Mental Health Awareness
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is often misunderstood because it is hard to define. Mental health refers to your emotional and social well-being. It impacts how you think, feel, and behave. Mental health affects your thoughts, feelings, and actions. When you have positive mental health, you are better equipped to handle stress, be more productive, and realize your full potential.
While we tend to focus on our physical well-being, including the food we eat, exercise, and getting regular check-ups for vision and dental care, we often forget to take stock of our emotional and spiritual needs. Everyday demands take their toll.
Mental health plays a role in connecting with others, making decisions, handling stress, and many other aspects of daily life. Everyone has mental health, and it deserves your attention just as much as your physical health does.
Mental health is important for all of us. Taking care of yourself is critical to prevent your mental health from worsening – factors like nutrition and gut health, stress, sleep, relationships, trauma, and more can contribute to poor mental health. If your mental health is in a good spot, it is a great time to practice coping skills – ways to help you deal with hard feelings – so that you're better able to handle tough times when they happen.
Self-care can play an important role in maintaining your mental wellness. Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical and mental health. Even small acts daily can have a big impact. Some suggestions of self-care include:
Get regular exercise
Eat healthy, regular meals
Stay hydrated
Make sleep a priority
Try a relaxing activity such as meditation, breathing exercises, etc.
Set priorities and learn to say no
Practice gratitude
Focus on positivity
Stay connected
Self-care looks very different for everyone. It is important to find what meets your needs.
You can have times of poor mental health without having a diagnosable condition – just like you can be generally physically unhealthy without having a particular illness. The mental health concern is anything that causes a person to believe their mental health may be suffering. You don’t need to be diagnosed with a mental health condition to be dealing with a mental health concern.
Poor mental health results in changes in emotions, thinking, and/or behavior. For some, this means extreme and unexpected changes in mood – like feeling much more sad or worried than usual. For others, it means not thinking clearly, pulling away from friends and activities you used to enjoy, or hearing voices that others do not. No matter what kind of mental health concern someone is facing, it's always possible to recover. Many people struggle with not feeling “sick enough” to seek help early on in their mental health journey. It is never too early to seek treatment. Don’t wait until your symptoms are overwhelming.
Mental health is wealth. People may hesitate to seek help or even talk about concerns with their loved ones due to fears of being judged. Simple logic dictates that if we are hurt anywhere, we need to seek treatment to get better. This applies to both our mental and physical well-being.
Share the message. Taking care of our mental health is as normal as eating healthy, exercising, or even saving for the future. Share your story to help others understand that achieving mental health is normal. Sharing and talking help to remove the stigma surrounding mental health.
You can use this link for quick, online screening for mental wellness as well as information, tools, and resources. You do not need to enter your personal data to obtain your results. www.MHAscreening.org
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please reach out for help. Your Pastoral Team and Parish Nurse are here for you. In addition to the many local resources that are available, here are links to national resources.
