Vi har alle en mental helse = We all have mental health

Written By Eleanor Smith

Today is World Mental Health Awareness Day. As a volunteer with the Bergen Red Cross helping people every week who struggle more than the average person, I am reminded of its importance for our wellbeing on a regular basis. I feel very strongly that we all must take care of and pay attention to our mental health, especially in these times of global pandemic. We are all affected in more ways than one as the current situation endures. No one can take their mental health for granted and we all will at times in our lives struggle with it.

Looking up at the corner of a block with brown brick. There is an emergency staircase on the left side and a banner on the right wall that reads "How are you, really?".

Original image by Finn on Unsplash

“Vi har alle en mental helse”, as we say in Norwegian. You may remember that I wrote a short contribution for REVOLVE on “What is one thing you will do differently as a result of #Covid19?”. Well, I honestly must say that I already have to work with what I shared: “Step on the breaks and look at the view”. I managed it for a while during the summer, but the last few weeks, I have been putting myself under too much strain again and tried to do it all. I start this weekend with a headache, after working until very late, and read this as a clear sign that I need to step on the breaks once more.

I had intended to publish a longer article for the occasion, sharing my experience of nature as a healing force in my life, though I will need more time to put pen to paper. In the meantime, I wish everyone who is reading this a good day for your mental health.

Today I would like to thank Mali Clements for her kindness (see the picture of the card I received). Check out the upcoming “No Lockdown in the Imagination“, the 2020 outdoor installation of Artwork from the 2020 Koestler Awards opening on 12 November 2020.

Do something you enjoy, that makes you feel good, and do an act of kindness for somebody today, really anybody.

A pencil drawing of a sad bat dressed in traditional and stereotypical prisoner clothing playing the saxophone from his cell.

Image by John, Koestler Arts Mentee. Saxy Bat by John, Koestler Arts Mentee & Bromley Trust Scholar 2019.

Eleanor Smith

I am a native English speaker, writer and copywriter based in Bergen, Norway. Multilingual and with an international background, I can translate your environmental and conservation content into impactful messages that reach your audience. I work in English and Norwegian.

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