January 12, 2021
January is Mental “Wellness” Month
January is Mental "Wellness" Month
What does mental wellness mean versus mental health?
Mental Wellness definition: Being mentally well means that your mind is in order and functioning in your best interest. You are able to think feel and act in ways that create a positive impact on your physical and social well-being.
With all the challenges that we go through and the additional impacts of 2020/2021, I am going to offer some ideas to help improve our mental wellness that we can all add in to our daily routines. These "tools" are ones that I, myself, use everyday that I have learned from professionals. Please always remember I am not a therapist, counselor or doctor. The tools that I am offering are ones that I have collected along my way and that help me. My intention is to help you all in some way to make every day better.
How to improve mental wellness:
We need to start with being the best us that we can be. In other words, value yourself !! Treat yourself with kindness, respect and avoid self-criticism. Words are very powerful and they have a powerful effect on us. I have a relative who shares stories with me everyday and refers to herself as "stupid" while explaining things about her day. I remind her everyday that she is not stupid and should stop saying that about herself.
Here is a visual for those of us who are visual processors: Imagine yourself standing in the ocean and watching big waves rolling way off the shoreline. They seem to be the big ominous threat, but it's not that way at all. Then imagine looking at the little ripples along the shoreline. The huge waves rolling out in the ocean, way offshore, have no impact on the shoreline. However, the little ripples take grains of sand with them as they roll off the shore and back in to the ocean. The little ripples have a subtle, yet impactful effect on the shoreline known as erosion. I tell you this because how we talk about ourselves is like the ripples. So be kind to yourself! Tell yourself how valuable you are, that you have purpose and that you are beautiful inside and out.
Take care of your body as well...we only get one. Physical fitness is key to feeling well mentally and physically. I encourage you all to move your body! Put on some music and just get up, dance, sway, or do some jumping jacks. Music is the only "medicine" that brightens every hemisphere of the brain, it releases endorphins, these are things that immediately make us feel better. I suggest and practice to get up and move every hour. Walk in place, jump, it doesn't matter ... just move your body. If you work on this everyday for about 3 minutes or more per hour, you will see a difference! If possible, I also suggest some kind of workout everyday, or start with at least 3 - 4 times per week. Myself and my family have taken on the 100, 100, 100 challenge and it feels amazing! It is 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups and 100 squats. You can break it up throughout the day until you can do it all at once. Partner with a friend, partner or family member and encourage each other to do it! It equals to a full body workout, and as you begin to see results ... you will want to do more. A strong body with a strong mind is very empowering, which helps to be the best version of yourself!
Other positive tools to use are: meditation, stress reduction and surrounding yourself with positive people. All these tools work together. Meditation helps reduce stress and can increase your energy. However you choose to meditate, just do it. I often, throughout the day, just stop and go to my window and look up at the sky. I am aware of the beautiful colors of the sky and clouds. When I see birds flying, for instance, it makes me feel so grateful and mindful of the wonder of flight.
The point I am trying to get across is that mediation comes in all forms. Quiet your mind and rest it from the pressures of the day. I love being aware of mindfulness and gratitude of the little things. I do realize that when faced with tremendous life challenges, struggles, health issues and anything tough that we have to deal with, that it can be difficult to think that these tools can help....but they do. We have to do things one step, and one day at a time. Set some goals, make them small and easy to accomplish. As you meet your goals and get that wonderful feeling of accomplishment, it helps to propel us forward and be more and more positive.
I hope that this message is helpful in some way and can make your days brighter. Always remember we are all "Imperfectly Perfect" !!!!
Thank you so much, Naomi