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Kunovix

Mindfulness Month 2022

I'm fundraising for the Mental Health Foundation NZ by participating in Mindfulness Month this August. Donations would be greatly appreciated. 💗 Take care of yourself first and please only give if you can spare it!

Kia Ora,

Thank you for supporting this cause. It's very important to me as someone who has mental health challenges. I have been officially diagnosed with ADHD, Bipolar II, and Anxiety/PTSD. In reality I also deal with frequent brain fog and auditory processing difficulties which often leave me feeling negatively about myself.

I already know mindfulness is so helpful but lately I've been neglectful of practising it. I want to use this fundraiser to motivate me to improve my own mental health and share that journey with others. I hope you will sponsor me for the greater mental health of all New Zealanders!

We all have mental health and I am committing to focusing on my wellbeing this August with a month of mindfulness.

I believe that we can do better to support the mental health of all New Zealanders and I am fundraising to support the Mental Health Foundation to hold the government to account and challenge us as a nation.

The Mental Health Foundation believes that together, we can work towards creating a society free from discrimination, where we can all enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing.

 

Please show your support and donate to my page today, every little bit counts! Your donations will support the Mental Health Foundation to:

  • Push to transform our mental health system to one which prevents problems developing, responds earlier and more effectively and empowers communities and individuals to learn the behaviours that will protect and enhance their mental resilience and wellbeing.

  • Advocate for systemic change to improve social, economic and cultural determinants of mental health and wellbeing. This includes advocating for secure and safe housing and opposing discriminatory systems.

  • Ensure our work is informed by tāngata whaiora (people with lived experience of mental distress) through active engagement with these communities.

  • Action our commitment as a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partner by engaging with and being led by Māori, uplifting and amplifying Māori voices, incorporating mātauranga Māori into our work and seeking improved outcomes for Māori.  

 

Thank you in advance,

Vixy/Kunovix

 

MAURI TU, MAURI ORA.

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

$208

My Goal

$1,000

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Updates from Kunovix

Day 3-13: Sickness and Doing My Best

Saturday 13th Aug
I haven't updated in 10 days and if anything this is an excellent example of how life is for me, and why I'm disabled. The last 10 days were empty and busy. I caught a cold and have been oversleeping. I haven't done any of the mindfulness I intended to do. It's been hard enough just keeping up with life as usual.

To make things worse, being unwell seems to have triggered hypomania and I've been unsuccessfully curbing strange obsessions. I ironed shirts, vacuumed and mopped, cleaned and tidied, cooked... I made french toast with berries and bacon, and my first ever tiramisu! Unfortunately it also means my judgment is impaired and I have to be careful about my decisions since in this state I'm more inclined to justify bad ones I'll regret later.

I would like to get back on track, start anew tomorrow. It's been on my mind that this fundraiser isn't for me, it's for a cause bigger than me, but at the same time it's for my own benefit. I want to make a difference. Every time I seemingly fail, there's nothing to do but get up again and keep going. The only alternative is giving up, and that's not an option I accept anymore. That's not to say that I won't sometimes choose to move on from something, but there's no down side to participating in Mindfulness Month and fundraising for better Mental Health for New Zealanders, and no reason for me to move on from it.

So 10 days later, instead of thinking I've failed, I would like to resume. I'll start over, and continue to be kind to myself if I can't accomplish my goals every day. If I'm doing my best, then whatever that looks like my best is good enough.

Day 2: Connection

Tuesday 2nd Aug
I slept well last night but was woken too early by the sound of a large animal in our roof. I still did the guided meditation this morning but relaxed a little too much and ended up falling back asleep!

Guided by my intention of self-care I made sure to take a shower after getting up. Even then my anxiety was high enough that I felt like I had to do everything twice. I got dressed and went to try and go for my walk.

I got as far as just past my front gate and I knew that that was going to be my limit, so I took the photo I posted in my gallery and went back inside.

The rest of my day was spent streaming, which I had to once again push through my anxiety to do, but in the end it was worth it because I was there to celebrate a friend's birthday and I played games with friends and chatted to good people.

There were a lot of reasons I could've given up today and not continued with the next thing:
I could've spent longer in bed.
I could've decided not to have a shower.
I could've not left the house at all.
I could've given up on streaming.
Each time I felt like I had failed, I started over and moved on to the next task.

My critical mind says I didn't really do anything worthwhile today, that I might as well have stayed in bed for all that I accomplished. But actually I feel like today was a good day. I had a really nice shower, felt the warmth of the sun on my skin, and spent several hours in the company of good people online who made me feel liked and wanted.

Not every day that I push through succeeds like today, but at least for today it was worth trying and I was rewarded for my perseverance.

The photo for this post was taken yesterday. I think mushrooms are a good analogy for how we as humans may seem individual on the surface but are strongly interconnected at our core. I got through today because I wasn't alone for it. If there's something to prioritise in our lives it should be connection.

Until next time,
Vixy

Day 1: An intention of self-care

Monday 1st Aug
Mindfulness Month has begun!

I started strong by listening to the guided mindfulness meditation and setting my intention for the month. Originally I was going to commit to meeting my daily goals and not missing a single day, but I don't want to miss a day and then give up after being too hard on myself. So after some thought I changed my intention to prioritising my self-care instead.

One of my self-care improvements is an intention to take a walk every day for light exercise and to get me out of the house. I want to take a photo from each day to post in my Gallery. Today's walk was along the Heathcote River, which is something I used to do with my Dad when I was a teenager. The breeze was cold on my face, the texture beneath my feet was rough in some parts from the sticks that had fallen from the trees and muddy in other parts where the heavy rains had soaked the earth. I could hear birdsong and the sounds of factories and traffic in the near distance. I didn't go very far because of my anxiety but it was very pleasant and I was able to think of my Dad while I walked.

In the afternoon I streamed, and instead of forcing myself through some gaming I did what I wanted to do and spent 4 hours reading a book to my audience. It went well and I got good feedback from a couple of people so I'll probably do it again.

Thank you to Sean for another donation! I want to remind everyone that there is absolutely no obligation or expectation to give but I do greatly appreciate every show of support.

I leave you with a photo of my ducks from this morning. Their names are Latte, Sir Quackalackin, Bisky, Ichigo, Nigo, Diva, and Yongo. I managed to catch a photo of them just before they all started running towards me for their breakfast. These guys are great for getting me out of the house twice a day and I love them.

Until next time!
Vixy

Let the Mindfulness begin

Sunday 31st Jul
August is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to seeing what the month brings. My personal goal is to listen to the provided Guided Mindfulness podcast every morning, go for a walk each day and take a photo or video of something in the neighbourhood, then write about my day and share the photo/video online in the evening.

My ADHD and Bipolar Depression makes it difficult for me to be consistent so having motivation to keep it up and develop routines for an entire month will hopefully be positive. I'm hoping that there might be someone out there who is encouraged when I share my own experiences.

Thank you to my cousin Lyndell for kickstarting my donations. Thanks to his generosity this fundraiser is already a success! I'm now trying to think of ways to give back and say thank you for every $100 milestone.

Catch you tomorrow!
Vixy

I'm getting excited! Are you?

Wednesday 27th Jul
Hello Reader,

As I write this we're still a few days away from beginning Mindfulness month and already I'm getting excited. I'm not really sure what to expect. I'm waiting for a mindfulness journal to arrive in the mail and I have a link to a guided mindfulness podcast. As for the rest, we'll just have to wait and see.

Until then, please consider donating! As well as motivating me, it will help us improve mental health for everyone in New Zealand.

Take care!
Vixy

Thank you to my supporters

$52.50

Aaron Sneary

Miss you dear friend.

$18.90

Jerry Moore

It's wonderful that you've stepped up to support this cause. It's something that's very important to me too.

$21

Sean Garlick

Kia kaha, keep at it, it's a great thing you're doing.

$105

Lyndell Juggernaut

Lets hang in there, we are in this together.

$10.50

Janelle Mcneil