I think it’s so important to mention that creativity doesn’t have to be GOOD either. Drawing used to help my mental health immensely but people expecting it to come out looking like a genuine Picasso kind of ruined it for me. You create for yourself and no one else. Don’t let our capitalist dystopian nightmare culture suck you into believing that making any kind of art isn’t worth it unless it’s good enough to be monetized somehow.
This. Capitalism scared me out of being an artist basically..and I resent capitalism for that most of all. I constantly think, I'm not good enough to make it big, so why continue? But whenever I draw for fun now, it's a rebellion against hustling or consuming being the only choices we are given.
My therapist yesterday gave me a great acronym for taking care of myself, CPR - Connection, Purposeful Action, Routine. If you're feeling off, try to figure out if you're not incorporating one of those things on a regular basis ❤
If you are interested in more traditional exercise but find even beginner stuff too much for you/your body, I highly recommend looking for adaptive exercises and exercises developed for older people. They often break stuff down into simpler steps (example sit-to-stand instead of squats). And remember some movement is better than no movement
I realize what I'm about to say is steeped in privilege. Nothing has been more beneficial to my mental health than riding horses. I have two and I compete in combined training and I want to event. Having goals, something to work towards, a thing I love to take care of, participating in competitions, and making friends with other equestrians has been such a huge part of my life that I feel I would cease to exist without it.
@@user-lp2he1md6i yes! I have a service dog as well for my psychiatric needs. It's incredible, the difference in me just having him present at the doctor's office or somewhere similar that triggers my problems. He often doesn't even need to do anything
Even though horses scare the living heck out of me, from what I've seen, there are actually benefits with horses, specifically as therapy animals. Like dogs, horses and humans have been together for quite some time throughout history. They're very sensitive and smart animals that need community. And oftentimes, humans become part of that community.
Practicing journaling might be a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason. I’ve done it since 2011, and it has helped me process and grow so much. Yeah, sometimes it’s embarrassing to look back at some of my younger teenage entries (as it likely will be to look at the ones I’m currently writing in ten or twenty years haha), but on the flip side it’s also such an incredible gift to yourself to have those time capsules and see proof of how far you’ve come.
I also like what Mickey said about how it doesn’t have to be defined by a notebook. While that is what works for me, it’s so important to realize that people have different preferences and strengths, and journaling shouldn’t be gatekept in any way😊
It's not surprising that you've gotten such profound value from journaling: after all, one never truly knows what one really knows, or how one feels, about anything -- even oneself -- unless and until one thinks about it closely enough to be able to write intelligently about that subject. The discipline of writing forces this deep focus, which invariably has helped me, and I know I'm not alone in realizing this benefit.
I struggle so much with journaling. I still use it when I'm in my most "mind mud" places where I just want to rant in a place where even I don't ever have to look at it again. But I always ALWAYS just feel silly doing it. This encourages me to keep trying it for sure, I just do hope it eventually gets easier! I think the difficult thing is the judging what I'm thinking as I write it down (a known struggle of mine lol). But it seems so helpful overall
@@avesavis If you're in therapy, or have been, I hope you don't edit yourself in session because you're afraid of appearing somehow silly or unimportant or unworthy to your therapist -- and if you think about it, much the same principle applies to journaling: the only value applicable to it is positive, in that it's a good thing to be doing for yourself at all. You don't need to be a diarist of the stylistic caliber of, say, Anaïs Nin -- you just need to put your immediate truth onto the page, unfiltered, and each of us can do that who can muster the honesty, courage and self-love to write what is intended for our eyes and self-knowledge alone. You've already done the hard part, and begun to explore your own psyche via journaling -- this is good; now let yourself continue this exploration freely and without self-consciousness. Keep going, and all good to you. (FWIW, I've been journaling for a half-century or so by now [I'm 64 as I type this], and I can tell you that it would have been infinitely harder for me to live all those years without the insight that this tool has provided for me.) If you recall the poet Adrienne Rich's wise observation that any act of self-awareness is, by definition, an unnatural act, you'll realize why you might find journaling difficult -- but any skill gets easier with practice, especially one so worth acquiring. Again, all love and light to you on your journey.
One of my favorite creative outlets that you hadnt listed was bead work, and crocheting. Its a really fun hobby for those who want "perfection" from their creativity because you can redo something multiple times when you mess up and nobody has to know. My fiancé and I also just started our first DnD game and the way my brother lights up while he's creating the game is *chef's kiss.
I really love you normalizing that discomfort sucks…AND…. We need to get okay with sitting with it. That doesn’t mean making it comfortable or pretending it doesn’t suck.
I'm here for this!!! Sitting with discomfort is the hardest thing for me because good gosh I hate feeling things. Mickey, you have inspired me to set boundaries as of late and express when I am feeling uncomfortable and set boundaries in place to assert myself and it is doing so much for me.
I had my first therapy appointment today and she recommended journaling. Even if it’s one word a day. Get the brain to pen to paper down. I’m very glad this video popped up!💛
I have a question, I tried journaling last time and gratitude journaling but the issue I have is I notice that I just repeat things everyday and I often think that I'm pretty boring and I stop because I just go to work and go home most of the time. So, how do you actually do it? 😭
Thanks Mickey, perfect timing. I'm having to flee my current state and will lose my current therapist because of it. I appreciate having as many tips as possible for the transition time
So as goofy as this sounds I've found a lot of value lately in learning to yoyo when it comes to mental health. It checks off movement (very approachable for someone who is mostly sedentary like myself) and a creative outlet. Specifically a creative outlet that has no strings attached or monetization involved. I'm an illustrator so I'm creative in a certain way all day long with stressors of deadlines and clients to go along with it, but finding cool ways to combine two new yoyo tricks you just learned together activates an entirely different and satisfying creativity muscle. idk, probably isn't good for everyone but it's helped me a lot.
For people who like to sew as a creative outlet but struggle with how overwhelming a new project can be (this is me right now), here's my advice: find some of that smocked dress fabric at the fabric store (I think Joann's has it right now). You can make a dress (or I guess a shirt if you cut it really short) and all you really need to do is sew one seam and hem the bottom (and not even that in some cases!). Doing this, even when I had other projects on the back burner, really has helped me to actually start sewing again instead of daydreaming about sewing.
I have fibro and I’ve found that being creating through world building a DnD place when I’m bed bound to be the most freeing thing. I’ve also recently come across the Finch self care app and I’ve been enjoying the passive and no pressure journaling element to it. I’d love to see you review it and see if the science holds up.
Thank you so much Mickey for these videos! I have many many severe mental disorders and it’s been very difficult. I’m not going to be living much longer because it’s all taxing on my body. I have had to self isolate for years because of my paraphilia disorders that are very harmful to myself and others and it has put my life in much danger. My parents are very supportive but my twin constantly looks down upon me because she can’t understand why I can’t work and function properly. Although today I applied for a small job at a Asian market today. Your videos are so helpful to me and my therapist likes when I talk about the advice and strategies you give.
Thank you Mickey, I needed this. I’m currently away from home for 8 weeks to do a practicum for school. I’ve been here all of 4 days and I am so incredibly homesick that I start crying out of nowhere. I think I spent about an hour crying to my mom yesterday because I miss home, I miss my bed, and I miss my family. I will try really hard to incorporate some of these things into my evenings so that I can feel more like myself again.
Ive kept a journal since i was a child . It really helps to write out feeli gs and learn yourself and helps us grow and express and realease and even realize things about ourself and sometimes can show us an unhelathy aspect of a person in our lives
Lol sorry! I forgot to explain this more! 😂 Aaron and I call it lizard time when you just go sit in the sun! I like laying on the concrete because it's warm (hence lizard time lol) but any kind of being and stretching out in the sun can be great for your mood!
I avoid journaling although I really should probably do it but writing it down makes it "more real" or something, idk. But idk. Love this channel though!
Just for everyones information -especially those who love squishmellows- they just released a Harry Potter set at Walmart. I wish I had enough money to buy they set but new baby has to take priority 😅
I do so much better typing on my computer. I type much faster and my hands can keep up with my mind. I also don't look at the screen and leave typos because I really don't go back and read. Also fixing typos slows my processing down. I type fast and cry fast 👍
just had a lil proud of myself/my growth moment when I looked at the chapters and saw that I’m doing several of these things already 🥹 but really, journaling is my safest space (…usually) AND my therapist and I have learned that it’s super beneficial for her to read some of my journal stuff cause it’s easier for me to write things than to Say Things. I have one google doc that she can see and one that is private and it’s so helpful.
I think it’s so important to mention that creativity doesn’t have to be GOOD either. Drawing used to help my mental health immensely but people expecting it to come out looking like a genuine Picasso kind of ruined it for me. You create for yourself and no one else. Don’t let our capitalist dystopian nightmare culture suck you into believing that making any kind of art isn’t worth it unless it’s good enough to be monetized somehow.
Ugh YESSSS louder for the people in back please!! You’re absolutely right!
I try to make intentionnaly ugly drawings so if it's super ugly it's a success and if it looks good that's also sort of a success
Oh my god, thank you for reiterating that!
This. Capitalism scared me out of being an artist basically..and I resent capitalism for that most of all. I constantly think, I'm not good enough to make it big, so why continue? But whenever I draw for fun now, it's a rebellion against hustling or consuming being the only choices we are given.
When I stopped trying to make my artwork "good" I started finding a lot more joy in it.
My therapist yesterday gave me a great acronym for taking care of myself, CPR - Connection, Purposeful Action, Routine. If you're feeling off, try to figure out if you're not incorporating one of those things on a regular basis ❤
If you are interested in more traditional exercise but find even beginner stuff too much for you/your body, I highly recommend looking for adaptive exercises and exercises developed for older people. They often break stuff down into simpler steps (example sit-to-stand instead of squats).
And remember some movement is better than no movement
Another thing that can count as movement/creativity is knitting or crochet. Or take a string and tie a bunch of knots in it and then undo them.
Thank you for saying this. I really struggle with exercise, but doing an easy workout is a lot better than sitting still all day.
This is a good idea and that is what I did after a year of not going to the gym.
I realize what I'm about to say is steeped in privilege. Nothing has been more beneficial to my mental health than riding horses. I have two and I compete in combined training and I want to event. Having goals, something to work towards, a thing I love to take care of, participating in competitions, and making friends with other equestrians has been such a huge part of my life that I feel I would cease to exist without it.
Animals definitely help
@@user-lp2he1md6i yes! I have a service dog as well for my psychiatric needs. It's incredible, the difference in me just having him present at the doctor's office or somewhere similar that triggers my problems. He often doesn't even need to do anything
Even though horses scare the living heck out of me, from what I've seen, there are actually benefits with horses, specifically as therapy animals. Like dogs, horses and humans have been together for quite some time throughout history. They're very sensitive and smart animals that need community. And oftentimes, humans become part of that community.
Ugh I deeply miss my horses, and my goats.
Practicing journaling might be a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason. I’ve done it since 2011, and it has helped me process and grow so much. Yeah, sometimes it’s embarrassing to look back at some of my younger teenage entries (as it likely will be to look at the ones I’m currently writing in ten or twenty years haha), but on the flip side it’s also such an incredible gift to yourself to have those time capsules and see proof of how far you’ve come.
I also like what Mickey said about how it doesn’t have to be defined by a notebook. While that is what works for me, it’s so important to realize that people have different preferences and strengths, and journaling shouldn’t be gatekept in any way😊
It's not surprising that you've gotten such profound value from journaling: after all, one never truly knows what one really knows, or how one feels, about anything -- even oneself -- unless and until one thinks about it closely enough to be able to write intelligently about that subject. The discipline of writing forces this deep focus, which invariably has helped me, and I know I'm not alone in realizing this benefit.
I struggle so much with journaling. I still use it when I'm in my most "mind mud" places where I just want to rant in a place where even I don't ever have to look at it again. But I always ALWAYS just feel silly doing it. This encourages me to keep trying it for sure, I just do hope it eventually gets easier! I think the difficult thing is the judging what I'm thinking as I write it down (a known struggle of mine lol). But it seems so helpful overall
@@avesavis If you're in therapy, or have been, I hope you don't edit yourself in session because you're afraid of appearing somehow silly or unimportant or unworthy to your therapist -- and if you think about it, much the same principle applies to journaling: the only value applicable to it is positive, in that it's a good thing to be doing for yourself at all. You don't need to be a diarist of the stylistic caliber of, say, Anaïs Nin -- you just need to put your immediate truth onto the page, unfiltered, and each of us can do that who can muster the honesty, courage and self-love to write what is intended for our eyes and self-knowledge alone. You've already done the hard part, and begun to explore your own psyche via journaling -- this is good; now let yourself continue this exploration freely and without self-consciousness. Keep going, and all good to you. (FWIW, I've been journaling for a half-century or so by now [I'm 64 as I type this], and I can tell you that it would have been infinitely harder for me to live all those years without the insight that this tool has provided for me.) If you recall the poet Adrienne Rich's wise observation that any act of self-awareness is, by definition, an unnatural act, you'll realize why you might find journaling difficult -- but any skill gets easier with practice, especially one so worth acquiring. Again, all love and light to you on your journey.
Guys there are literally videos on yoga you can do without getting out of bed, depression yoga is great, please do them
One of my favorite creative outlets that you hadnt listed was bead work, and crocheting. Its a really fun hobby for those who want "perfection" from their creativity because you can redo something multiple times when you mess up and nobody has to know.
My fiancé and I also just started our first DnD game and the way my brother lights up while he's creating the game is *chef's kiss.
I really love you normalizing that discomfort sucks…AND…. We need to get okay with sitting with it. That doesn’t mean making it comfortable or pretending it doesn’t suck.
I'm here for this!!! Sitting with discomfort is the hardest thing for me because good gosh I hate feeling things. Mickey, you have inspired me to set boundaries as of late and express when I am feeling uncomfortable and set boundaries in place to assert myself and it is doing so much for me.
FAXXX that’s incredible! I’m so happy for you friend 🥳
I had my first therapy appointment today and she recommended journaling. Even if it’s one word a day. Get the brain to pen to paper down. I’m very glad this video popped up!💛
Hello
I have a question, I tried journaling last time and gratitude journaling but the issue I have is I notice that I just repeat things everyday and I often think that I'm pretty boring and I stop because I just go to work and go home most of the time. So, how do you actually do it? 😭
Thanks Mickey, perfect timing. I'm having to flee my current state and will lose my current therapist because of it. I appreciate having as many tips as possible for the transition time
I really hope you find a safe place to land. 💜💜💜
So as goofy as this sounds I've found a lot of value lately in learning to yoyo when it comes to mental health. It checks off movement (very approachable for someone who is mostly sedentary like myself) and a creative outlet. Specifically a creative outlet that has no strings attached or monetization involved. I'm an illustrator so I'm creative in a certain way all day long with stressors of deadlines and clients to go along with it, but finding cool ways to combine two new yoyo tricks you just learned together activates an entirely different and satisfying creativity muscle. idk, probably isn't good for everyone but it's helped me a lot.
Backyard lizard time sounds wonderful! We don't have many lizards here, so I go out and watch the birds.
Love this! Everything is super practical. I would love to hear the detailed "how-to" sit with discomfort. I need that.😂
For people who like to sew as a creative outlet but struggle with how overwhelming a new project can be (this is me right now), here's my advice: find some of that smocked dress fabric at the fabric store (I think Joann's has it right now). You can make a dress (or I guess a shirt if you cut it really short) and all you really need to do is sew one seam and hem the bottom (and not even that in some cases!). Doing this, even when I had other projects on the back burner, really has helped me to actually start sewing again instead of daydreaming about sewing.
I have fibro and I’ve found that being creating through world building a DnD place when I’m bed bound to be the most freeing thing. I’ve also recently come across the Finch self care app and I’ve been enjoying the passive and no pressure journaling element to it. I’d love to see you review it and see if the science holds up.
That's awesome!! I also have fibro and would write short stories. My partner is so into DND and has educated me in the ways 😆
Thank you so much Mickey for these videos! I have many many severe mental disorders and it’s been very difficult. I’m not going to be living much longer because it’s all taxing on my body. I have had to self isolate for years because of my paraphilia disorders that are very harmful to myself and others and it has put my life in much danger. My parents are very supportive but my twin constantly looks down upon me because she can’t understand why I can’t work and function properly. Although today I applied for a small job at a Asian market today. Your videos are so helpful to me and my therapist likes when I talk about the advice and strategies you give.
Thank you Mickey, I needed this. I’m currently away from home for 8 weeks to do a practicum for school. I’ve been here all of 4 days and I am so incredibly homesick that I start crying out of nowhere. I think I spent about an hour crying to my mom yesterday because I miss home, I miss my bed, and I miss my family. I will try really hard to incorporate some of these things into my evenings so that I can feel more like myself again.
Ive kept a journal since i was a child . It really helps to write out feeli gs and learn yourself and helps us grow and express and realease and even realize things about ourself and sometimes can show us an unhelathy aspect of a person in our lives
What's lizard time?!?! I wanna do it!!
Lol sorry! I forgot to explain this more! 😂 Aaron and I call it lizard time when you just go sit in the sun! I like laying on the concrete because it's warm (hence lizard time lol) but any kind of being and stretching out in the sun can be great for your mood!
Some of us have trouble sitting with our emotions
Some of us have trouble sitting
Take a walk with your emotions today
I love how you explained the importance of community. Great video Mickey ❤
This actually encouraged me. :) I feel like I AM doing more for myself than I thought!
I avoid journaling although I really should probably do it but writing it down makes it "more real" or something, idk. But idk. Love this channel though!
Mickey says building lego is self care.
Just for everyones information -especially those who love squishmellows- they just released a Harry Potter set at Walmart. I wish I had enough money to buy they set but new baby has to take priority 😅
What does "going outside in your backyard and having lizard time" entail? asking for a friend
Sometimes, if I don't feel like writing, I'll use the dictation on my phone and that works great :)
So helpful, thank you for sharing!
You forgot to mention Animal Crossing.
I do so much better typing on my computer. I type much faster and my hands can keep up with my mind. I also don't look at the screen and leave typos because I really don't go back and read. Also fixing typos slows my processing down. I type fast and cry fast 👍
I love you Mickey! xo💚
I struggle with getting into the habit of journaling, proactively. How about tips for getting started?
just had a lil proud of myself/my growth moment when I looked at the chapters and saw that I’m doing several of these things already 🥹
but really, journaling is my safest space (…usually) AND my therapist and I have learned that it’s super beneficial for her to read some of my journal stuff cause it’s easier for me to write things than to Say Things. I have one google doc that she can see and one that is private and it’s so helpful.
Yesssss Christine! I love that so much!