Good Mental Health Tips

I just read a very interesting except from the book Thrive, by Arianna Huffington.  In the excerpt, the writer noted that we take much better care of our cell phones than we do ourselves!   In fact, we are mindful of our phones - where it is, is it fully charged, reviewing our status on it and ensuring we are able to recharge it with ease. Can you relate?  Have you ever seen a person who has misplaced their phone?  Often you will hear statements like “My whole life is in that phone!”  This is true; we have been enticed to put in all our contacts, notes, birthdays, reminders and agendas in our phones – one stop convenience!  Yet the cell phone is not our whole life for if it were we would cease to exist in the moment of its loss.  it may be a good time to remember the old adage: Never put all your eggs in one basket!

In society there are a lot of false standards often put forth by the media….life should look like this, you should have this, and that, you should be productive and super active and the list goes on.  Often, we can be left feeling less than and run off our feet.  Often, we want more time to keep striving.  Yet, the converse of this rat race has been proven to be true!  Studies have shown that when we stop and rest, we are more productive overall and THRIVE.  To be productive in creative ways we need TIME.  Time to sit, reflect and be.   It is from stillness that we discern and move out into new thought and purpose. 

Technology is captivating.  Just look at our teenage population and the amount of screen time they have.  It has been noted that with increased screen time there is an increase in depression and anxiety which is most rampant in our youth today. 

Arianna Huffington notes, in Thrive, that if you google “Why am …” googles most searched topic  is…”Why am I so TIRED!  When I googled #1 sign of stress the answer was, you guessed it …. LOW ENERGY!   

So how, when and how often do you allow yourself to recharge?  What do you do when you are running on empty?  Most often, people reach for a” recharge” of coffee, smoke, drink, excessive or fast food, but these are stressors not rechargers for the body. 

It is time to swing the pendulum back to a more balance way of living.   

A FEW EASY STEPS TO GOOD SELF CARE: 

1)     Unplug from technology and screens on a regular basis.   

2)     Take care of your body.  Often, we can become stressed over feelings of depression, anxiety and illness.  Pause, exercise, good food and sleep help all of the above symptoms.  Remember there are no good or bad feelings just a spectrum of comfort and discomfort.

Remember that the body speaks feelings through symptoms -  It is your bodies way of grabbing your attention.  Pay heed to the signals and address them from a place of curiosity – what is the message here?  Read the Felt Sense Prayer: https://www.cpebpsychotherapy.ca/blog/felt-sense-prayer

Louise Hay’s book, Heal Your Body, relates body ailments to emotional feeling. 

3)     Do things that bring you pleasure!  This reinforces confidence, provides a sense of purpose and is a signal to yourself and others that you are worth taking time out for. 

4)     Laugh 

5)     Develop a close group of friends.  Each friend has a special relationship to us that fills a need in our life. 

6)     Talk about your emotions.  Giving air to any wound helps in the healing process. 

7)     Be kind to yourself.  Give yourself time to let your feelings unfold and inform you. 

8)     Seek professional help when needed.