May marked the end of the spring semester and the start of summer break. Bring on the fun! The last few months have mainly been focused on both work and school, so it’s been nice to get out of my routine. In May, I went hiking with one of my friends to Staunton State Park. It’s about a thirty-minute drive from Denver. We spent most of the day hiking through the mountains and before heading home grabbed a bite to eat. Hiking is something I love doing, but haven’t done a lot of lately. When I live in Kansas City there weren’t a lot of nearby hiking spots. If you wanted to get out and good for a good hike you had to drive out a few hours to do so. May was also a month of self-reflection.

Strange Secrets by Mike Russell can be described as bizarre, thought-provoking, and satirical. It’s a collection of seven short stories. That discusses topics of the nature of reality, the afterlife, and our individual perceptions of our world. Each story discusses its theme well and prompts the reader to explore them deeply.

April marked my final month of the spring semester. I was hard at work on my final projects and meet with an academic advisor to plan for the fall semester. I turned in my last assignment on May 10th. It marked the end of the semester and the start of summer break. My first semester had its ups and downs, but I made it through it. There were days that I wanted to throw in the towel, and I was beyond tired and overwhelmed. Coming home late from work, then staying up late to study and work on assignments was exhausting. I graduated back in 2012 with my associate degree. I had always wanted to go back to school, but I kept putting it off. When I decided to go back, I was nervous. It had been years since I wrote an easy or took a quiz.

When I was 18, I started community college to become a graphic design artist. At the time it made sense. Art was one of my interests, and if I were to pick a career to stick with for the rest of my life, then a career in one of my interests made sense. Boy was I wrong. After classes, I decided I enjoyed doing graphic design as a hobby but didn’t want to turn it into a career. I ended up changing my major to accounting. I had taken it in high school, and it was a subject I enjoyed and did well in. Like graphic design, it didn’t stick and I found myself struggling through my classes.

I ended up graduating from community college with a general associate’s degree with no idea of what to do next. For years I struggled to find my purpose, I played around with the idea of going back to school and looked into different career paths, but nothing felt right. It wasn’t until I reframed my thinking that I was able to find my purpose.

When it comes to mental health, one thing that isn’t mentioned often is hygiene. To most people, going days without brushing your teeth, showering, or combing your hair is disgusting. But for those who struggle with their mental health, it’s the norm. Living with mental illness is a challenge, and even on the best days. It’s a struggle to get out of bed most days let alone take a shower. You start telling yourself you’ll do it later, but keep putting it off. It feels like a fog is hanging over you and it becomes harder to find the motivation to care for your hygiene. You know you need to take care of yourself, but it’s easier said than done. Tasks that seem simple to most are a challenge to take on with a fog hanging over you, and crawling back into bed seems like the best option.