Mental Health Moments: Five Simple Ways To Boost Your Mental Health
⌛ By Kaylin R. Staten ⌛
As many of you know, mental health is one of my most coveted personal and professional journeys. It’s a vital part of who I am and who I will continue to be as I grow into more of who I am meant to be as a persona and professional.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and while mental health is important 24/7/365, we pause during this month to take a deeper look into illnesses plaguing one in five adults in the United States.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 17 percent of youth (6-17 years) experience a mental health disorder, and millions of people experience a disorder on a varying part of the spectrum on a regular basis.
My husband and I have been on a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” kick during our exciting #StayHome adventures during the pandemic. As Commander Data continued to explore his humanity, he found himself experiencing his first real emotion: anger. Counselor Deanna Troi tried to help him uncover clarity by saying that we attach positive and negative emotions to feelings instead of just letting them just be how they are.
I will be 100 percent transparent here: my emotions affect everything I do and always have. So, to hear this affirmation (after hearing my husband tell me this for years) caused me to think about how to just feel how I feel -- even when a mental health crisis hits.
Throughout my pregnancy, I have been tracking my son’s growth by using a couple of baby-oriented apps. BabyCenter released an interactive graphic that shows expectant moms 31 ways you can help your mental health during May.
Being pregnant has thrown my mental health for a loop at times, but these tips will help you, no matter what you are experiencing in your life currently:
Set your goals
I know this sounds like common sense, but take an hour (or however long it takes) to spend some time with your goals for each month. I have been outlining my personal and professional one-year and three-year goals and what it will take each month to get there. As a perfectionist, I love to-do lists and master plans, but there are times that you have to let items on your list go. Do your most pressing items, but don’t worry if you can’t get to everything. I have really had to learn this as my pregnancy progresses and priorities change over time, but it’s a VERY imperfect process. (For example, here is how the first trimester affects you in ways you didn’t expect, as written in my most recent Harness Magazine article.
Edit your social media
Many of us have used social media for at least a decade, and burnout is a real thing. Plus, it’s easy to fall into FOMO black holes and depression based on someone else’s Instagram feed and overall life. Don’t be afraid to edit your social media! If something triggers you, unfollow an account or at least mute it or hide it from your feed. While life isn’t always rainbows and unicorns, your social media feed should not give you incessant anxiety and depression. Follow accounts and people that resonate with you and add a more positive spin to your daily life. And it’s OK to follow an account for a season and then find out that you have outgrown that interest or already used that inspiration for a project. I began to edit my social media on a semi-regular basis about a year ago, and I have toned down personal posts. Plus, I do not plan to put my son on social media because it’s what we feel if right for him and our family. It’s OK to make those kinds of choices!
Journal + do a brain dump
This is very strange, but I don’t write in my journal as much as I used to. I firmly believe it helps you with your mental health, but I don’t always practice what I preach. Last month, I wrote so much more, but in May, that priority fell by the wayside. I think when you’re working on your mental health, you sometimes get exhausted by introspection and revelations. So, you feel like you have to take a break from your own mind. I definitely understand that sentiment! But, writing allows me to unleash all of the inner turmoil I don’t even know I have and figure out my life’s most evasive questions. If you feel like you can’t write, then do a brain dump. Write about what is making you anxious/depressed, all of the things you still need to do, what you are thankful for, etc. It can be more stream of consciousness. From chaos comes clarity.
Care for your body
When we’re in the midst of a stressful time (especially during stay-at-home orders) it’s so challenging to take care of ourselves. We want to eat whatever we want, and we don’t get as much exercise because everything has been closed. No matter your circumstance, make small decisions that will impact your body in big ways. Drink more water, choose something healthy instead of that unhealthy craving (not easy when pregnant -- and I tend to fall off the wagon a lot), practice a self-care ritual, do yoga from home. Do whatever will help you ease the burdens of your stress.
Connect with others
When I am anxious or depressed, I retreat into myself. It’s challenging for me to outreach to other people, even those close to me. I am an introvert, but I do need some human connection to feel better, even when I want to sleep the days away. I close myself off to protect myself and to not feel like a burden to others. That does not help! Don’t be afraid to call a loved one, schedule a FaceTime chat with your friend, ask your significant other for some quality time to just talk, go to a virtual therapy appointment, have a virtual work meeting instead of an email strand, etc. Do what works for you and will help you arise from your mental health slump. Often, people can help you work out your issues without even knowing it -- just by being that shoulder to cry on or that eternal listening ear.
Please note: These blog posts are not clinical, although we will provide symptoms and other information. These posts are based on my experiences with anxiety and mental health in general. If you or someone you know needs help, visit a website like Mental Health America to learn more.
Mental Health Moments blog posts are every other Tuesday of the month. Our CEO and contributors highlight what it's like to live with a mental health disorder and continue to fight the stigma through storytelling.
Kaylin R. Staten, APR, is an award-winning, accredited public relations practitioner and writer based in Huntington, WV with 18 years of professional communications experience. As CEO and founder of Hourglass Media, she uses her compassionate spirit and expertise to delve into the heart of clients’ stories. She is a recovering perfectionist, mental health advocate, wife, Luke’s mom, cat mom, and Leia Organa aficionado. Connect with Kaylin on LinkedIn.