Have you ever watched one of those swashbuckling films featuring the quest for an immensely priceless treasure?
Well…have you thought about compiling a treasure chest to hoard, collect, safeguard precious memories of happy times with people who have made life wonderful? Are you aware or your personal treasure – priceless memories that have made you the person you are and perhaps have provided direction in your life, goals to aspire to, fundamental lessons and inspiration. Have you taken steps to preserve those memories and to retain to access them when times are tough?
For the past few weeks, I have been unpacking my own personal first aid kit, and today I am going to share the last element of it. These were the other ingredients that make up a resource I can turn to when challenges overwhelm me and my outlook begins to darken (only a fool thinks they won’t face times like this):
- Contact details of people will be there for you in a crisis
- The power of music on your emotions
- Inspirational sayings that can encourage you
- Scriptures that can gently comfort or impart power
- Physical mementos that have emotional attachments
The final part of my MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID KIT is scrapbooks or a journals containing both positive thoughts and some of the positive experiences I have enjoyed. Although memories can be relived within your mind, having a record of them can trigger powerful reminders.
I have a few physical scrapbooks or journals. One is full of the life-changing experiences I had out in West Africa. It is so thrilling to read and look at all the little souvenirs I collected there. I ought to prepare a post giving you a closer look at it actually. It is quite a treasure in itself. When I look through it, I recall the extraordinary people I met, including refugees from Liberia we met in Accra. People who had lost everything in the most barbaric way and yet were full of faith and courage, with their eyes firmly fixed on the future.
Something else I have (and please don’t laugh at me!!) is a book of all the text messages I sent and received to and from Goldfinch. My old phone would no longer charge, and I realized I was going to lose all those conversations. So….I wrote them all down before my phone died completely. And….I truly truly treasure them. I am so deeply grateful that Goldfinch came into my life and I put a high value on how much he helped me at such a difficult time. Goldfinch provided me with an array of memories I prize.
After I experienced a miscarriage, I wrote some poetic ditties. They were not very good, but they are special to me. They provide such a powerful reminder of an event that I never want to forget (because it was monumental to me), that I preserved them and published them:
I also consider my blog a little bit like a scrapbook full of happy memories. It has definitely made me smile to go back over some of my past posts, especially those sharing the people and experiences I treasure most in my life. I started publishing on WordPress back in the spring of 2018, and my posts provide an extraordinary reminder of the journey Jack and I have traversed. What an epic adventure our relationship has been!
For almost two years, there were so many posts about my feelings regarding the estrangement with a man I had been inspired by and admired so greatly. I recorded the events that came as a surprise – a phone-call that came completely out of the blue – agreeing to meet him so we could talk…and all that has happened since. I love that I can go back over our journey and recall the highs and lows. It deepens my appreciation for the exquisite treasure I have amassed.
How about you? Do you have a treasure chest full of memories and experiences? Collecting gems of happiness may prove to be more valuable that you could ever imagine, especially during a mental health emergency.
Caramel 