June 20, 2022

Taking Care of your Mental Health: Why Self-Care is Important

Written By Lindsay Brillhart

A large part supporting parents is making sure they are taking care of themselves.  No one can care for others if they are not properly caring for themselves.  Lindsay Brillhart is a mom of two kids, Julie, age 20, and Sara, and 11.  As a mom with an intellectual disability, she has dealt with barriers and roadblocks, and shares her story here:

Today I’m going to talk to you a little bit about mental health. It’s a very important subject and is not talked about a lot. I think it should be talked about more. Because we all sometimes need to think clearly and when were over stressed, we don’t think as clearly.

I notice when I don’t take care of me my house looks like a tornado.  When my mental health is good my house doesn’t look like a tornado it looks more like lived in. I think we all struggle with feeling down. But when I do, I destress myself with watching a funny video on YouTube or playing a game on my phone.

Something good for your mental health is to get enough sleep. It is best to sleep in a dark room then with no lights on. Also, getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night is a good night’s sleep. When our mental health isn’t good then we don’t sleep as good. Sometimes listening to calm music before you go to bed helps your mental health.  They also say staying off your phone just before bed is good.

A suggestion that I have is take time for you. Sometimes we need time to ourselves. It could be doing little things like reading a book or listening to good music. When we have kids a lot of the times, we spend time with them and we don’t give ourselves a break.  You need a break!

If you feel like you’re over your head you are not alone!  It’s good to talk to someone about how you’re feeling. It could be your partner, or it could be a counselor, or a friend, or somebody that you trust. If you feel really bad and depressed there are hotlines out there if you would rather talk to somebody else (listed below in “Resources”).  You don’t need to be alone, reach out for help!

A reminder of my ideas for taking care of your mental health:

  • Limit the amount of stress you have
  • Get enough good sleep each night
  • Make time for you
  • If you feel like you are over your head or depressed get help

Resources:

About Lindsay Brillhart

Lindsay is a mom of 2 girls. She is a strong self-advocate for her kids and others. She has (formally) worked with the ARC of Hamilton County and Hamilton County Developmental Disability Services. She currently resides in Cincinnati with her her partner Phil and 2 kids: Julianna 20, and Sara, 11. She was once on the People First of Ohio board. She is a Partners in Policy graduate. She is also a graduate of PATHS (Providing Alternative Thinking Strategies).  In her spare time, she loves to travel and to meet new people.