Mental health does not discriminate through race, age, or even social class. According to Psychology Today, approximately one in five adults in the United States, 43.8 million, or 18.5%, experiences a mental illness in a given year and approximately one in five youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental health disorder at some point during their lifetime. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and every time it rolls around, I often think to myself how much better my life would be if I didn’t have to deal with my personal neurosis or uncontrollable anxiety. Is there anyone out there who feels like they have a 100% control on their mental health? Is anyone out there who doesn’t need to stop to take the time to reflect on their mental stability and past traumas and how to ease their outlooks on their lives?
I am a counselor but I am also the last to want to work on my own issues. I LOVE to hear all about everyone else’s problems but rarely like to think about my own. However, every May that rolls around, especially as the school year draws to a close and time speeds up to summer, I can make a list of all of the issues that I haven’t dealt with. So May is the perfect time to reflect and take a second to think about how we can work on our own issues to start the summer on a more peaceful foot.
I would personally recommend therapy for everyone; just a safe place to talk to someone and process some worries and concerns. I went through some intensive therapy a few years ago, working through some of my past childhood traumas that had manifested into some very traumatic ways. I feel more healed, more well-rounded but that does not mean that I am by any means “fixed” or “healed.” It is something that I have to continually work through with self-care and self-reflection. However, those two things are almost always pushed to the wayside when I get busy.
Therefore, this month, let us all take a moment to sit and think about how we can work on our own mental health.
Here are a handful of things that we all can do to check ourselves, work on some self-care and maintain a healthy spirit, mind, and body:
- Think about your current relationships; are there negative or toxic people that you can remove from your life? These are the soul-suckers that you don’t need to have around you. I am constantly surrounded by negativity and I am incredibly susceptible to it. When people around me are happy, I instantly cheer up, but when people are being mean and negative, it sucks me down and I feel horrible when I am around toxic people. Really spend some time evaluating who you need in your life and who you don’t.
- Think about your current eating habits; are you getting the vitamins and nutrients from a variety of different foods? Are you drinking at least 3 liters of water a day? Food can have a large influence on your mental health status. Think about the notion of being “hangry”- that’s a real phenomenon. When I eat junk food, I feel like trash, therefore encouraging me to act like trash too. When I am eating healthy, it gives me more energy and the ability to think more logically and rationally about situations.
- Think about your current health; when is the last time you have gone to the doctor for a “wellness check”? A lot of times, mental health issues can be manifested because of vitamin deficiencies that can be detectable through bloodwork. If your thyroid is not working, it can make you lethargic, gain weight, and become irritable. Studies have shown that there is a large connection between depression and diabetes so go get your blood sugars checked. All of these things might be completely out of your control and might be affecting your mental health. And all of these things can be fixed with medications and/or lifestyle changes.
- Think about the last time you got some fresh air and sun. Living in Idaho Falls, the weather is usually not cooperative most of the year- either too windy, too cold, too yucky. We usually only have a small window of “perfect weather” which can really affect our mental health. Go for a walk. May is a great month to start appreciating the sun again after a long winter. Get some fresh air with a nice drive with the windows down. Go play some ball with your kids. GO OUTSIDE. Your body and mind will thank you.
These are just a handful of things that we can do this month that can make some small impacts on your mental health. I am grateful for this month every year to focus on myself and my own mental health. Big changes start with small steps.
