Mental health and wellness is a hot topic right now, and I think it needs to be. I’m not referring to mental illness. I don’t have the credentials to tackle that. I’m talking about mental health and wellness as one spoke in the wheel of our overall wellness, which includes physical, emotional, spiritual, environmental health and more.
I think, as Americans, we’ve developed this culture of go, go, go, and do, do, do. Be part of everything, don’t miss out on anything, help as much as you can, don’t leave work until the job is done. Worry, worry, worry, and stress, stress, stress. And then at the end of the day, we scroll through social media or we watch TV and we fill our minds with thoughts that probably aren’t refreshing to the mind and body. We have forgotten how to slow down and smell the roses.
A simple intention to take a brain break, to be mindful, to be present, to reflect; these practices can do wonders. There are many ways to improve your mental health. Several of them will be expanded upon in the upcoming class, Taking Care of You, which will be offered on Thursday evenings at the MU Extension Center in Lamar from 5:30-7:30, starting the first week of April.
In the Taking Care of You curriculum, a program from the University of Missouri on stress management, we learn that mental health and wellness includes two components: intellectual health (challenging your brain and learning new things) and social health (participating in healthy relationships and having a community of support). If our mental health and wellness needs aren’t being met, other areas of our health—physical or emotional—may suffer.
Again, this is not a program for individuals with a mental illness. If you have, or think you may have a mental illness you need to talk with a professional.
Other practices you can do on your own at home or as part of a group in the community are yoga, meditation, prayer, sitting in silence, being still, turning off distractions, keeping a blessings journal, or talking with a friend.
If you feel like your mental health could use a boost, I strongly encourage you to consider signing up for the Taking Care of You class. There will be four, two-hour lessons, and the cost is $25. If you are interested in learning more about other practices to improve your mental health, I encourage you to read the articles or watch the videos below.
Most importantly, don’t ever feel ashamed if you feel like you need to work on your mental health or need to ask someone for help. It’s something we all have to work on, just like any other spoke in the wheel of overall wellness.