It is Mental Health Day today and there will be plenty of folks jumping in with how they can 'help'.
Lots of wellbeing businesses trying to get you to try yoga, meditation, mindfulness etc
But do they really understand what having poor mental health can feel like? How can you do yoga when you don't feel like getting off the sofa. Hmmm. My 'Moaning Myrtle' has been going full on at me today.
What do I mean? Well today, I have been trying to get my new sales funnel set up to a domain that will allow me to post it to Faceache Book so I can run ads. The idea of this is that I will be able to reach lots of new customers that will enable me to grow my art business. I want to be able to make a profit from my passion and to thrive as a successful full time artist. But the tech is evading me today.
I wanted to paint but my time has been eaten up.
I even had to write this newsletter again because the system logged me out and saved nothing!
Scented candles doth butter no parsnips today.
It takes a lot as an artpreneur and somedays I struggle not to feel hopeless, helpless and a total failure.
I can be honest with you because I know you understand...its why you are here. My negative self talker is called Moaning Myrtle. She's been telling me today that "its too hard, you cannot do it, you dont have the skills, its for special people to make money as an artist, you will never achieve your dream, you are a failure."
BUT...Myrtle, you can go away. I am not listening. This is what I teach people when they are falling into the trap of listening to their own negative self talk. If you pay it attention, it can make you feel anxious and/or depressed. Some of us are more suceptible to this and its not our fault. We grew up in a way that affected us and made us more prone to this. Sometimes its in our DNA too.
But we can move into a positive thought pattern with skills like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I am studying art therapy and plan to write a book on this to help others like me. I found that giving my negative self talker a name (I can see her face because she is a character in Harry Potter) I can give her counter arguements to her negative statements.
"You don't have the skills" - Yes, I do, and I will ask for help if I don't and I will get it.
"Only special people make money from art" - oh really? Well what about all my connections in those Facebook groups that are posting £7k weeks? They are no more special than me. Just further along the same path.
Try this yourself. Next time you have a negative thought, argue it with yourself. Be the scientist and look for the counter evidence.
Its not easy...but it can halt a downward spiral.
Be patient with yourself.
I would love to hear about your own experiences.
This latest piece (not yet finished to the aforementioned tech-crisis) is called "Listen to the Moon"
Its about being kind to yourself and know that even in the dark, the moon reflects the suns light back at us. So we know its still there even though we feel dark right now.
