Checking In
"Checking In" is a book about how Michelle Williams’, of Destiny's Child, learned how to start Checking In with God, Herself and others in regards to her mental health, Specifically in navigating her depression. I felt like this was a great read. I learned a lot about her but I also learned a few new tools to add to my toolbox when it comes to my own mental health struggles.
When it comes to checking in with God she emphasizes the importance of having real conversations with him. Not just the pretty, prewritten prayers, or the quick ones we say, for example, when taking a long trip or having a hard day. Most people have a kind of surface level relationship with God but we need to be able to talk and communicate with him honestly. If we can’t give the realest of the real to Him then who can we? Checking in with God is critical for her journey because it also helps with distinguishing between anxiety and intuition.
Which brings me to the next point. Checking in with Yourself. She specifically says that this is NOT the same as self care. Self care is great but are you really checking in with yourself? Are you being honest with yourself? Michelle highlights how her own denial when it came to her depression led her to the lowest of lows more than once.
Anxiety and depression also interfered with her ability to distinguish between anxiety and intuition. That little voice that says whether or not you should or should not do something… It’s important to know yourself and know the signs when it comes to figuring out what is intuition and when is anxiety keeping you from opportunity (or pushing you into one that’s not meant for you).
When it comes to checking in with others, this book talks in detail about what that really looks like for her. How she distinguished who were the right people to check in with and maybe who wasn’t the best for that role in her life. There was one part that really caught my attention that I really want to share with you…
“Here’s one sign that you don’t have the best people to check in with in your life. If your friends never ask you tough questions, they’re not the right people. If you friends don’t push you, sharpen you, or make you want to be better at least some of the time, they’re not the right people. But at the same time, you have to be the kind of person who can receive correction. You have to let your friends know that you welcome and invite their constructive criticism…”
This was something that spoke to me so loudly. It’s important to surround yourself with people who love you and who want the best for you ALWAYS and ALL WAYS, without strings attached. Also worth noting, one of the "others" that she checks in with is HER THERAPIST.
If you don't have one and need one THIS IS YOUR SIGN to find one.
We LOVEEEEE a good therapist over here.
All in all this book was a short but amazing read with a lot of useful information. It’s full of little pieces of history of her life and her overall just sharing her experiences honestly and unfiltered. It’s a read that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend! If you haven’t already, definitely check it out!