A List Of Little But Important Things

As long time readers of my little corner of the internet will know, I've struggled with my mental health for about five or so years now - I've been formally diagnosed with clinical depression and informally (aka by a psychiatrist not a GP) diagnosed with mild bipolar. I've also struggled with self-harm and one suicide attempt, and it's fair to say that I've had a ride and a half. But, this Mental Health Awareness Week, I've hit 214 days clean of cutting (which is also 7 months) which is the longest I've been since 2015. It's safe to say I'm in a much happier place in general than I have been in a long time and while this week has brought a pretty huge setback (check my Twitter if you wanna keep up with ALL the rants about a certain male) I'm still okay. It doesn't feel like that all the time but in general, I'm okay. 

One of the reasons I'm more okay than I have been is Dodie's book 'Secrets For The Mad' which my friend lent me a few weeks ago and I made my way through it slowly but surely, the same way I've made it through the past five years. One of the things in Secrets For The Mad is a list of 'little but important things' and when I read this page I immediately made one of these lists for myself. It's a very little thing to do but I add to mine on the basis that every time I smile about something, it goes on that list. I have it in my journal which I always have on me and sometimes, when I feel like I need to go and have a cry or be angry, I nip to my room, stick some Friends on, write about my sadness or anger and then I look at my list of little but important things. And there hasn't been a time when I haven't smiled at that list, so I thought I'd share with you the content of my list. It's a little, but very important, thing to do for self-care and your mental health - for me, it's more than just a list of things that make me smile, it's also been a list of reasons to stay alive. It's been a list of reasons to keep going, to stay clean, to look after myself and make sure that I'm okay. And so here they are.

"Little But Important Things"

The softness of my mum's cardigans when I hug her

Mine and my dad's identical (and stupid) sense of humour

Cathedral City cheddar cheese

A cup of tea made by a friend/Dad

Certain note patterns in certain songs

Reading

My starsign and laughing at my horoscope

Dog kisses

Cuddles when the person completely wraps you up

Being able to just cry and cry and cry

Daffodils

The light you get with rainbows

Friends who want me to come out with them

Putting together a really good outfit

Big jumpers and Big scarves

Snow! We love snow

Laughing until I can't actually breathe

Sunny morning light in my room

Opening windows on rainy days

The smell of a fresh rainfall

The way my dad appreciates things

The way my mum mutters to herself on the food shop

Waitrose decaf Earl Grey tea just before bed

"Smile at least 11.5 times today" (a message I received from a friend)

Matte nail top coats

There's more, but that's where I'll leave it for today. 

What's on your 'little but important things' list?

Em xx