May is mental health awareness month and the obvious observance of mental health this month is how we treat, respect, and honor those impacted by mental illness. But, how is your mental health?
Does this sound like you… You’re overwhelmed at work. You have a ton of projects piling up at home, and your calendar is packed with family and friends coming to visit this summer. To make room for all of this stuff, you skip lunch, stop going to the gym or spending time in nature, and forget about your social life entirely. When we’re stressed, mental health hygiene (aka self care) is usually the first thing to go. And that only makes things worse. As fluffy and indulgent as the phrase “self care” may sound, it’s just a few basic habits that are crucial to your functioning and staying mentally well. Self care prevents “overload burnout.” We’ve all been there: you push yourself to a point that you can’t take anymore so you just give up. Self care helps you avoid getting to that point. Self care reduces the negative effects of stress. A small amount of stress can serve a purpose, but after a while, it just breaks down your mind and body. Taking care of yourself means keeping your stress from taking over so you can function at full capacity. Self care helps you perform better. When I was stuck on a complicated math problem in school, my teacher would suggest walking away and coming back— taking a break, basically. Breaks are the epitome of self care, and studies show they’re great for helping you perform better.
May is also the start of the busy season for Grand Marais as we welcome back the tourists and visitors to our community. In our “cool town” community we work long hours, seven days a week sometimes, and offer a variety of “ cool town” experiences to our guests. But, are there times when you find yourself losing your patience easily with others, visibly irritated when you can’t make that left turn onto Highway 61, or lack acceptance of others when they take too long in the checkout lane? These might be signs that your mental stamina and health is dwindling. As we approach our busy season here in Cook County, I encourage you to put yourself first on your to- do list, make time in your schedule for resting and getting away from the crowd, and remember a few easy habits to keep you mentally healthy: Make time to eat well and exercise, even if you’re busy . Protect your schedule. Friends and family come to town and we can find ourselves overextended in the hospitality department. Also consistently working 50- 60 hours a week makes a body stressed, irritable, and unfocused. Carve out time to take a walk, sit by the lake, or meditate. . Practice good emotional hygiene. Day to day living means dealing with stress, anxiety, sadness, and, for some of us, depression. As psychologist Guy Winch asks, “We brush and floss but what daily activity do we do to maintain our psychological health?” It sounds very touchy- feely, I know, but that’s sort of the point of emotional hygiene. You want to take time to deal with your feelings so you can control them and get back to work. Controlling them means acknowledging and understanding them. Therapy can be a beneficial means of caring for your mental health, when you aren’t as apt to make appointments with yourself for self care activities. . Plan for down time this summer. Enjoy the surge of energy in our small town. Remember to fill yourself up with a good mental health lifestyle of social time, quality rest, healthy foods, and exercise.
Each month a local mental health therapist will discuss an area of mental health. This week’s contributor is Sherri Moe, MS Psychotherapist.
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