Anxiety. Depression. Weight loss. Weight gain. Loss of sleep. Stress. These are all common expressions of our mental health. Pre-pandemic, statistics showed 1 out of every 5 adults suffered from some type of mental health concern. And due to the uncertainty that the pandemic has created, those stats have gone up tremendously. Anxiety, depression, and stress are the most common mental health issues that are occurring, as a result.
Mental health is defined as cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. As you can see by the definition, your mental health is primary to how you function on a daily basis. Everyday challenges can affect the stability of your mental health, such as stress from work, bills, children, relationships, ambition, etc. Not addressing your mental health can present itself in various ways, such as weight gain, anxiety, poor physical health, unhappiness, self-medication, and more. And the result can be detrimental to your well-being. Your mental health can also affect how you view yourself and also how you view others. But, if addressed and handled properly, your mental health can lead to you enjoying life and maintaining positive self-esteem.
There are many stigmas that are associated with mental health. The biggest one is that people with mental health concerns have a disability. That is not true. We all have mental health needs, so just because you may need assistance in gaining stable mental health, it doesn’t mean you have a disability. And if you do have a disability, that is okay too! The labeling is the real issue here.
From the male perspective, another stigma is you are “less of a man” if you are seeking assistance to secure stable mental health. Again that is untrue and I would challenge you that by actually seeking help, it can show the type of man you truly are.
The stigmas that may come with verbalizing mental health issues should not discourage you from seeking assistance with coping with your health needs. At the end of the day, your well-being and happiness are more important than anything else!
At the end of the day, your well-being and happiness is more important than anything else
It is no secret that our lives have been affected by the pandemic. We have to strategize and implement daily habits to minimize our mental health issues. Self-Care is a primary component of stable mental health. Self-Care are therapeutic actions that we can take for ourselves to gain a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally. Here are a few self-care checklist items that I am challenging you to think about and implement into your daily routine.
Did you get enough rest?
Have you eaten breakfast?
Did you meditate?
Have you taken your daily vitamins or meds?
Have you taken 10 mins to clear any negative energy around you?
Did you workout or go for a light jog?
Have you scheduled breaks throughout your day?
Have you scheduled something into your day that you enjoy?
Be on the lookout for Mental Health Awareness Training coming soon.