When I was a child, some adults - a large majority around me actually! - would never accept to discuss what we now call "mental health". "Seeing someone" was a shame and a clear sign that the person in need of a mental health specialist was a failure. Anyone seeking help was considered a person "with issues". That time wasn't long ago... I am so grateful we now live in a world in which addressing mental health is positive and celebrated!
Just like we have a physical health, we have a mental health, and I will also add a 'soul' health (that would include a personal form of spirituality - not necessarily religious -, our sense of connection to others, our sense of purpose and direction in life).
Those 3 aspects of our health are connected:
e.g.: negative thoughts can make us feel unhopeful and physically weak; an illness can affect our emotions and our sense of connections to others; adopting a healthy diet can lift our mood; etc.
Mind - Body - Soul are one system. Here are a few suggestions you can explore in order to support your Mental Health:
- Go through a self check-in with those 3 questions:
How am I physically and mentally today?
What does my soul need today?
What do I wish for myself?
It is a simple and effective way to step back and take time to express yourself. We do it quite naturally around friends and family but when life gets busy, we can easily and up with no one mentally, emotionally and/ or physically (e.g. by being present in person or on the phone) available around us.
Note that it matters more to ask yourself those questions than to thoroughly answer them, because the human brain loves questions. It's like a game: we ask a question, and our brain will naturally start looking for possible answers - sometimes without us being aware of it, in the background. So if you don't know how you feel, if you don't really have a direction or a wish for yourself, that's ok: you are currently someone with questions, not answers, and you can trust that you will get those answers.
- Have you heard of the gut - brain axis? Chemicals in the gut can largely shape the brain development, and what you eat and how you treat your digestive system can have a significant impact on your mental health.
What about trying breathing exercises activating the stomach area?
What would you like to improve or change in your diet? it might not be about weight management or detox: maybe you need more colours in your plate, or foods that inspire you, cooking more at home or on the contrary eating out more often, etc.?
What about consulting your GP for a check-up, or a nutritionist?
- Test mind - body activities/ mind - body - soul activities such as meditation, breathing techniques, hypnotherapy, tai-chi, acupuncture, yoga, etc. Maybe one of those activities will resonate with you and support some of your goals.
- Explore your spirituality (this is not necessarily about religion):
Spirituality here would encompass our need to step back in life and see the bigger picture, our need to cultivate hope, to connect with others - directly (community activities, volunteering), or indirectly through art and places of knowledge (museums, books, historical places, debating ideas, etc.). There is the idea here of meeting others in order to meet yourself fully.
#confiself_#mentalhealth#beyou#mindbodysoul
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