When The Levee Breaks

“If it keeps on raining the levee’s gonna break” is the opening line to a song I have loved for a long time now. First written in 1929 about the flooding of the Mississippi it was reworked by Led Zeppelin in 1971 and is up there with Kashmir and Ramble On as my favourite Zeppelin songs.

It is one I frequently listen to regardless of mood, but it is one I relate to in a number of ways. It has become a song that triggers some reflection and acts almost as a warning for me to check on how I am - and if I need to take a step back anywhere.

I have said before that, in my opinion, music is there to be interpreted (if you want to obviously) and my interpretation of this song has become about looking after myself and my mental health - making sure I am okay and working through exercises that I have been taught to help alleviate any burden I am carrying on that front. The way I interpret this song is the Levee is my mind and my mental health and the rain is the negative patterns that my brain runs which leads to lack of confidence, crippling self doubt and unhealthy behaviours.

Taking some time out from your brain can be really tricky. I find it incredibly hard to switch off - I constantly have thoughts running through my head. However, switching off doesn’t have to be absolute to help make a difference and rest the brain - for me anyway. I think I became obsessed that I had to be able to turn my brain off completely to be succeeding at switching off. I would genuinely be trying to meditate and then criticising myself for hearing noises outside or having a thought that took me away from the exercise I was attempting. So not only did I end up not switched off, I found a way to make a relaxed process tense and beat myself up for it. Another great example of the brain being stuck in the negative tracks it had developed. Over the years, I have learnt that any form of rest is good and can have positive affects. If that means that I am operating at 25% instead of 100% then that is okay - as long as I am doing something to help alleviate the pressure or stress my mind is dealing with. I think the key here is recognising when a rest is required. We go to sleep when we are tired. We eat when we are hungry. We get physically tired when we have done some exercise. So why, when we are feeling low or struggling do we not automatically act in a similar way. There is a tendency with Mental Health to act after the horse has bolted. We wait until a friend or colleague has broken before we act. It is not down to any particular reason - it has almost always been the case - people carry on regardless until sometimes it is too late. The point here is that as human beings we need to get better at recognising when a mind rest is needed way sooner than we currently do. We need it to become as automatic as going to sleep when we are tired or eating when we are hungry. In my opinion, we don’t do that right now - and there is a big gap to close.

For me, that is part of what mindfulness is. Realising that you’re approaching a time when your brain needs a rest is a huge step in the direction of protecting your mental health. The earlier the warning signs can be recognised - the more affective that mind maintenance can be. It is, however, easier said than done. I am far from mastering this myself - but some progress has been made. When I am in a tough place I firmly go into my shell - like most people. Everything becomes too hard. Confidence completely disappears leaving me, in my own head’s view, incapable of doing the most basic of tasks. Getting onto a call with my team or my colleagues becomes an ordeal. I have to go through a number of processes to get me ready for it and surviving them can be pretty uncomfortable. Getting on a train, walking into the office or even writing an email are too much. The negative thoughts become overwhelming and the self judgement (plus assumptions of what other people think) rules the roost. Different people suffer in different ways - and some take longer than others to come out of those slumps. All we can do is be there for each other when that happens and show some understanding. This is why recognising those signs is vital - helping ourselves to take a break before we are overwhelmed. To stop the rain. Because as we know now “If it keeps on raining, The Levee’s gonna break”

So, how do we stop the levee from breaking? Again this is very tricky and extremely personal. What works for one person won’t work for the next. It is about finding the right path that helps ease your mind and ultimately improves your mental health.

For me, there are a number of tools I use to help me. Writing (all be it badly :) ) helps me. It is my way of unburdening my brain somewhat. Listening to music obviously plays a big role. Walking and taking a break from screens are all things that help me. More recently, I was introduced to the idea of doing affirmations. This involves writing down around 10 positive and empowering thoughts about myself and repeating them several times a day - both in the morning and at night time. When I first did this it made me tremendously uncomfortable - I honestly couldn’t think of 10 good things to say about myself but after a while and making myself continue to go through the process I have found that it does help. I must stress again - that this is very personal - it helps for me - it doesn’t mean it will help for all. At the very least though, everyone should have more positive thoughts about themselves so going through an exercise like this is more likely to help than not - but I do appreciate it is not for everyone.

The main one for me is talking. I have a very small number of people that I will open up to and share what I am going through and how I am feeling. It takes a lot of trust to do that and it also takes a lot of strength. Too often the world makes you feel like having emotions, vulnerabilities or struggles is wrong. That you shouldn’t waste people’s time sharing them. This is something that has to change - and small steps are being made in the right direction - but there is a long way to go still. I have said before, if you are lucky enough to have someone open up to you then try to listen. Try to encourage it because they are opening up for a reason - they need it. Finding the right people around you to do this is key - you need to feel comfortable and safe. It has helped me enormously.

Finally - finding something I really enjoyed doing before, that I don’t need to think about and picking it up again really made a difference for me. I thought back to times when I could remember being really relaxed and disengaged (in a good way) and started to do them again. It sounds super basic and silly but playing on my xbox for an hour or so is one of them - I find myself absorbed in the game (basically Fifa trying to make Sheffield Wednesday less crap) and afterwards I feel refreshed because my brain hasn’t thought about anything else. Another one for me is listening to an audiobook - but choosing one that is a story as opposed to a self improvement or self help one. I listen to those at others times but when I want to switch off, listening to a good story takes me away and stops my brain from running question after question. These are super basic I know - but I am a pretty basic person - and each of you will have your own tools to help. I would encourage you to figure out what they are and go to them when you feel the rains getting too heavy. Feel free to share what you do to help - I am always keen to hear the actions people take and to try something new.

Thank you for reading and please remember - open up if and when you need to. Always happy to help anyone I can.

Look after yourselves.

JT

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