The Start of a Simple + Stubborn Love

Today’s the start of something new for TWLOHA and our community. It’s the “simple” commitment to Show Up For Yourself. It’s this stubborn love. It’s this miracle of repetition.

In an ideal world, we would get the care we need, when we need it, without issue. We find a therapist that connects with us on the first try, we have access to medication that eases our pain affordably and without side effects, we are surrounded by a community that supports us when we need it to. While we fight every day for these dreams to become a reality, we all know it is far from the truth of where mental health care is today. For one reason or another, barriers and obstacles are placed firmly in front of us.

So, where does that leave us? What do we do? How do we cope? We’re here to explore answers to those questions. We’re working to lay a foundation of care that we can stand, rest, and rely upon even when every other aspect of care that we deserve may be out of reach. It might not seem like a lot but it can be the difference between standing strong or crumbling underneath the weight of it all. Things like breathwork, reading, stretching, walking, and sitting outside may feel insignificant, possibly even silly in the grand scheme of things, but this foundation of resilience is built by these habits.

Self-love is the kind of care we all hold inside of us, we’re all capable of putting this intuitive practice into play. We’re not here to say it’s always easy to find or do, but we are here to say that it’s crucial to our well-being.

The Show Up For Yourself campaign is built upon four pillars: heart, body, mind, and community. Our heart is who we are to ourselves, our body is how we explore the world, our community is how we share our humanity, and our mind is where we process it all. Think about the parts of you that need attention. Is it easy for you to spend your energy in community because you like to feel helpful, but not so easy to extend that same help to yourself? Or are you really great at learning and expanding your knowledge, but have a tough time letting your emotions exist without judgment? We challenge you to spend time with the parts of yourself that you already love and to nurture the parts of yourself that have yet to be explored. You are a wholly wonderful and layered being, and you deserve to see, know, and tend to every facet of yourself.  

20 minutes a day is what we’re fighting for together. 20 minutes for 31 days throughout the month of May to change the way you think about and care for your mental health. It’s not too late to show up and make this commitment for yourself.

How can you get started? Order your Mental Health Month Pack for the tools you need to get started, launch a fundraiser so others can support this movement, and join the Facebook group for encouragement and inspiration from those also dedicating time to this challenge. However you show up, we hope you can be proud of yourself. A single step is a step worth celebrating. You know how important mental health is, so let’s go give it the time and attention it deserves.