Spotlight on Mental Health

Once you start on the round path just like in life you can either turn back or go all the way around. I like taking photographs of paths. It reminds me that there is always a road ahead, and there is always a path and a choice for us to make.

Our mental health is like a fragile orchid. It keeps green if you treat it right and brings beautiful flowers if you follow each steps of care carefully. Yet, even with all the correct steps, unforeseen events can happen, and parts of our wellbeing can suffer.

The pandemic did not help the mental health status of our world. Isolation, anxiety, suicide, and depression have been on the rise. The most common mental health disorders in the world include depression and anxiety. (WHO)

It is essential that we support our mental health, take care of our mind as a gentle flower, and also look out for others around us and help them take care of their mental health as well. Watching out for our mind is a great way that we can stay engaged in our wellbeing and health.

When we look at what mental health means it is about a whole body including emotional and physical wellbeing. (NIMH, 2022)

It is easy in today’s fast paced society to get lost in the daily task and lose the connection with ourselves, watching too much television, social media, listening to news outlets all the time can leave less time to reconnect with our own needs.

What can we do to take care of our mental health?

1. The first step is recognition that mental health is important.

2. Checking in with ourselves how are we doing today? What is going on in our lives and the lives of the people around us?

3. Acknowledge if there is a problem and that we need to take some time to take care of our mental and physical well-being.

4. Refrain using alcohol or illegal drugs to soothe mental health issues and stress in our lives.

5. Call a friend or a family member if you need help and support. Talk to someone you can trust.

6. Reconnect to the current happenings in your life. Ground yourself with being in the moment with breathing exercises, grounding nature walk, mantras, singing or listening to calming music.

7. Do some type of physical movement like a walk, run, yoga, Thai-chi, Qigong or any other type of movement that feels good for you. Do not stress about how much movement, any movement or stretches is better than no movement at all.

8. Make sure you have adequate sleep and use sleep hygiene techniques before going to bed including calming activities like reading before bed and avoiding using screens when possible. Avoid eating too late and use a calming shower or bath with essential oils like lavender or drink a calming tea like chamomile.

9. Do things that make you feel good. If you feel like drawing, then draw. Listening to music, taking a walk, painting, dancing, whatever feels right. It is important to do something you enjoy.

(NIMH, 2022, WHO, 2021, NAMI,2022)

Taking care of ourselves when we do not feel good can be difficult. I personally had this experience there earlier this year, felt very burn out, and exhausted from working as a nurse. I had to take a break and take care of myself. When you feel mentally exhausted every movement can be difficult, even the idea of getting up and moving around can be exhausting. There is a time when professional help is needed and that is ok. It is important to talk to someone who can listen and help set goals that can help you pull out of whatever mental health issue you are dealing with. I am so used to taking care of other people in my whole life as a mother, as a nurse, as a spouse, as a friend that I had put myself tot eh last person until I could not do it anymore. I broke. Although I knew all the signs, I still got up every morning and went to work until I could not go anymore. Your body and mind will stop functioning at some point if not nurtured. It took many months and a lot of work and support from a therapist and from family and friends to get back to my baseline to be excited about life again and enjoy things around me. Now I try to do new things, experiment with music and art in addition to writing enjoy creating new recipes and meet friends and family as often as I can. I also left my job and took some time before starting a new one.

Takeaways:

Mental health is essential for our health and wellbeing. It is important to take steps to take care of ourselves and check in on the people around us. There is steps you can take to be well both mentally and physically including movement, relaxation, grounding and doing things you enjoy in life.

Let me know what helps you take care of your mental and physical health?

Thank you for reading my story,

Gabriella

Check out more on mental health in my Newsbreak article

Relaxation techniques and meditation from Gabriella

References

CDC (2022) Synthetic Opioid Overdose data. Retrieved on 10/15/2022 from https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/synthetic/index.html

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Caring for your mental health. Retrieved 10/15/2022 from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health

National Institute of Health. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved on 10/15/2022 from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/mental-health

NAMI retrieved on 10/15/2022 from https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Family-Members-and-Caregivers/Taking-Care-of-Yourself

World Health Organization. Mental Health. Retrieved 10/15/2022 from https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_1

WHO (2021) 6 ways to take care of your mental health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/how-we-work/pacific-support/news/detail/07-10-2021-6-ways-to-take-care-of-your-mental-health-and-well-being-this-world-mental-health-day

Worldometer. Current world population. Retrieved on 10/15/2022 from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#:~:text=World%20Population%20Clock%3A%207.98%20Billion%20People%20(2022)%20%2D%20Worldometer

Worldometer. Spending on Illegal drugs this year. Retrieved on 10/5/2022 https://www.worldometers.info/drugs/