One Sunday morning when I was 15 years old, I was brushing my teeth. It was a seemingly normal morning. Until something not normal started happening. Water was dripping out of the left side of my mouth. Hmmmm… So I looked in the mirror and smiled. What I saw was frightening. My smile was broken. I could not move the entire left side of my face. I ran downstairs to tell my mom and her initial reaction was one of fear and panic that I was having a stroke. We rushed to the hospital and within an hour or so, I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy (a temporary or permanent weakness or paralysis to one side of the face). What?!? How?!? I was a young and healthy teenager! Or so I thought. I came to find out that I was not as healthy as I appeared to be. Sure my labs were all good and my weight, vitals, and maturational growth were all within normal limits. But a healthy teenage girl does not get Bell’s Palsy. My health issues lay deep inside my mind and body. I was living with untreated mental health.

Why am I telling you this story? Well, it’s definitely not to brag about my stunning looks and impeccable health. It’s to raise awareness of how much our mental health affects our physical health. In order to have strong and healthy bodies, our minds must be strong and healthy.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, I am washing my hands more than typical, taking my temperature on a nearly daily basis, avoiding social contact, eating extra healthy, sleeping a full 8 hours and sanitizing EVERYTHING around me. Sure, all of that is going to help prevent me from catching COVID-19. But what is going to help prevent me from catching Depression? Anxiety? Suicidality? Bell’s Palsy?

For those of you who are sitting at the edge of your seat wondering the end of the story about my Bell’s Palsy, here’s the not so fairy tale ending. It is no longer active. However, it will always lay dormant inside of me. And so, in times of high stress, anxiety and depression, I am at a severely high risk of relapsing into Bell’s Palsy. Today, it is in remission because I am treating my mental health. How? SELF-CARE, SELF-CARE, SELF-CARE! All of our self-care routines look different. Self-care is just as important as washing your hands. Without self-care, no amount of washing your hands can protect you from the health risks you are about to face in life.

What are you doing for your mental health during this time of crisis? How are you managing stress? How are you metaphorically taking the temperature of your mental health on a nearly daily basis? What does self-care mean to you? How are you sanitizing your environment to prevent catching anxiety, depression and suicidality? Feel free to respond in the comments section below!

Check out the Emotional Wellness Tab for some mental health tips and strategies during this time of vulnerability. And don’t forget to check out the Self-Affirmations Tab for inspiration and positivity!