Mental Health

Mental health is a topic that is very dear to us at The Rocking Bohemian.

Both of us have had various mental health challenges over the years, and we've both had different friends and family members who have gone through everything from depression to psychosis, and more.

Times are, thankfully, changing so that it is becoming easier and more ‘normal’ to open up about mental health issues. More and more celebrities and ‘influencers’ seem to be discussing needing a mental health break or that they are mental health ambassadors, having struggled over the years just like the rest of us.

Physically, most of us realise (even if we do not always want to believe it!) that to maintain a healthy body you need to be exercising in some way, and eating as healthily as you can. How we view food, and the relationship that a lot of us have with our bodies, can of course have a huge impact on our mental health, but it’s often the topics that people find hard to discuss - trauma, abuse, financial and relationship difficulties etc - that are the ones we need the most support with, often suppressing much needed emotions because society or our friends and family tell us that we are supposed to be strong and that talking about these things is embarrassing or not the ‘done’ thing.

In the system of reiki we have the precepts, and the way in which we practise puts great emphasis on working with, exploring and living by these precepts, as by focusing on lessening our anger, softening our worries, developing an attitude of gratitude, being true to our way, and by allowing compassion into our lives, we can truly be happy, feeling connected and present as much as possible.

When going through moments of bad mental health, taking the time to really reflect on what is causing your thoughts or mood to be worse is the first step towards helping yourself to heal. Be honest, and don’t make excuses or give reasons for why you should be feeling that way, and don’t compare yourself to other people - the reality is that everyone suffers from time to time. Everybody gets angry or feels worried - the key is for there to be no judgement put upon yourself when you recognise these emotions in yourself.

When you understand what might be causing your low mood, you can try and do something about it. Often the simple act of talking to a family member, friend or other trusted person (or even a professional if you don’t have anyone to talk to, and can afford it) can be really useful, not only because they may have help and advice for you, but also because the very act of articulating why you are feeling down to somebody, can help.

And sometimes you might even realise that it is not such a big problem after all!