Mental Health Awareness Month is a very special month dedicated to raising awareness about mental health issues and promoting mental wellbeing. It was founded in May of 1949 by the National Mental Health Association (now known as Mental Health America) with the aim of encouraging people to take charge of their own mental health and well-being. This month, I will continue to raise awareness about the importance of good mental health and how it affects our lives. I also aim to reduce the stigma associated with discussing mental health issues and encourage people to seek help when needed.
Mental health is an important aspect of your overall wellbeing. It's more than just the absence of mental illness, it is about being in a balanced state of mind and feeling like you can handle anything that comes your way in your own life. Good mental health is essential for living a fulfilling life and achieving goals.
It is important to understand the various components that constitute good mental health such as having healthy relationships with yourself and with others, engaging in meaningful activities, having a sense of purpose or direction in life, being able to cope with stress, anxiety and depression (S.A.D), practicing self-care, having a balanced and beneficial outlook on life, and so on. All these factors play an important role in developing good mental health and lead to improved physical and emotional wellbeing.
Taking time to reflect on your mental health is an incredibly important practice, yet often overlooked. It's all too easy to ignore the warning signs that something isn't quite right and brush them off as insignificant. I know when I hit rock bottom, I hadn’t notice the years of signs and the build up. I just thought it was normal to feel that way. I thought it was just a part of being a workaholic and that was what working moms were supposed to feel like. Over the years, I learned that addressing mental health issues head-on, helps to ensure that we are taking care of ourselves and moving forward in a dynamic way to achieve improved wellbeing in all 7 areas of life; Mental, Family, Financial, Physical, Social, Spiritual and Vocational.
Assessing your mental health on a regular basis allows you to identify areas in which you can make beneficial changes; from relationships, work/life balance and physical activity to diet and sleep patterns. By proactively working on the state of your own mental health, you can develop a healthier outlook on life and increase your overall happiness.
Ways To Improve Mental Health
The practice of mindfulness-based therapies including Forest Therapy can offer tremendous benefits to those suffering from mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety, and even depression (S.A.D). This is because mindfulness can help a person reduce the intensity of perceived negative feelings by focusing on the present moment in the most truthful way possible. Additionally, learning how to balance your emotions and thoughts is essential to achieve peace, contentment and reduce S.A.D. It is essential to understand that it is not enough to just focus on one aspect of life but instead find a healthy balance in all 7 areas. The ability to develop this balance helps you to better cope with the everyday challenges that you face in life.
With an understanding of these practices, you can learn how to better deal with emotions and cultivate healthy thoughts which will ultimately lead to improved mental wellbeing.
Today, I invite you to reflect on the state of your current mental health. What areas of life would you like to improve?
I’m here to guide you when you are ready. Join in on one or more sessions of the FREE Virtual Mindfulness Meditation Book Club. Or go a step further and schedule a FREE Breakthrough Session (a one on one coaching session) to see what it would be like to work with me directly by clicking here: https://www.livelihoodspiritbalance.com/book-online
Whatever you decide, do something good for you to help improve your mental health and help spread awareness of the best ways forward this Mental Health Awareness Month.
Love, Light & Blessings 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
Dawn-Marie
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