“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~ Lao Tzu
Originally I was writing this post thinking about needs associated with wellness and recovery, speaking to the needs that this blog series had explored. While writing about this, I also began to think of needs on a community level. Our individual experience of mental health cannot be seperated from the mental health of our communities. In the end, I explore both of these topics, although acknowledging that there is much more that can be said on both these subjects.
I found a great visual for specific needs for a person with lived experience of mental illness on a website called the Mind Journal. Here is the link if you’d like to check it out: https://themindsjournal.com/quotes/mental-health-needs-mental-health-quotes/ It is great to see things like rest and empathy (aka. self-compassaion) included in this list. This needs modal is geared towards recovery and wellness and assumes that you have your basic or foundational needs met.
Foundational, or basic needs, are necessities that support safety and stability, such as having shelter, food, and enough basic resources to cover needed costs. Unfortunately, with the complex challenges facing humans on this planet, these basic needs are not being met for everyone, especially for people with lived experience of mental illness, who face challenges such as substance use, poverty, isolation, and racism (just to name a few of the barriers). Many people with mental illness can’t work (or work minimally) and disability assistance from the provincial government falls below a living wage. At the same time, housing and food costs are rising. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association in Ontario, many people with lived experience of mental illness live in chronic poverty (Poverty and Mental Illness). I’ll circle back to this topic at the end of this post.
Beyond these fundamental needs there are a lot of other kinds of needs that are important for mental health, like connection, self-care, meaningful contribution to community, creativity and boundaries. It can generally be assumed that we all share similar basic needs but when it comes to needs that help us thrive, it is usually more specific to the individual.
Here is a list of some of my important needs at this point (not counting my basic needs):
- Enough time for self-care for my health
- Time for my creativity
- Deep and consistent connections with the people I love
- Work that is meaningful and aligns with my health needs
- Contributing to the well-being of our community and the planet
- Time in nature
At twenty-one, when I first moved out on my own, I became aware that some of my needs were separate from my parent’s needs and that some of my needs were connected to my mental health. I noticed how much more relaxed I was living in my own space. I had the ability to tune into my own rhythm and create my own home environment. This is still true for me today. I do well in my own space where I can ground and take care of my mental health. When I am struggling, I have a safe and calm space to practice the self-care needed to process and regulate my emotions, take time to rest, and engage in activities that help relax me.
I have learned the hard way about respecting my needs. I have had trouble even knowing what I needed. I had a naturally more easy-going personality (most of the time😊) and also, I have had some fear around asking for needs. I still have guilt saying “no” or asking for my needs, feeling that I am going to let people down. It is easier to ask for my needs with people who are also receptive to hearing needs and who gentle and flexible in their responses. It is more difficult when people react or are unhappy around boundary-setting or conflicting needs. This asking for needs is a work in progress for me:)
Throughout my episodes, I have learned what needs are important for my mental health. Sleep, consistent exercise, relaxation and eating well are important in keeping balanced. Learning to address anxiety is also very important for me. Asking myself, when stressed, what I need is one of the best way for me to check in with myself. Often, I can delegate (or let go of) extraneous tasks that are stressing me out. With enough time, I can often find a solution to something that worries me. I can ask for help.
Living alone gives me a natural boundary to protect certain needs but asking for needs in often a relational task. Learning to ask for our needs comes in small consistent steps. We first need to be aware of what our needs are. Once we can tangibly articulate the need, then we can act. If it’s simply something that we need to manifest in our lives, or a change we need to make for our health, we must figure out a way to make it happen. Sometimes starting with small goals that are manageable helps us tackle a larger task. Daily practice of mental health self-care is often overlooked but is actually key in creating more resilience.
Sometimes asking for needs involves opening to feelings and sharing them with another person. This can be daunting because we open ourselves up to the potential of shame, hurt, and even rejection. It can be helpful to practice owning your feelings (using “I” statements) and also to practice in a relationship where you have a good secure connection. If this is still hard, practice asking for preferences. By doing this, you are honouring your needs in small ways.
If you are sensitive to people’s feelings, it can be very challenging when your needs come up against another person’s needs. It can bring to the surface pain and sometimes we suppress our needs because we know we will hurt someone or cause conflict. The way I gauge this in relationships is knowing how important my need is. If it is something significant, then I need to face the potential consequences for holding a boundary around the need. Other times, there is middle ground between my needs, and someone else’s needs and so a compromise can be made.
For people with lived experience of mental illness, asking for our needs within the mental health system can be challenging. We can get lots of pushback when advocating for ourselves. This is where it is good to have people in your corner, especially someone who is a skilled advocate. Sadly, even with support, we may not get access to the help we need. Often mental health services are either at capacity and aren’t providing the needed service or their services might not align with what you need. This can be very demoralizing. This is where having support is necessary and adopting a tenacious attitude towards getting the help you need.
It is important also for supporters, who have loved ones with lived experience of mental illness, have their own needs met. A supporter might need to make boundaries around when they can support their loved one. They might have specific preferences, like they can’t receive crisis calls when they are sleeping. It is so important that there are multiple people supporting a person with lived experience of mental illness, so that supporters can look after their own health. I will say that the quote that “it takes a village to raise a child” could also be “it takes a community to help support a person’s mental health.”
We must also invest in our social structures to create healthy communities. Access to shelter, food, and basic needs are a human right and yet so many places around the world, including Canada, are failing in providing this to all of its citizens. Improving mental health does not just come from an individual level: we need change in our policies, communities, and mental health services. Poverty, lack of affordable housing, lack of secure, meaningful employment, and lack of mental health supports are just some of the significant barriers that need to be addressed.
According to a Mental Health Commission of Canada 2010 report, which doesn’t reflect the rise in mental illness since the pandemic, 14.6$ billion was spent in Canada for services with the highest amount of dollars spent on meds and hospitalization. I feel like if we invested in affordable housing; lowered food costs plus raised the disability benefit to a living wage; created more jobs opportunities that were suitable for those living with diabilities; and, provided affordable emotional support services, perhaps we could lower the amount spent on mental health crisis.
Our needs are essential to our mental health. Foundational needs absolutely come first for creating mental health stability. Once these are secured, effort can go into the self-care and wellness activities that are so important for recovery.
I truly believe in “preventative mental health.” If we can provide people with the tools they need, as well as a good standard of living from an early age, perhaps we would have less incidence of mental illness.
I think creativity can be helpful for understanding one’s wellness needs when it comes to mental health recovery. I have explored my needs through writing and art making, developing understanding and exploring steps to meet these needs. At the same time, creativity can be an essential tool for connecting to resources. When I worked in the helping field in a mental health-related position often creativity was needed in finding the right resource for someone. It really shouldn’t be that difficult to find people foundational or wellness resources in our communities so we need to keep advocating for more mental health and community supports.
Okay, are you ready to dive into making art? 🎨
Therapeutic Arts Activity
This is adapted from Emily Sharp’s “Guided Art Therapy Card Deck.” The lessen is called “Inner Compass,” which is so reflective for the theme of this blog series. If this activity brings up any emotion or grief, please reach out to a support person or agency that can provide you support.
Instructions
Draw a compass with two arrows. One arrow is labelled what you are moving toward in your life and one arrow what you are moving away from. On the arrow that you are moving toward, think if there are any specific foundational needs to be met, and also needs that help your mental health.
On the other arrow, the one you are moving away from, explore through drawing boundaries, unhealthy habits, or anything blocking your wellbeing.
Materials Needed
- Computer paper
- Felt pens
Once you’ve completed this activity, here are some questions as guidelines for your personal explorations:
1. Are your basic needs met? If not, do you have resources that you can access? Who can help you?
2. How do you feel when your basic needs are met?
3.What are your specific wellness needs around your mental health?
4. How did this activity feel?
This is part of my art directive for this activity. The things I am moving toward include some very specific goals, such as having more time outside, writing my book, and grow some more plants. But I also included my continual journey of being more congruent – how I feel on the inside is reflected in what I say or do. This quality of congruence is so helpful in asking for needs.
❤️❤️❤️ With care and kindness, Meegan
In the spirit of creating a community of reflection and art making, your comments are welcome. If you choose to leave a comment, it is important to know I respect your privacy. Your information will not be given, lent, rented, or sold to anyone. However, when making a comment on the site, your IP address and browser user will be collected. Please see full Privacy details on my Privacy Policy Page Privacy Policy. If you are having a mental health emergency, please take care of yourself, and call 911 or take yourself to emergency at your closest hospital.
Sources
CMHA Ontario. Poverty and Mental Illness. https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/poverty-and-mental-illness/
Mental Health Commission of Canada. Making the Case for Investing in Mental health in Canada. Investing_in_Mental_Health_FINAL_Version_ENG.pdf
Sharp, E., LCAT, ATR-BC. Guided Art Therapy Card Deck (2023). Zeitgeist: New York.
Discover more from The Art of Mental Health
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.