Blue-Tailed Lizards & Mental Health: A Morning Surprise With a Lesson
Life lessons from an unexpected office visitor.
Hi there!
Before I switched on the light in my front office, my eye caught a glimpse of a critter scurrying across the shiny tile floor. I put my lunch cooler and keys on the front desk and squatted down to look under the nearby blue leather chairs. I prayed not to find a mouse.
Rodents and I do not mix well.
Instead, I saw a young skink, barely three inches long. Skinks, at least the variety I see most often (there are over 1500 varieties), are blue-tailed lizards that grow to be about eight inches long, though I rarely see them longer than five or six inches.
If you live in southeast Tennessee, skinks are part of life, and part of that life is chasing them out of your home and office after they come running in through the door.
It took fifteen minutes, but I managed to coral my unwelcome office guest out the door. You have no idea what a success that is to succeed so quickly. Some skinks have lived with me nearly all summer because I could never catch them or chase them in the right direction.
Skinks are harmless, so there’s nothing to worry about, but as I sat down at my desk this morning, sweating from chasing a lizard, my desk scattered with a tax return I’m tired of looking at, I reflected on what the lizard could teach me.
Here are the three lessons.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
- Albert Einstein
Scott Ninneman publishes two newsletters each week. The Sunday All Things Bipolar Newsletter features the newest content about bipolar life. The Speaking Bipolar Positivity Club Newsletter shares inspirational stories three times a week to help you maintain a positive mindset.
1. Get Some Sun
Lizards love the sun, so it’s easy to find them hanging out on the sidewalk or the walls of your house. They do it to warm their cold blood, but the sun is just as important to you. Not only does the sun give you vitamin D, but being outside helps you reset and lowers your stress levels.
2. Run and Hide
Skinks are masters at hiding. I swear, they are little magicians. I have a small welcome sign on the wall outside of my back door. That side of the house lights up with the afternoon sun, so I’ll often find the blue tails hanging out on the wall when I get home from work.
As soon as I exit my car, the lizards run. Frequently, they make a quick retreat to the welcome sign, but when I look behind it, I never see them. It’s like they disappear completely.
Coping with mental illness means sometimes you have to run and hide. Take time to rest and slow down when needed. Walk away from toxic situations and protect your mental health.
3. Leave it behind
There’s one reason I hate catching skinks. It’s not that their bodies are cool and damp or that I’m afraid of getting bit. No, instead, it’s their defense mechanism that grosses me out.
When captured, especially by the tail, these critters will leave their blue tail behind, where it squiggles and squirms in your hand or on the floor. Watching the tail flip around always takes me back to the traumatic summer we butchered chickens.
I swear, the headless beasts chased me and only me. I didn’t eat chicken for a whole year after that.
When coping with your mental illness, it’s often the best thing to leave things behind. It may be toxic jobs, abusive relationships, or uncaring doctors, but there are some things you do better walking away from.
Like a lizard, drop what’s holding you back and run away. Blue tails will regrow their tail if they live long enough. Just like them, you can replace what you leave behind with something much better.
Life is full of life lessons. Whether it’s a brown fuzzy moth on your windshield or a blue-tail lizard running across the tile floor of your office, nature is trying to teach you to improve yourself. Pay attention, and you’ll find new ways to thrive each day.
Journal Prompt: What’s something in nature that can teach you a life lesson? If nothing comes to mind, look out the window and write about the first thing you see.
Creative Writing Prompt: Write a story from the perspective of my skink. Imagine it had a reason to enter my office building. What happened after I chased it back outside?
Until next time, keep fighting.
Scott Ninneman
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I really enjoyed your email Scott! I found it Interesting and informative. Thanks so much!