May is Mental Health Month. What have you done for your own mental health lately? How have you been coping during this pandemic? What other stressful situations do you have to deal with? Are you working to improve your interpersonal relationships? How are things going with your job?
Mental health is so much more than just mental health. Mental health can also include mental illness. According to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “a mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.”
Mental health can range from dealing with some simple life stressors to dealing with some more serious mental illnesses. And mental illnesses can affect any person of any age, race, religion, or income level. The good news is that mental illnesses are treatable.
The month of May is a great time to take a closer look at mental health and mental illness. Educate yourself and learn all you can about mental health and mental illness. Be willing to examine your own life style; your own thoughts; your own feelings; and your own moods. Evaluate your current relationships. Resolve any problems. Make wise decisions.
Plan some time this month to de-stress, relax, and recharge. Plan a few days in May to try some of the following suggestions:
• Schedule time for fun.
• Focus on the task at hand.
• Practice time management.
• Learn to say “no”.
• Practice positive self-talk.
• Take a mini-vacation or a long weekend out of town.
• Schedule time for recreational reading.
• Do at least one physical activity.
• Call a friend to hear his or her voice.
• Eat healthier every day.
• Try a new hobby/activity/interest.
• Appreciate nature’s beauty.
• Start a garden.
• Listen to your favorite music.
• Cook a new recipe.
May is Mental Health Month. Make it a point to bring a little more refreshing peacefulness into each day. And reward yourself in ways that help you to know the true joy of living.
