Personal Monthly Mental Health Check-Up

Calendar Artist: Suzy Toronto

Hey there!

Happy Monday and hope you had a great weekend!

August has been ridiculous on my brains, but mostly in a good way. I've been writing for my blog, doing random crafts, preparing my car for the next road trip, Stickerdoodling, playing with plants, working on photography and editing photos, and learning new social media platforms to share my projects along the way. But, most importantly working on maintaining positive mental health.

These projects keep me busy and focused on the lighter side of life. It's about finding balance for me. CLEARLY, I have a knack for pessimism and finding the darkness in life, and consider this one of my strengths and something valuable I can offer to the world. Not everything is positive and optimistic on earth and it's up to those who see the negative to expose the negative. For a person climbing back out of the rabbit hole this position gets confusing and messes with your own mental state.

For me, I took on much of the hatred I felt around me as my own, absorbed it like a sponge and turned it on myself, simply put, internalized. Observing a nation of people be apathetic to the horrors our government creates, or waste all good energy fighting all the wrong fights will drive just about anyone a bit insane.

For too long, I beat myself up thinking I didn't belong in this fucked up world, and a part of me still believes that, but the warrior in me will always prevail, and she absolutely knows SHE BELONGINGS WHEREVER THE FUCK SHE FEELS LIKE BELONGING. I'm here to make change, to spread the world's horrors because we must see and feel and experience the suffering that goes on to really understand how change is made in the first place.

This is what lives way down deep in the core of my soul. I am here to experience suffering and make myself stronger because of it. I want those who feel the way I do to be found so I can meet you and we can feel less lonely together. Until then my dozens of outwardly creations and gestures keep me "faking it till I make it" and sometimes that's the best we can do.

The attached photo of Suzy Toronto's work left me in tears when I read it, she and her color mediums work magic. Her optimism helps to balance parts of me that can overpower my character, so from way over in little ol' Jackpot, Nevada, I love her for that.

I'd really love to hear from you and know how you're doing, because I care. Yes, you! Drop me a few lines, yo! 👇

Much love to you and yours,

~ERRVoluntaryist
✌❤Ⓐ