Acute Mental Health Awareness

The term, Mental Health Awareness, has a trite ring to it. "Mental Health Awareness Week." "Mental Health Awareness Month," and the like. But there's another version of MHA. Acute Mental Health Awareness. AMHA is the immediate assessment of one's mental health at any moment in time. A snapshot. For example, what is causing me to feel bad right now? Well, I am aware of the fact that I am suffering, for example. Suffering how? Feels like anxiety, worry, fear. Or, I'm suffering because of a buot of depression. Familiar, familial depression that I know so very well. I've actually realized what's up. And realizaing this is very therapuetic. In fact, it is the impetus for the predictable parting of dark clouds. It is the impetus for an exercise I refer to as "changing channels," which involves actually moving my body to another room, or outside, which always seems to reboot my affect. Changing Channels always leads me to new channels. Channels of housework, wilflowers, workwork, and excercise, which is damn near a panacea onces my heart reaches that aerobic pump. The agencies that will prevent all is being stationary (the worst is staying in bed). (Next worse: being glued to streaming and social media). Calling to check in on a friend seems to open all kinds of doors. All my friends are elderly now. In fact, Lionel, Ida, Linda, Doug, Sylvia and Carroll are quite a bit older than me, so the "checking in" is all too apporpriate. Stepping out into the sunlight, eyes closed with my face it the trajectory of the its intense lumens work wonders. Showering is very effective to rebbot. Keeping things in order keeps my myriad countennces in order. Texting is now at my disposal. So, there's that, too. Connection. My social needs are met by taking a trip to one of my three sournces of goods: Food City, Ingles, and the Neighborhood market. Depression is important, too. Though horrific at times, it creates a backdrop which allows it's opposite to jump off the page when the times comes. It's call homeostasis, known in varying degrees as menal wellness, happiness, and, when the sundust hovers just right, and the singularity seals perfectly snug within me, joy has been known to pay me a visit. Mental Health, like all else, is an ongoing process that is changing at all times. I wrote this down because it reminds me that it's on me to keep track of it all, especially when things aren't going well internally. In the end, depression is ephemeral. Just remind my mind: this bout could change at any second, and it usually does.