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Inspired by Matt Haig’s wonderful book called “Reasons to Stay Alive” and by the “International Suicide Prevention Day” global event, which takes place yearly on the 10th of September since 2003, I have decided to write today’s blog post on this very delicate but also generous topic, as a way of bringing my own unique contribution to both the concept of de-stigmatising mental health struggles, as well as to being open and staying open to find ways in which we can feel better and do better on a day to day basis. Progress, not perfection, is all that matters.

Therefore, I have made a conscious choice to share a few things from my own experience, that work really great at both keeping myself in touch with my own truth, as well as things that I am grateful for, and that I can sometimes enjoy even on a day to day basis or even better, multiple times per day. This is Part 2 of a series of blog posts on this amazing topic and you can find the first part as well, here, on my blog. This being said, well, if the first part has been about unconditional love from the two amazing beings that I share my life with on a daily basis and about staying in the flow and keeping an open, flexible mindset, today is also about things that are supporting both mental health as well as the physical body.

1. Good Food, Good Mood: I mean, of course, I have started this blog 10 years ago with the ideea of sharing my own experience as a raw vegan and how I manage my raw vegan lifestyle. Things have changed and shifted a lot over the years ( as it is normal for any living being ), but what I can say for sure is that even now, 10 years later, I am still passionate about nutrition and good, delicious as well as nutritious foods, and even though my experience with the Nutrition School did not go so well, I am still taking as much care as I possibly can of what I eat, when I eat and how I eat. I am not a health care profesional, but I have experimented a lot with food choices over the years, and I can say that food can be both nourishing but it can also be damaging for the body, as we all know, and the truth is that it is not always so easy to get it done right. But with time and patience, we do get to know ourselves and our unique bodies better, and we can then make better and more inspired choices ( both in terms of nutrition as well as in terms of taste and textures ).

2. Spending Time in Nature: when you live in an apartment buiding, work from home and live also in the city, I would say that its a must that we also get some nature exposure, at least from time to time. There are of course, numerous studies that show the benefits of this idea, but I would say it is also pretty much common sense, you do feel better. and we also can’t just live our entire lives surrounded by concrete buildings. Time in nature is great both as a way of relaxing our minds and bodies, as well as a way to decompress from the stress of our jobs and daily duties, but also a way to get to move our bodies more meaningfully and to just get some quiet time for ourselves. We might have all individual preference, but no matter if its the seaside, the forest, the mountain or any other nature spot, its something that just does the body, and the mind so much good. And, of course, if you have dogs, like I do, you know how much they enjoy time well spent in nature as well.

I believe this is pretty much all for the day, as the two things that I am happy to be alive to experience are pretty comprehensive and can be debated in all kinds of situations. The two things that I shared today as a part of my “reasons to stay alive” posts series, are also reminders of taking time to take care and nourish ourselves, find what feels good, as well as an invitation to take some time to relax and decompress both our minds as well as our bodies. Feel free to explore, or even better, ask yourself what would you choose to say are your own “reasons to stay alive” today or in general? We spend so many time on a daily basis in a “pushing harder and stronger” mode of being and in a “doing” mindset, that we forget to take time for ourselves to just be with ourselves and celebrate how far we have come already. But, by taking a moment to just be present and acknowledge the progress we have already made, we can simply recharge our batteries and be prepared to embrace life’s beauty and well as its challenges as they naturally unfold.