always want more, always try to accommodate for what we don’t have, or brand things that we want as things that we need.
This “nature” blinds us from seeking thanks for the things that we do have, and accepting what we do have as gifts. In turn, as a result from misdiagnosing all these wants as needs, our bodies become overloaded with things that we think we must have in order to be happy. This overload can create numerous different outcomes, many being distress, anxiety and even depression. All of the previously mentioned are forms of mental illness or can compromise mental well-being. So is it worth it, is it worth to get so stressed out and literally make ourselves ill over our materialistic wants?
I’m not saying that all mental illness is caused by wanting things we can’t have, sometimes its not a material thing, it could be a person, or a place, or even something complex as a life. But most of these are comprised of things. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and say one thing that you are thankful for. Right now, I’m thankful for my cat, she is sitting right beside me and she makes me happy (Insert crazy cat lady comment here). In that moment of being thankful for whatever it is, a new pair of shoes, a cat, or having a roof over your head, it brings you back down, it brings you down to earth. It doesn’t matter who you’re thanking, or what you’re being thankful for, all that matters is that you’re doing it. What if we were all thankful for each other? What if giving thanks out loud enlightened other people on things that they could potentially be thankful for?
Our disconnect allows room for all of these thoughts, which can then manifest into some sort of distraught illness. Connection is the key to so many things. Breaking the stigma around mental health, raising awareness on mental health, and most of all, educating on mental health. This is what mental health week is all about, and within all of these different aspects, I found my own strategy and theory. If we can connect with each other, through what we are grateful for, it humanizes us, and makes us realize that all those other little things, they don’t really matter. We need to stop always asking ourselves what we want, and look around and what we have.
And if you physically, spiritually and mentally have nothing, you will eventually have something, and you should be thankful for that potential. The potential for greatness and gratitude lives within each one of us, and once we dig that out from wherever its hiding, it tunes your heart with your mind, and your mind with your soul, and everything becomes that much more clear. That mental illness, it becomes recognized, it becomes lifted, and its potential to vanish is right in front of you. My gauge on mental health is not certified and I am not a mental health specialist. However I can tell you one thing, showing kindness, never brought anyone’s day down.
I’m thankful for being able to connect to all of you through this MOG. What are you grateful for? What do you already have, that can make you see more clearly?
For more resources:
MOG #67: Radiate
This blog has been a gateway of community and meeting our next contributor, Alexandra, is someone I am so lucky to have met. She's just finished her first year of University but don't let her age fool you, Alex is one of the wisest people I know. This girl shows so much grace, strength, resilience and persistence- more than most people will in a life time- and she does it all effortlessly. A true warrior, an advocate for mental health and a dreamer who will never give up, let alone let anyone stand in her way. Expect big things from this genuine soul, but for now, here are her words,
This is my first of (hopefully) many Moments of Gratitude that I would like to share. March 26, 2014 was single-handedly the best and worst best day of my life. Here’s why: my boyfriend of one year, and my best friend of longer than that, the guy who helped me transition from high school to university, the guy who was always there for me, who has loved me at my best and worst, broke up with me an hour before my philosophy midterm via text. I still don’t know how I managed to write that exam. Sure, things had certainly not been perfect for us the last little while, but I had confidence that we could work through things, but he lost faith. I sat down beside my friend in class, about to write the exam, as per usual, he asked how I was, and I just cried. I started crying halfway through the exam, he passed me kleenex and said “It’s okay, hon.” He was a silent support the whole time.
After the exam ended, he came over to properly breakup with me because there was no way that was going to happen over text. I was a puddle of tears and heartbreak, but I had to have the strength to pull myself together and tell my story of bullying, mental health, and strength at one of my weakest points. (That’s a story I will definitely share soon.) I was so thankful, and so fortunate to be chosen as one of the BrockTalks 2014 speakers, and I’m still so honoured. But I told my friends that I couldn’t do it. I could not go up on stage in front of 200 people, and who knows how many people streaming the event online, and tell them that I’m stronger than I used to be. My boyfriend was going to be there to watch and support me, but instead, he walked away. Though I guess I don’t really blame him. I was so heartbroken, but I did it. That night, my dad surprised me by showing up in the audience, my mom was streaming it online, my best friend was there with me, and friends from my floor showed up too. I was surrounded by people who loved me. I then found out that I was going to speak first. I was so nervous, but I wiped the tears from my eyes, held my head high, and gave my speech. Not only were my loved ones (and everyone watching) proud of me, but I was proud of myself. My dad said to me after, “look how far you’re going, you do not need any guy. You are independent, and strong. You’re going places, and I could not be more proud of you.” And he was right. Look what I can do without anyone holding my hand.
But that isn’t even the end. Though I was tearing up thinking of him the whole night, I still had a great phenomenal time. All of the speakers had incredible stories to tell. The last speaker was introduced, and she started to tell her story, and my eyes opened. Mary Perino talked about gratitude, and my whole life changed. In fifteen minutes. I spent the whole day completely heartbroken, thinking that I’m so alone now, wallowing in my own self-pity, I didn’t even realize how much I have to be thankful for. I no longer look at my breakup like a terribly tragic event, but I look at it as an opportunity to grow. That boyfriend and I had amazing times together, and we learned so much. But just because our time is over, doesn’t mean I can’t continue to be myself. I spent the rest of the night on a complete high because I was doing what I truly loved: public speaking, and changing the world, and being surrounded by people I love, and people who love me. I had been looking forward to that night for months, and no guy was going to take that away from me. I cried for one week, and then I moved on. No one was gaining anything from me being miserable. We were Taylor Swift Never Ever Getting Back Together. I decided to look at my breakup not as a bad thing, but an opportunity for something new. And now, he and I are friends. We talk occasionally, mostly about music, and our good memories. Life is good. It’s okay to be sad, and I’ve learned that. Life isn’t about being just happy and happy all the time. But life is also about making the best of everything that happens, the good and the bad. The best part of the entire experience was meeting amazing people. That night confirmed something I've always believed in- that everything happens for a reason, but what I came to really understand that night was the more positivity you put out into the world, the more you will get back.
Thursday 8 May 2014
MOG #66: All the things
Tonight I am grateful that I started to think about all the things I am grateful for.
Sometimes you can feel really down, for no apparent reason, but laying in the dark, not talking to anyone, scrolling through a virtual reality and having no desire to move can make you feel that way. Justifiability so.
But those moments find their inevitable end and all of the sudden I am at least sitting up, logging on, and saying hi to a few someones that have the words you don't have. Before you know it, the light's on, the songs are playing and it's not so bad anymore.
And it's all because instead of thinking "Why am I unhappy?" I began to think despite "that", despite "this", despite everything, "What am I grateful for?"
If I've learned anything in these past four months, I know it is that change in thought that changes everything.
Sometimes you can feel really down, for no apparent reason, but laying in the dark, not talking to anyone, scrolling through a virtual reality and having no desire to move can make you feel that way. Justifiability so.
But those moments find their inevitable end and all of the sudden I am at least sitting up, logging on, and saying hi to a few someones that have the words you don't have. Before you know it, the light's on, the songs are playing and it's not so bad anymore.
And it's all because instead of thinking "Why am I unhappy?" I began to think despite "that", despite "this", despite everything, "What am I grateful for?"
If I've learned anything in these past four months, I know it is that change in thought that changes everything.
Wednesday 7 May 2014
MOG #65: For yesterday
An anonymous thank-you note,
This is not to open wounds, to disturb your life and relationship and I'm not asking you to respond or ever talk to me again. This is purely to say thank you.
Today I found one of the journals we made together. It was an incredibly odd feeling, especially after I had discarded a lot of them after the initial breakup. What I found in the journal was love and that is what I would like to thank you for. In high school I was angry, hurt and completely unsure of who I was and you accepted that. You managed to still show love and compassion and it shows through your writing. So thank you! Thank you for allowing me to be the person I was in high school. Both the good and the bad and thank you for loving that person cause I know there was times I definitely didn't deserve it. Our relationship will always be a fond memory to me. You were an important part of who I have become and I also would like to thank you for that as well. I hope that this message brings no hard feeling. As I said before I want nothing more from this then for you to know my gratitude towards you, in a time when love was truly the thing I needed most. I hope you are well and that your life is everything that you wanted it to be.
Sincerely, yours
This is not to open wounds, to disturb your life and relationship and I'm not asking you to respond or ever talk to me again. This is purely to say thank you.
Today I found one of the journals we made together. It was an incredibly odd feeling, especially after I had discarded a lot of them after the initial breakup. What I found in the journal was love and that is what I would like to thank you for. In high school I was angry, hurt and completely unsure of who I was and you accepted that. You managed to still show love and compassion and it shows through your writing. So thank you! Thank you for allowing me to be the person I was in high school. Both the good and the bad and thank you for loving that person cause I know there was times I definitely didn't deserve it. Our relationship will always be a fond memory to me. You were an important part of who I have become and I also would like to thank you for that as well. I hope that this message brings no hard feeling. As I said before I want nothing more from this then for you to know my gratitude towards you, in a time when love was truly the thing I needed most. I hope you are well and that your life is everything that you wanted it to be.
Sincerely, yours
April Review: Short and sweet
Hellllo!!!
It's been too long hasn't it?! I must apoligize for the delay and pause in entries. To be honest, buisness has been slow and life has been busy- even for this girl, but even though the posts were sparing, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of the word 'gratitude', this blog and all of you.
Let's move on to the good stuff, shall we?
This is what we learned in April:
MOG #61: Kindness from Strangers - you just never know
MOG #62: Regin/Rain - you will be missed
MOG #63: Teacher Me - you may surprise yourself
MOG #64: Clarity - you're stronger than you think
MOG #65- Tried and True - you can make a difference
In short, April was short, but the Gratitude that happened was still momumental. That's the thing about the word- in itself it is thankful for what is already had, it appreciates and recpriotes and turns what we have into enough.
So April, thank you, and let's see what May brings...
It's been too long hasn't it?! I must apoligize for the delay and pause in entries. To be honest, buisness has been slow and life has been busy- even for this girl, but even though the posts were sparing, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of the word 'gratitude', this blog and all of you.
Let's move on to the good stuff, shall we?
This is what we learned in April:
MOG #61: Kindness from Strangers - you just never know
MOG #62: Regin/Rain - you will be missed
MOG #63: Teacher Me - you may surprise yourself
MOG #64: Clarity - you're stronger than you think
MOG #65- Tried and True - you can make a difference
In short, April was short, but the Gratitude that happened was still momumental. That's the thing about the word- in itself it is thankful for what is already had, it appreciates and recpriotes and turns what we have into enough.
So April, thank you, and let's see what May brings...
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