I haven't added up my numbers in a while to see where I am at, and I managed to sit down tonight to do it. I definitely need to stay on top of this, as I am not where I thought I would be. The Pandamonium helped a little with my forms, but I can now see the holes not my training. Time to fill them! I do recognize that sometimes we will fall behind, but the key is see it, and then do something about it.
And what am I doing? Besides looking at all of the things that I haven't done. I have to stop every so often, and add up the little things, because the little things add up to big things.
I was questioning my level of engagement with the Pandamonium, but if I really look, I think I was present for a lot of the little things. Things like jumping on the mats every so often when it looked like someone needed a break, helping out Ms. Vantuil with the face painting, getting change for the donation jars etc.
I think it was successful. Maybe not monetarily enough, but I think we did alright as far as raising awareness goes. But that is something we can't ever stop. The Pandamonium is over, but the charities we support need assistance all of the time. We can make a difference, if we keep at it, a little at a time.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to a great 24 hours!
Mental Health Awareness Week was May 04 to 08. We took it upon ourselves at work to engage awareness amongst ourselves and to spread the word.
Mental illness is something we can't see, therefore as a whole, society chooses to ignore it. It's not easy to ignore someone when they say they have a sore back, or are in a cast, or are fighting cancer.
Here are a couple of facts:
- 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental health problem or illness this year.
- Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in Canada.
- 80% of people with depression can recover if they get help.
- There is no good health without mental health
- Silence never helped anyone get better.
(These points were gathered from www.notmyselftoday.ca)
It's important to talk about mental illness, and to educate not only ourselves, but others. There is a lot of stigma attached, and it's up to us to break it.
I did a lot of walking last weekend, in what I thought were really comfy boots. I was very wrong. I had shin splints to beat the dickens, but it was worth it. The shin splints taught me two things. First, that I reminded that I march when I am at work. I go at high speed and get where I need to go fast and there isn't any mindfulness involved. It helps my numbers and helps me get stuff done though. I couldn't go fast at all this week until Friday really. I had to walk mindfully or else it really hurt. It made me realize that I don't always have to go for speed to get things done.
The second thing I learned was that our mats are pretty squishy. They have always seemed very firm compared to the red mats we used to use. But after spending a couple of hours walking mindfully (and slowly) over them, it felt really nice on my legs. I think it helped my healing time too, although that could be my imagination talking. I can say that I have a new appreciation for them.
And that was my week in a nutshell. On to a whole new week!
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