Your Mental Health


Feb 8, 2021

 by Rebecca Rose
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Your Mental Health Matters

Mental Health is a topic that has generated significant discussion in recent years, and although we have a long way to go in our efforts to support everyone we are making strides on addressing the mental health issues many of us are facing. On January 29th Canada shared the #bellletstalk hashtag enough times to generate almost $8 million in donations from Bell Canada towards mental health initiatives across the country, showing that one simple action can create a significant difference. 

What exactly is Mental Health and what does it mean to you? Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Biological factors, life experiences and family history all play a role in it. In many situations it becomes even more crucial to pay attention to it in ourselves and those around us. Isolation, poor sleep or nutrition, illness, lack of resources, this list goes on as to what can contribute to stress and anxiety and a decline in our state of psychological well-being. Not to mention the winter blahs and a global pandemic to add to the mix. 

While there are numerous resources that you can connect with and are encouraged to use, there are also things you can do yourself to maintain a healthy mental state. It's so important to be gentle on ourselves, recognizing that life is hard sometimes and it's ok to not always be ok. Have a good cry, let it out in a productive way so that you can process it. Take each day, each situation, each moment one small step at a time. And appreciate that life is not a constant forward motion, it's more like a cha cha with one step forward and two steps back. Make time for you, for relaxation and recharging, and make it non negotiable. You cannot give from an empty cup as they say. Rather work to fill the cup and then serve from the overflow so that you always have some to give when you need it. 

Some of the ways you can work to improve your Mental Health & Wellness: 

  • Practice Self Compassion: Stop putting yourself down and avoid people who put you down. Lower the expectations you place upon yourself and realize that being superhuman is not possible. 
  • Practice a healthy inner dialogue with yourself: We get trapped into comparing ourselves with others, often via social media where everything is perfect and technology fixes imperfections. Work to worry less about what other people think and more about how you think about yourself that matters. 
  • Do things to keep your mind sharp: Try puzzles, reading, taking courses or learning new skills, watching inspiring movies or listening to motivating podcasts.
  • Be Creative: Having a creative outlet allows for you to have a space where you can be authentically you and true to yourself. It helps distract you from negative thoughts and stresses in your day to day, often helping you process them and let them go instead of stuffing them into the back of your mind. 
  • Get out in Nature & Practicing Movement: Grounding within nature or practicing movement both have the effect of improving your mood, releasing feel good hormones like serotonin and other endorphins that counteract stress, cortisol and anxiety. Nature has also been shown to release positive ions which increases our bodies ability to fight off stress. Plus you get to disconnect and enjoy the peace and quiet of a slower pace for a few moments! 
  • Connect with others: Humans are wired to connect. Having a sense of community and a support network to tap into goes a long way towards good mental health. It fosters a sense of belonging and reduces loneliness, which in the current COVID culture is happening more than we would like. Whether it's in person or via ZOOM, talking things out with people can help (even a therapist!). Volunteering to help others is a great way to foster a sense of purpose and helping others that can really benefit your own well-being too. 

 

If there's one thing you do, even if for just a moment each day (but hopefully a lot more!), CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF & YOUR THOUGHTS. Thoughts precede feelings. How we speak to ourselves is more critical than ever in how our mental well-being stays balanced. Allow yourself the human experience. Be gentle with yourself. Show yourself the same love and compassion you give to others. Give yourself a mental hug and high five. You've got this. And you've got support. 

Join us at MYKW in our supportive Feel Good February Challenge as we discuss and put into practice much of these activities to support your Mental Health and more. You can request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/400012267973566/

If you need support please know that you aren't alone, that you don't have to do this alone and that there are supports that can help you navigate things. You can find many of them at: https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/get-help or call 911 if you are in crisis or an emergency.