Mindless Ramblings of the Queer Kind

Prompts and Rules from helm.com.today/camp/

The Mental Health Rules

• My mental health can be improved
• My behaviors influence my thoughts and feelings
• I deserve to take care of my self
• I consistently practice mental health skills
• I have strengths and weaknesses
• I focus on what I can control
• I will experience a wide range of emotions
• I will struggle and succeed

Prompt One:

Which one of these rules do you already believe? Write down an example of when you acted out that rule in your own life. Did you take care of yourself? Did you focus on what you could control?

It is easy for me to believe that my behaviors influence my thoughts and feelings. I notice that when I am not making the effort to take care of myself or engage in activities that bring me joy, the extremes in my emotions are more present. Doing things like eating well or exercising makes my body feel good, and I believe that if my body feels well, I am more likely to have the energy to put towards using my mental health skills.

For example, in January ’25, I was incredibly depressed. I was in an unfulfilling relationship, I was physically not taking care of myself, and I was really struggling to do anything but lie in bed. I had a moment that month, where I decided that I didn’t want to go through an entire year feeling the way that I was, so I made the first step and started taking a daily walk. It was small at first, just enough to supplement my daily steps and help me reach my step goal, but as I continued to build stamina, the walk gradually got longer. I found myself exploring the neighborhood. I even got to see an owl in person for the first time ever (I’ll include a photo below). The more time I took to take care of myself, the more I found my mood lightening, the easier I found it to practice my mental health tools. The more I saw myself having healthier behaviors. In those moments, I did indeed focus on what I could control.

Prompt Two:

Which one of these rules is difficult for you to believe? Find an example from your life or the life of someone else (even historical) that shows it might be true. Is there a friend who is comfortable with their own strengths and weaknesses? Is there a family member who is good at showing their full range of emotions?

The rule that I find most difficult to believe is that I will struggle *and* succeed. I have a tendency to think that if I am not good at something right from the start, it means I am a failure. Growing up there was so much pressure on always doing everything right the first time, and if I did not, I was a burden. Not being perfect meant that I was not worth the trouble that I caused. I don’t know that I can think of a specific person who shows that it is true, but I do see in my own life that not all struggles lead to failure. Sometimes you struggle to find your place, and one day you find exactly where you are meant to be. So maybe there is some truth there afterall.

Prompt Three:

Rewrite the rules in order and put that list somewhere visible (like on your mirror or a screenshot for your phone wallpaper). Use this prompt to complete the challenge. Do not skip this step.

Completed above. ❤