Thursday, October 10, 2024 was World Mental Health Day. Ever since the COVID
pandemic opened new doors to conversations about mental health, we have discovered
just what isolation does to the human mind, body and soul. The pain of that isolation is
still palpable in my mind and heart even at present.
For the majority of the pandemic time frame I had only myself and my cat Benny for company outside of Zoom meetings and fast food drive-thrus with a mask and hand sanitizer on the ready. Reading that now makes me chuckle, but at the time it was no laughing matter. As painful as it was to not receive hugs and hold hands with my supporters, I learned a lesson in a most difficult yet profound way: I had to learn to comfort myself.
It took most of the duration of the pandemic and many weepy phone calls with supporters to realize that I could utilize my inner voice to soothe and comfort myself when others were not available or able to.
Self-care is an important aspect of mental health for the simple reason that we can only
carry what we can hold for any given moment- our own pain, and that of others and the
world as well. I am still learning to practice deep listening to my inner voice in moments
of emotional turbulence. Sometimes I do need to reach out; just being heard makes the
pain less of a mountain to being a more manageable molehill. But I am discovering that
I can also give that coaching to myself. Deep listening to our own souls is not only a
survival skill, it’s a way of getting to know ourselves, giving our lives richer meaning, and
thus true healing.
~Jen Garrison
