For years, there has been a stigma surrounding mental health. Many people have brushed it aside or have chosen not to talk about it. That only results in people hiding or feeling ashamed of their personal struggles without realizing they aren’t alone.
This month, we are saying “no more” to the silence around mental health!
Here, we will provide a general understanding of mental health, warning signs of a problem, and strategies for coping with mental illness.
May Is Mental Health Awareness Month
This is the time to raise awareness about mental health. We can establish an understanding of the pain and struggles felt by all who endure the daily challenges of mental health issues. This is the time to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
For 2021, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is amplifying the message “You Are Not Alone.” Nearly 1 in 5 American adults live with mental illness.
No, you certainly are not alone.
In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of self-reported behavioral health symptoms and worsening depression, anxiety, and stress.
Mental Health vs Mental Illness
Your mental wellness affects your daily life, how you function, and your overall health.
What Is Mental Health?
Your mental health refers to your personal emotional, social, and psychological wellness. Mental health influences your action, how you relate to others, how you think and feel. It is just as important in childhood as adulthood.
What Is Mental Illness?
Mental illness refers to mental, behavioral, or emotional disorders affecting a person’s mood, behavior, or thinking. Disorders may range from mild to severe. Common mental health conditions include anxiety, depression, substance abuse disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors.
Warning signs of a mental health problem include:
- Eating or sleeping changes
- Pulling away from loved ones
- Having little energy
- Feeling hopeless or as if nothing matters
- Having severe mood swings
- Fighting with others
- Difficulty concentrating
- Thinking of harming oneself or others
If you or someone you know has signs or symptoms of mental illness, consult a mental health professional for diagnosis and treatment.
Tips for Coping with Mental Illness
If you, a friend, or a loved one has been diagnosed with mental illness, you must process the diagnosis and learn how to live with it. Mental health affects everyone, regardless of diagnoses. There is no requisite necessary to speak with a therapist.
At Salveo Integrative Health, our experienced mental health providers are available to help with your mental health concerns. Mental health care can be both preventative and reactive. In either case, the goal is to help patients thrive in their daily lives.
The following tips can be added to your mental health toolbox as you learn to navigate your mental illness and thrive:
Acceptance
A large part of a mental health journey includes a path toward acceptance. Accepting your diagnosis and your illness is a step toward self-love, strength, and wisdom. You must take responsibility for your health care and hold yourself accountable for your actions. Understand that you have choices and can take one step at a time toward healing and treatment.
Your mental and physical health are connected. Accepting and taking control of your mental health diagnosis and treatment is a step toward a healthier body.
Deep Breathing
Have you ever noticed your breathing when you are relaxed? It is slow and even.
One of the best ways to manage your stress or problems is through breathing exercises. When you take deep breaths, messages are sent to the brain to calm down and relax. In turn, messages are sent throughout the body to decrease your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.
Breathing exercises can help you relax and can be done anytime and anywhere when you feel stressed or anxious.
Cognitive Reframing
Cognitive or mental reframing is a technique for creating a new way of looking at a person or situation to change its meaning. In therapy, this can help someone take on a new perspective or see from a different point of view. You may ask questions, validate your emotions, or develop compassion for yourself.
When it comes to working through your own mental health, cognitive reframing can turn problems or negative thoughts into opportunities for growth. Don’t focus on limitations. Focus on your choices.
Seek Professional Help
Your mood or behavior should not interfere with your ability to work, interact with others, or function daily.
If you feel your mental health slipping or experience lingering changes in your mood or behavior, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. At Salveo Integrative Health, we offer mental health treatment in Lawrenceville and Flowery Branch, GA. Additionally, our team provides telepsychiatry services throughout Georgia and North Carolina.
Contact Salveo Integrative Health
For Mental Health Awareness Month, help us increase awareness of the importance of mental health. Take control of your mental health care this month and beyond!
Contact Salveo Integrative Health today!
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