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Whatever Wednesday: Mental Health Edition



Hello Posse!


I hope everyone is doing well today and have been finding things to keep busy and entertained if you are #SafeAtHome right now. If you are an essential worker, God bless you, you are in my prayers!


I thought now would be a good time to discuss mental health and self care. If you are like my husband and I, you have been in home isolation for at least a few weeks now and could be starting to really feel the stress. No matter how much you love your family, being in a confined area with them for extended periods of time can be stressful.


I love my husband. I always say, he may not be perfect but he's perfect for me. Even though we are very compatible, being together practically 24/7 gets annoying. No matter what, we are human and when you put two humans together there are going to be moments when you do not agree on everything.


Some things that are helping us get through this is personal spaces. My husband likes to organize things when he is bored and I have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and like things to always stay in the same places. I hate change especially when I am not the one making the changes. To compromise, we agreed that he would not reorganize the kitchen or my half of the extra bedroom. Those are MY spaces. He can reorganize anything else in the apartment and I agree not to complain about it. This way, we are both happy.


Times like this can be very stressful especially if you have had mental health issue in the past. As I mentioned, I have OCD. When I was in college in my twenties I was extremely OCD. Let me repeat that, I was extremely OCD! If you have ever seen the TV show Monk, I was not that bad, but close. I was so bad, I began having regular anxiety attacks, panic attacks, and even began to have suicidal thoughts. That was when I knew it was time to get help, and I did.


While I still deal with some aspects of OCD, I have had it under control for years and even now when we are dealing with a pandemic, I have not reverted to constantly washing my hands or spraying everything down with disinfectant. I know first hand how hard it can be to take that first step to reach out and ask for help so I wanted to share some resources in case you are finding yourself in need of help coping with all the stress in the world right now.


There are several apps you can download that will help you if you are not ready to talk to another person about how you are feeling.



The above apps are available on many platforms. I personally use Calm. It is a great guided meditation that I find very calming so it is well named. I tend to have trouble focusing my thoughts when I try to meditate so a guided meditation is very helpful. These are just a few suggestions of where you can find help. There are numerous places available online and new helplines are becoming available all the time. There are even texting mental health services now. A quick Google search can help you find one in your area and most are free of charge.


Please keep in mind, no matter how you are feeling, you are not truly alone in your isolation. It is an oxymoron, I know. However, millions (possibly even billions) of people around the world are in the same position you are and feeling the same stress because of it. If it gets to be too much for you, please reach out and ask for help. Even if it is just to ask a friend to Skype with you. It is amazing how much better you can feel just being able to see a friend's smiling face and talking with them about mundane things, even if they are on the other side of the world. I hope this helps!


Peace be with you all!

Dianne


Quarantine Boredom Buster:


Cootie Bug Contest

This is a great drawing game for two or more players of any age. You just need pencils or pens, paper and a die to roll for your numbers.


The object is to be the first player to draw a completed cootie bug.

  1. Each player takes a piece of paper and pen or pencil.

  2. Players roll a die to see who goes first. High roll gets to start.

  3. Players take turns rolling the die and trying to complete their bug.

  4. You must roll the numbers for the head and body first. If a players rolls and does not get the number the number needed to draw the head or the body, they lose the turn and play moves to the next player. Once a player has the head and body, they can add any of the other body parts as they desire.

  5. If a player rolls the number of a body part they have already completed, they lose the turn and play moves to next player.

  6. If you roll and get a body part you need, you get to roll again. After second roll play moves to the next player.

  • 1 = body

  • 2 = head

  • 3 = antennae (you need two), hat or bow

  • 4 = eye (you need two)

  • 5 = tongue, teeth (at least two) or lips (you need two)

  • 6 = a leg (you need six)


The winner of the game is the first to finish their cootie. Here is a photo of a Giant Cootie Bug Statue to help you have an idea of what to draw.


The statue is located outside of Shenandoah Caverns, VA. Photo by Michelle Moyers ©


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