Hey everyone! It feels like its been a while. I hope you are all doing well and thriving in this spring season. I am super excited for summer and all that it will bring. Anyway, May is known as Mental Health Awareness Month, and this wouldn't be the Holistic Health Nut if we didn't participate. As previously mentioned on this blog, health is not exclusive to nutrition and fitness. It also involves our mind and spirit. Unfortunately, in contemporary society, we often neglect our mental health in our pursuit of optimal health. Good nutrition and a physically active lifestyle is a great start, but, if we are on a quest toward optimal health, our minds need love too. In this blogpost, I'm going to talk about things that are affecting our mental health and different things we can do to overcome and help each other overcome.
Mental Health.gov defines mental health as a state of psychological, emotional and social wellbeing that affects how we act, think or feel; and determines how we relate to others, handle stress and make choices. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, "1 in 5 US adults will live with a mental illness." This means that it is more common than we think and is very possible that we have people in our lives who are experiencing these issues. Unfortunately, because of the stigma attached to the idea of having a mental illness, a lot of people suffering from it go unnoticed and we don't find out until something extreme occurs. In order for us to reverse this occurrence we have to first acknowledge that it exists and remove the stigma attached to it. A few examples of mental disorders include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, mood swings etc. This issue is not exclusive to one group of people. It affects every age group and race. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 18.9% of US adults (about 46.6 million people) were affected by a mental illness in 2017 and 49.5% of adolescents were affected by mental illness between 2001-2004. Let us not neglect that children and the elderly can also experience disruptions in their mental health.
TRIGGERS
1. In this fast paced world that we live in, filled with busy schedules and a mentality that glorifies constantly working and being on the go, it is easy to forget that we need to stop
and tend to our mental state. We get caught up in the busy life and most times (unintentionally) forget to take time for ourselves.
2. Social media: In our technologically advanced world, social media is on the rise and everyday there is a new app. Even though it most certainly has its benefits, it has created an environment where we can look at each other's lives and increases the need to compare. We are constantly seeing images of perfect bodies, relationships, lifestyle etc. In fact it allows society to impose its ideals on us with just the tap of our screen. Comparison can cause us to enter into a state of not feeling good enough or even feel behind in life.
3. Stressful life experiences: Trauma from an abusive relationship (familial, romantic or platonic), financial crisis, homelessness etc.
4. Feeling Isolated: Not having anyone who seems to be on your side.
5. Body Image: Feeling the pressures of society to be at a perfect weight can cause individuals to turn to eating disorders where they become afraid of food or constantly beat themselves up because they think they ate too much or they ate a "bad food". Check out a previous post I wrote on taking back control of your relationship with food and your body: https://www.theholistichealthnut.com/https-www-theholistichealthnut-com/breaking-the-chains-of-diet-culture
HOW CAN WE OVERCOME AND HELP EACH OTHER OVERCOME?
Journaling: This can help to give us an idea of where our thoughts are as well as the reasons behind those thoughts and allows us to be objective about dealing with them. It also helps to clear your mind of all the thoughts flying around. Sometimes you just need to write it out.
Go outside: I cannot stress this enough. Nature is extremely therapeutic. Whenever I feel down, going outside and taking time to acknowledge the beauty around me, breathing in fresh air and listening to the sound of the wind (very poetic); but seriously, being outside makes me feel even more connected to God and being connected to him makes me feel safe.
Prayer: My faith plays a major part in my mental health. If I feel burdened or miserable, prayer helps me work through those issues with God. He is an amazing listener and will always provide the answers that you need. 1 Peter 5:7 says "cast your cares on him because he cares for you." He is always there to help, we simply need to ask him. Asking someone who has a relationship with God to pray for you works too :)
Time of Gratitude: Spending time acknowledging all the things you are thankful for will shed some light on the fact that life is not as bad as it may seem in that moment of crisis.
Talk to friends or family: Remove yourself from isolation. When you isolate yourself it is easy to feel alone and unloved. Spend time with people who love you. Have a good laugh.
Eat a balanced diet: There are many studies that show correlations with diet and mental health. Having a balanced diet will give you the energy that you need to live a fulfilling life. According to an article written by Khanna, P et al, "Nutritional compounds might modulate depression associated biomarkers." They also mentioned that a balanced diet was inversely correlated to the risk of depression and may help to alleviate symptoms. So goodie :) (had to sprinkle some of my Jamaican in there lol) make sure to eat up your food from all the food groups to ensure consumption of a variety of nutrients.
Get moving: To quote Elle Woods from the movie Legally Blond "exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy..." lol. Endorphins are happy hormones! So find any physical activity that you like and go to town. If the weather is nice enough where you live try to do it outside. Fresh air plus your favorite movement will boost your energy and refresh your mind.
Talk to someone: This could be a therapist, a close friend, a school counsellor etc. Do not hold anything in. In fact, opening up (I'm working on this myself) may show you that you are not alone and there are people going through the same thing that might have some valuable advice.
End the stigma: This is important! If we end the stigma we can open the door to openness. Once we get people talking we can begin to fix these problems and help each other overcome.
Encourage your friend to talk about it: Whether you are a friend or family member. Always check on your loved ones and encourage them to talk about whatever is bothering them. Even if they are the strong one in your circle let them know they can count on you.
Genuinely listen: A lot of the time we ask people how they are doing and it is done absent mindedly while we go about our business, but I want to challenge us to be genuine in asking this and also be genuine about listening. Sometimes people don't need anything more than a listening ear.
Start a new hobby: This could be something creative, or a sport or even an unexplored talent. Developing a new skill will provide something to be excited about and maybe a reason to get out of bed. You never know :)
Honestly, the list continues...
My heart goes out to anyone out there who is going through any form of mental illness. I know sometimes it is not simple and it seems hard to bring yourself out; but remember YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There is always someone you can talk to. You'd be surprised that someone else is going through the same thing you're going through. Sending you all love, peace and blessings!
Please share this or any of the tips outlined in this post with anyone that you feel may benefit. Let's be healthy together!
I'm dedicating the last week of May to a series of posts centered around mental health on instagram @theholistichealthnut so come and join us in the conversation. I want it to be a space where we talk about it, share tips etc. Please don't be afraid to share and repost. I want the community to grow and also help each other.
With Love,
Kaydine :)
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References:
Khanna, P., Chattu, V. K., & Aeri, B. T. (2019, April 03). Nutritional Aspects of Depression in Adolescents - A Systematic Review. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31057727
Mental Illness. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml
What Is Mental Health? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health
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