May is National Mental Health Month
#MoreThanEnough
This year, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month with the More Than Enough campaign!
It’s an opportunity for all of us to come together and remember the inherent value we each hold — no matter our diagnosis, appearance, socioeconomic status, background or ability. We want every person out there to know that if all you did was wake up today, that’s more than enough. No matter what, you are inherently worthy of more than enough life, love and healing. Showing up, just as you are, for yourself and the people around you is more than enough.
This is an article written by Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW explaining why we have the feeling that we are not enough:
Mike believed he had a good life and felt lucky for all the things he had. He was married to a loving wife, had a good job, owned a nice house and had three healthy kids.
Despite all his good fortune, Mike could not shake the nagging feeling that he wasn’t enough: "I should be more successful. I should make more money. I should be where my boss is. I should have a graduate degree. I should have a bigger house. I should have more friends." These were some of the “shoulds” that plagued him daily.
Showing Self-Compassion
We are not born feeling inadequate. Life experiences and emotions create that sense within us in a variety of ways. For example, when we were little, and we felt afraid or anxious, our mind told us something was wrong with us, not our environment. A child's mind, not yet rational, concludes, “There must be something wrong with me if I feel so bad." That's why children who were abused or neglected grow up to be adults who carry so much shame. They likely spent years telling themselves: "I must be bad if I'm being treated badly.”
What Can We Do To Help The Parts Of Us That Feel “Not Enough?”
We can remind ourselves again and again that our feelings of “not enough” were learned. It's not objective fact, even when it feels so instinctually true.
We can connect to the part of us that feels bad and offer it compassion, like we would for our child, partner, colleague, friend or pet.
We can practice deeply belly breathing, five or six times in a row, to calm our nervous system.
We can exercise to get adrenaline flowing and create a sense of empowerment.
We can remember this very helpful phrase: “Compare and Despair!” When you catch yourself making comparisons to others, STOP! It only hurts, by fueling feelings and thoughts of “not enough.”
In the long run, we heal the parts of us that feel inadequate by first becoming aware of them. Once aware, we can listen to them and try to fully understand the story of how they came to believe they were “not enough.” Over time, by naming, validating and processing the associated emotions both from the past and present, “not enough” can become enough.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we frequently feel “not enough” in our everyday lives. We pray that you would help us to live with the confidence that comes from knowing that you love us and you chose us. Help us to accept who we are and learn to see ourselves as you see us - forgiven and forever loved through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Beth Ewing, RN, MSN, CNM, WHNP-BC
LSIM Faith Community Nurse
Source: www.nami.org
Go to nami.org for more information on events and activities to get involved with Mental Health Awareness month.