Resources

👋

Thanks for being brave enough to reach out - it ripples like a rock thrown into a pond.

1. In The Rooms - app and website. Over 250 live meetings a week for anyone in recovery from anything. Women Warriors and Soul Sisters were a couple of my favourites.

2. Soul Sisters group on Facebook - live mental health check in groups with speaker on Monday and Wednesday. Also Soul Sisters book club Facebook page looks awesome and Soul Sisters Dance Facebook page every Sunday was excellent for my depression to get moving in a safe and nurturing space.

3. Mental Health Help Lines - I’m not sure what region you’re in but there are nationwide numbers I believe such as 1-888-353-CARE and 1-800-SUICIDE that provides trained listeners who also have access to a large database of resources and referrals. If you identify as aboriginal there is Doctor a Day where you can call and talk to a doctor or counsellor for free within the week. If you identify as aboriginal you could also call The Hope for Wellness helpline, which provides trained counsellors for short term care, though obviously if you call over a number of years it becomes long term.

4. YouTube Talks, Guided Meditations and Chill Music - Instrumental classical is best for unwinding the mind, and the meditations and talks by The Mindful Movement, Abraham - Ester Hicks, Louise Hay and Tara Brach are awesome sauce. Also check out “Micheal Singer” and his book and talks on his book The Untethered Soul and also perhaps the channels Thriver TV and Kyron, Eckhart Tolle and Kim Eng.

5. More Apps - Headspace, Calm, Fabulous and 5 Minute Journal by Intelligent Change

6. Books - Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, The Body Remembers, Anything by Louise Hay, Anything by Tara Brach, Anything by Byron Katie, OH, that reminds me, Byron Katie has a great tool called ‘The Work’ - it’s all free on her website www.thework

7. Nature - look out the window. Open it. Light a candle. Open the door. Perhaps go for a walk. Notice how it knows what it’s doing. Recognize yourself as natural. Watch a nature show on TV.

8. Declutter - what weighs down our physical space will weigh down our mind. Ask yourself if the things around you truly support you. Pick them up. Look at them. Oh! Marie Kondo has a book about it. Oh, and the book “The Secret” is also pretty intermaresting. There are also a couple movies out about it. Guess it’s not that big a secret anymore ;)

9. Movies - The Secret. The Peaceful Warrior. The Peace Pilgrim.

10. Check your local phone book or whatever for local resource Centers, mental health support and friendship Centers. You could receive things like moral support, food, home goods, access to an in-person support group and things likes arts and crafts and usage of a sewing machine and computer with printer free clothes, and more.

11. Your Inner and Outer Senses - Exercise: what can I see around me that is red? Yellow? Orange? And so forth with every colour of the rainbow. Really look at the colour and thing. What is it? What is it REALLY? Then can I smell? Hear? Taste? Feel or touch? Really dive into the experience. Make it visceral. Deep. Inner senses exercise: keep a journal by your bed and write down your dreams. Do gut checks - what is my body feeling, needing or wanting? Am I willing to give it that? Why or why not? Just notice and be aware without judging. This takes time to learn.

12. The 4Ds - delay, distract, deep breathing, drink water. Remember, delay is different from denial. If distraction coping mechanisms aren’t the healthiest, just substitute it very, very slowly for something a bit healthier. Slow and steady wins the race. Learning to deep breathe also takes time and patience.

13. Learn more about health - how is your nutrition? What is going in and out of your mouth? How often do you complain, or judge someone else, or gossip? Just notice and be aware. Observe the people, places and things around you. What are they doing, saying? What is the energy? Be careful and change as sustainably as possible. Too quick and you’ll have burnout. Too slow and you’ll be bored af.

Hope that made sense and helped a bit.

@Clairebear233