by Restore. Renew. Revive. | Mar 8, 2023 | wellness
These days, many people focus on their physical health. But few give much attention, if any, to their mental health.
What does mental health refer to? Mental health describes a person’s overall psychological health and well-being. It has much to do with the way you feel about yourself, your ability to manage your emotions, how you deal with challenges and the relationships you nurture.
While most people will experience mental health challenges at some point in their life, those who give no attention to their mental health could experience anxiety and depression. If focusing on mental health is a new topic for you, here are some tips to help you along:
Find Connection with Others
Nothing keeps our mood elevated like the feeling of being connected – truly connected – to other people. While texting and social media have their place, be sure to spend quality face-to-face time with friends and loved ones.
Do things that are Restorative
Are you someone that burns the candle at both ends? Most people are. Good mental health requires you to take time to do things that are restorative for your body and nervous system. Read a good book. Listen to music. Engage in mindfulness practices. Take the time to slow down and be in the moment so your body knows it’s safe to come out of the stress response.
Eat Healthy
Have you ever noticed when you use food to soothe your emotions, you tend to feel unwell physically and mentally? What we eat impacts our mood, our energy and our overall well being.
Stay Active
Physical activity is as important for your mental health as it is for your physical health. Regular exercise can relieve stress, elevate mood, and even help you get a better night’s sleep.
These are just some of the ways you can ensure your mental health is optimized. You may also want to speak with a licensed mental health therapist who can provide tools and a safe space to work through what’s troubling you.
If you’d like to explore treatment options, please give my office a call.
SOURCES:
http://www.bcmhsus.ca/about/news-stories/stories/10-tips-to-boost-your-mental-health
https://www.mhanational.org/31-tips-boost-your-mental-health
https://www.verywellmind.com/things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-mental-focus-4115389
by Restore. Renew. Revive. | Mar 7, 2023 | Mindfulness
Life has been beyond challenging for most of us the last couple of years as we’ve dealt with a global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. Everywhere we look from social media, to the news, to just outside our front door there are tragedies, stressors and uncertainties that abound. Needless to say, these events can trigger some pretty strong emotions in us.
We never want to deny our emotions. Feeling them is how we process the events of our lives. But there comes the point where we need to figure out a way to be present in the moment, in the here and now and get our of our heads with all the worries and what-ifs. One of the most effective ways to do this is through mindfulness.
What is Mindfulness & How Can It Help?
Mindfulness is a simple, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. It is a powerful way to connect with our bodies and emotions, but in a higher state of awareness.
Mindfulness helps us regulate our emotions by putting us in a calm and relaxed state of presence. From here we can have a more grounded and emotionally steady experience of the events in our lives.
Second, when practiced regularly, mindfulness can help us develop skills that promote emotional maturity and self-regulation. These skills include self-awareness and attentional control.
And finally, mindfulness can increase the time between trigger and response. In this way, mindfulness acts a bit like an advanced warning system, alerting us to a potential ugly scene, giving us time to engage in emotional self-monitoring. This gives us the opportunity to choose our emotional response very, very carefully.
Mindfulness Impacts Your Body Too
Research has found that mindfulness could play a role in fighting cancer and other diseases that call upon immune cells. Other studies have found increases in interleukin-10 in colitis patients who took a mindfulness meditation course compared to a mind-body educational program, which is especially among patients whose colitis had flared up. Other research has found effects on markers of inflammation in the body (C-reactive protein) and that people with rheumatoid arthritis have reduced levels after taking an mindfulness based stress reduction course versus being on a waitlist for the course.
Getting Started with Mindfulness
There are many online resources for getting started with a mindfulness meditation practice.
A few of my favourites are
Wholetones music
Insight Timer
BrainTap
You can also take a walk, eat a meal or have a shower while engaging your senses and intentionally being tuned into what is happening in the present moment.
If you are interested in working privately with someone on regulating your emotions, please reach out to me. I use mindfulness in my practice with clients and would be happy to help you learn to integrate this practice into your life.
Sources:
Four Ways Mindfulness Can Help Regulate Your Emotion
How Mindfulness Works to Regulate Emotion in Your Brain
https://mentalhealthmatch.com/articles/skills/what-is-mindfulness-and-how-to-use-it-to-regulate-emotions
by Restore. Renew. Revive. | Mar 6, 2023 | sadness
It is completely normal and natural to experience the emotion of sadness. This emotion arises in response to life events or circumstances that are overwhelming, tragic, or painful. Sadness while it can feel intense at times, come and goes.
However, sometimes people feel something deeper and darker than sadness, and they may feel this way despite there being no triggering event such as the loss of a loved one.
So how can we tell the difference between sadness and depression?
Sadness versus Depression: The Real Difference?
As I just mentioned, sadness is a normal reaction to a difficult event in our life. We may feel sad because of a breakup or from losing a loved one, losing a job or being diagnosed with a chronic illness. In other words, we feel sadness about something.
Depression, on the other hand, affects not only our emotions but also how we act and perceive the world. Depression does not require a triggering event. In fact, when we’re depressed, we tend to feel upset about any- and everything.
Depression clouds our entire lives. When we’re depressed, nothing feels as enjoyable or worthwhile as it once did. In short, we simply feel less alive.
Symptoms of Depression
To be diagnosed with depression, an individual must be diagnosed with at least five of the following common symptoms for a continual duration of at least two weeks:
- An irritable or depressed mood
- A decreased interest in once enjoyable activities
- Changes in weight or appetite
- Changes in our sleep patterns
- Feeling sluggish most days; having a lack of energy and motivation
- Difficulty sleeping
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Trouble focusing or concentrating
- Suicidal ideation
How Common is Depression?
Depression is common. Researchers estimate that nearly 7% of adults in the United States have depression every year. More than 16% of U.S. adults — around 1 in 6 people — will experience depression at some point in their lifetime.
If you or a loved one are experiencing depressed, it is very important to reach out for help from a trained mental health therapist. Depression can be really difficult to deal with, but there are strategies to break free and find joy once again.
I help women experiencing low mood, post partum depression and sadness to find ways to regain a sense of vitality and purpose in their life. Please give my office a call.
SOURCES:
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/depression-vs-sadness
https://screening.mhanational.org/content/am-i-depressed-or-just-sad/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201510/the-important-difference-between-sadness-and-depression
by Restore. Renew. Revive. | Mar 4, 2023 | couples
Sharing your life with someone means having open and honest conversations, even when those conversations are a bit difficult. But that’s easier said than done.
During hard conversations, it’s common for many people to become triggered by something their partner has said. Calm one moment, but the next they’re thrown into “fight or flight” mode, their brain sensing danger. Before they know it, the most primitive part of their brain is activated in an effort to help them survive. And this is when things can get ugly. Because it’s fairly impossible to speak calmly and rationally when your entire body is in survival mode.
Luckily there are things we can do during difficult conversations to regulate our emotional responses and keep ourselves calm and level-headed.
Pause and Breathe
As soon as you start to feel triggered, pause and take a few slow, deep breaths. While deep breathing may seem like a cliche, it is actually a very powerful tool that helps us get out of “fight or flight” mode and into a more relaxed state. When we breathe slowly and deeply, it sends a signal to our brain that we are out of danger.
Be Curious
Rather than approaching the conversation with assumptions or preconceived judgements about the other person, do your best to be curious about what might be at the heart of their beliefs or behaviours.
Being Right is not the Aim
When we feel hurt or wronged, it is easy to get stuck trying to prove we’re right or that our feelings are justified. Rarely does it help to persist until the other person ‘admits defeat’ in a difficult conversation. Instead, try to remember the common goals or aims you have in your relationship and see how you can work towards them as a team.
Remember Your Values
Even in difficult moments it’s helpful to remind yourself about the person you want to be and what you want to stand for in your relationship. Perhaps being authentic, kind or patient are particularly important to you. Slowing down long enough to reconnect with this values that you’d like to embody is particularly important during difficult conversations or moments of conflict,
Moving Forward
Difficult conversations are inevitable when you are in any kind of relationship. But if you use these tips to regulate yourself, you can remain calm and communicate effectively with your partner. If you’d like some more help, please reach out to me. I specialize in helping couples communicate more effectively.
SOURCES:
https://www.hope-wellness.com/blog/hard-relationship-conversations
https://hbr.org/2017/12/how-to-control-your-emotions-during-a-difficult-conversation
by Restore. Renew. Revive. | Mar 3, 2023 | mental health
Many people think of burnout as simply being incredibly tired after a long week or month of work or school studies. But burnout is much more than a physical exhaustion; it is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout can lead to feelings of hopelessness and result in decreasing drive to get things done.
What causes burnout?
Burnout is commonly thought of in the context of work, however, burnout can be related to parenting, caretaking or romantic relationships. Burnout typically occurs when people feel that the tasks they have to perform or the rate at which they have to perform them is out of their control or when there is an accumulation of stressors that overwhelm a person’s ability to cope.
What are the signs of burnout?
Pessimism & Apathy
Pessimism is a major red flag that someone is experiencing burnout. And they won’t just feel pessimistic about whatever it is that is causing them big stress (job, school, relationship), they will feel pessimistic and apathetic about life and the world at large.
Sleep Issues
Burnout makes it incredibly hard to get a good night’s rest. Either a person finds it hard to fall asleep, lying there wide awake for hours, or they fall asleep but then wake up throughout the night. When we don’t get enough quality sleep, it makes it difficult to cope with stress, which makes it hard to sleep, and the vicious cycle continues.
Sudden Physical Ailments
A major sign of burnout is suddenly experiencing physical symptoms that you never have before. For instance, many of my clients, with no prior history of GI upset or headaches, will begin to have chronic issues.
Is it Time to Speak with Someone?
Burnout shouldn’t be taken lightly. You shouldn’t try to ‘tough it out’ and get on with things. Now is the time to make your mental health a priority. If you would like to speak with someone about what has been bothering you, please reach out. I specialize in helping people cope more effectively with stress, burnout, feelings of overwhelm and anxiety,
Sources:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/burnout/unusual-signs-of-burnout/
https://positivepsychology.com/burnout/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout
