February 5, 2012

Good Mental Health is a Serious Matter

August 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Institute of Mental Health 5, Nov 06
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Physical exercise is always talked about by doctors and others in the medical field. It’s clear that it’s important, but mental health also matters. It doesn’t get talked about as much, though, and that’s unfortunate. It’s too easy for people to overlook the fact that they should take care of their mental health so that they’re able to stay sharp well into their golden years. It’s not just about staying sharp, either. It’s also about staying happy. Stress can make you feel rundown and sad. It’s hard on your mind, and also takes a toll on your body. It’s best to keep it out of your life, but if you can’t avoid it there are ways to make it less of a problem. By doing that, you’ll be better able to keep your mind functioning well.
If you feel as though you’re having problems with your mental health, seeing someone can help you. Whether you see your family doctor to be tested for an actual medical problem, or whether you see a counselor to talk things out and look for some perspective in life, you should do something to help  yourself. Both physical and psychological causes can be present with mental health issues, so it’s important to sort out what’s causing you to feel poorly. Once you figure out the cause, you can start treating it so you can improve more quickly.
Some people with mental health issues wait a very long time before they seek treatment. By then, the behaviors and patterns that they’re experiencing have become so ingrained that they have a very difficult time breaking them, even with help. Don’t wait until you get to that point. The sooner you get assistance with your problem, the easier it will be to correct and the sooner you’ll start feeling better. You can get back to your old self again, but it may take some work. It’ll be worth it to feel good and get back into life the way you used to and the way you want to for your future.
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Filed Under: Mental Health Guidance Tagged With: , ,

Stress: How to Lower It in Your Life

August 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Day 18- Stress!
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Everyone deals with stress sometimes. There are situations that come up at work and at home where stress is impossible to avoid. Some people react much more strongly to that stress than others do. For example, some people have anxiety problems and panic attacks, which increase when they are placed under physical and/or mental stress. Other people shrug and laugh and just let things roll right off of them. Most people are in the middle of the spectrum. They get stressed out, but then they get over it without panicking or developing anxiety problems. Even for these people, the long-term effects of stress on their body can be harmful.
Since you can’t completely eliminate the stress in your life, it’s important that you learn ways to lower it and get through it faster so you can let it go. One of the best ways to do that is through deep breathing. Most people don’t breathe the right way, but they don’t realize it. No one ever taught them to breathe properly, so they struggle with stress and anxiety that they wouldn’t have if they were breathing correctly. Breathing should come from the diaphragm, not the top of the lungs. If your chest is rising and falling as you breathe, that’s too shallow. Your belly should actually be the area to rise and fall. That gets the air deeper into your lungs and helps you to feel more relaxed.
By breathing the right way – slowly and deeply from the diaphragm – it’s nearly impossible to panic or experience any kind of severe anxiety. It can help an anxiety attack go away, or prevent one from happening. It can also help a person feel less stressed out over big things and small things in life. Keeping control of your stress levels will be easier if you remember to breathe. It takes some practice, but once you’ve gotten into the habit you’ll automatically breathe the right way. Give it a try, and see how it quickly and efficiently lowers your level of stress, no matter what the situation.
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Filed Under: Mental Health Guidance Tagged With: , , ,

Standing up to an Eating Disorder

August 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Basic overview of energy and human life (See a...
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You have become an obsession! Obsession; one of those words thrown around in our society most often referring to fetishes like shopping addictions or relationships gone wrong. But you are embedded in my very being and I can’t live like this anymore. The level and frequency with which my daily effort, my mental and physical energy, and all my time spent harping and wrestling with and against you, has reached a degree of fixation.

You are distressing, obnoxious, and intrusive. It started out as the most self-destructive form of idolatry but I don’t believe in you anymore. You are not my friend, my savior or my quick fix. You have evolved into my enemy because you make me ashamed, regretful, and submissive. Therefore, I don’t even recognize myself anymore.

I find myself, instead, hiding thoughts and behaviors, and thereby rationalizing my routine to myself, often because I fear lying to myself.  You sick, self-destructive, manipulator, you have taken hold and now there are dueling voices in my head concerning you.  Do I eat, overeat, purge, hide, lie or do I make excuses, act out a fear or isolate? You have mediated an unhealthy relationship with something that I used to be fond of. You gained my trust in the beginning and then you tried to destroy me.

You are overwhelming and proud.  You cause me inner frustration and a sense of helplessness and fear. This fear continues to manifest itself in too many ways to count. Fearing that with every new second, this body of mine will once again remind me that it is a part of me, part of the holistic representation of me, and needs something from me. I don’t want to struggle with my temple, but you have caused this strain.

I want to let YOU go. You have had enough practice, polishing your conventions and tracking your success. You don’t think I can compete with you, but I can. I refuse to be bullied into a life that isn’t mine anymore. I want it back. Letting you go is my new obsession.

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Seeking Therapy

August 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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One of the wisest things you can do in a lifetime is admit when you need help. Whether this help is in the form of clinical treatment, medication, or simply assistance managing one arena in your life, the decision to seek outside aid might just be what you need. When life throws us seemingly insurmountable obstacles, for which there seems no escape, we often find ourselves at a loss. Even if we talk about it with those we trust, there often times are more resources we feel we should explore.

Tapping into our own struggles allows us to be honest with ourselves and our limitations. To have limitations is to be human but we can maximize the benefits of confronting our own in order to be better equipped to handle the hard times. Seeking therapy may be a difficult venture because we should be aware of why we are doing it in the first place. It’s often said that those unwilling to face the truth about ourselves, our addictions, our afflictions, and our need for help will not prosper from psychological, psychiatric or group treatment.

Therefore, before entering either outpatient or inpatient treatment in the form of therapy, one must be willing to accept that there is a problem to be addressed. Once this acceptance is in place, the long term chances of recovery or progress are more promising. If treatment is imposed upon a suffering individual, depending on the disorder involved, the prognosis may vary. It’s important to consult licensed professionals about what terms of treatment are most constructive before undergoing any structured or prescribed therapeutic activity.

We cannot always see clearly what will contribute to the betterment of our mental and physical health. We can only expect so much of ourselves especially if we have endured stress or trauma that is powerful enough to cloud our own perspective on how to manage our lives most healthfully and effectively. So seeking therapy or other treatment can be one of the healthiest moves we make to help us be more present for both our own lives and for those whom we care about.

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