'Being Sad' Is Not 'Poor Mental Health'

Emotions and feelings are like the taps in your shower;

A good mix is what you need for a good shower, coming out in a steady reliable flow, at a pleasant temperature.

While it sometimes takes a minute to get the perfect temp/pressure mix, we don't think the shower is broken, or 'poor', it just needs a minute and some adjustments - then you get to that state you want.

Some days, you may choose to have a cold shower and that has its uses - so does a really hot one.

Sometimes the plumbing breaks, there's leaks, you can't turn it off, there's no pressure or you can't access the temperature of water that you want - in that case, you'll need help. It might just need a plumber, some tape, or someone to help fix the hot water service.

Sometimes, someone flushes a toilet (or there's a pandemic) and it can feel disastrous, but that doesn't mean it's all broken, it means things are all connected in predictable ways - and you'll get back to your regular shower shortly.

All-hot or all-cold showers may have their benefits, but they're at the their best when you've got some control because each day is a little different.

Mental health is not absence of any particular emotion, its control of the taps. There will always be outside influences, roadworks and toilets being flushed, but as long as you're able to adjust you're ok and healthy.

Really bad mental health is when you can't adjust, can't get pressure, have no shower or are stuck with one temperature. Some people are stuck with the hot on full, and they need serious and immediate help.

If you feel a bit off in lockdown, that's not poor mental health, it's normal, predictable and understandable. Give the people that help you manage your taps a call and try mitigate the worst of it, & soon we'll all be in lovely warm showers once again.

At the Just Be Nice Project we're working to make sure everyone has access to the emotional plumber they need to keep them on track - whenever a pipe bursts or hot water service fails.

I can promise that good mental health isn't the absence of difficult feelings, it's having the ability, opportunity, support & patience to recognise and navigate them.