Commentary | Mental Health Awareness Month
It’s Mental Health Awareness Month – Take Care of Yourself
It’s has been an interesting few weeks. I finished up producing our annual Latina conference, produced a few episodes of Hispanic Lifestyle and went on a working vacation to New York City. After spending the day on the plane, we rushed to our local park because Nicholas had a baseball playoff game that evening. Get this, after the game, parents and coaches got into a scuffle. It was not our finest moment as a league. Those of you who are board members of a nonprofit know exactly what I’m talking about when an issue arises and you need to take time away from your job or business to deal with a situation. It took up a lot of time and in the process I realized I had a sinus infection and lost my voice for a few days.
I am a business owner and I love what I do, but when your body tells you need to take a break, you really need to listen.
So now I’m preparing ready for the second half of the year. Hispanic Lifestyle will be producing a Home Ownership Summit in the next few weeks that will stream online and our annual BizCon 2022 event which is scheduled for August. Of course there are also lots of stories that we will be posting soon.
Work wise, I was on a steady path, planning projects and completing them. Now there is another dimension to my workflow that hadn’t been there for the last couple of years. Leaving the comfort and functionality of Hispanic Lifestyle’s studio to working out in the field. I am back to traveling to events and setting up mobile offices once again. After a week of traveling to San Diego, Riverside, Ontario, and Los Angeles twice, I realized I need to get my in-person working mojo back.
Times are different, we need to be more considerate. We are now faced with do you wear a mask? Do you shake hands? We are Latinos, so should we hug? Also many of the places I went to this last week were understaffed or have new staff that haven’t been properly trained. We need to remind ourselves to be kind and patient.
My hobby is playing softball, so the best way I explain this to myself is to make sure that I stretch out, stay hydrated and make sure I have the right gear. Other good advice I follow, is to make a list of everything that you’re going to do, and everything you’re going to need to do it. It sounds simple, but honestly if you haven’t done this for a couple of years you don’t need to add another layer of frustration to your well-being.
As we close out mental health month, it is a good time to remind ourselves that everything will be OK. Breathe, stay focused and the job will get done.
Links : https://www.mentalhealth.gov
