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mindfulness

Managing Your Mental Health

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Taking Care of YOU

There are many facets to taking care of yourself. One of the most challenging aspects of our health is our mental health. Mental health is not something that is normally taught to children. We are told we need to exercise and eat healthily but how many times were we told how to handle our thoughts and mental health? Not many. We just go through life trying to navigate the countless thoughts and feelings we have, and most of the time we are hesitant to talk about them.  Why do we do this? It’s ok to talk about what you are feeling and your mental health is nothing to be ashamed of. Recognizing, accepting and doing what YOU need to do to be happy and in a positive headspace, is part of taking care of your mental health. Taking care of YOU matters.

Social Media & Mental Health

Social media is a huge contributor to the state of one’s mental health. I (Jess) deleted my Facebook more than a year ago and it alleviated so much social anxiety. I developed a love/hate relationship with social media but always felt like I “had” to keep it in order to stay in touch with people, stay up to date and to even stay relevant. It sounds silly in hindsight, but its the truth. It was hard at first but as time passed, I started to live more in the present moment instead of mindlessly scrolling. Ask yourself, ” How many of these people on my timeline TRULY care about me?” Why do we feel such a strong need to comment and like people’s pictures like we haven’t seen or physically spoke within years or maybe ever? Just because you used to know someone, doesn’t mean you still do. If social media for any reason causes you anxiety, sadness or feelings of inadequacy- take a break from it.  In my personal journey, I learned so much about myself once I disconnected from the toxicity of Facebook. I don’t know if I will ever go back to FB, but I’m happy and that’s all that matters to me right now.

Key Reminders:

  • Unfollow negative people or pages that make you feel down on yourself. 
  • Allow time to “disconnect” or take a social media detox and be in the present moment.
  • Remember that not everything is as it appears online.
  • You have no obligation to stay in touch with people who don’t stay in touch with you.
  • “Likes” and the number of friends really means nothing at the end of the day. It’s quality over quantity, ALWAYS!
  • If it does not bring you joy then do you really need it?

Recognizing How You Feel

We all live such busy and fast-paced lives that sometimes we forgot to slow down and just breathe. Taking the time to evaluate how you feel and gauge the status of your mental health is so important. This is called being mindful. We feel different every day and accepting that you will have bad days allows you to be proactive and manage them better. Notice when you are feeling emotions that interrupt your day in a negative aspect. Take the time to evaluate why you feel the way you do and what triggered it. Having these mindful pauses will help you evaluate your body. You are allowed to feel whatever it is that you feel. Nothing is wrong with you because your mental health is not 100% 24/7. No one is perfect and no one has the right to make you feel ashamed for feeling the way you do. Take notice of people who drain you of your energy. Pay attention to who is and isn’t there for you in a time of need. Recognize how you feel and what promotes a positive headspace. You are in control of your happiness and if you need to make a drastic change for the sake of your mental health and well being.. then do it and don’t worry about who might have something to say about it.

Key Reminders:

  • Take time for yourself to do the things that make you happy.
  • Remove toxic people and end toxic relationships (with friends, family, colleagues, etc).
  • Remind yourself of all the things/people/experiences you are thankful for.
  • Confide in someone that you trust and that won’t judge you. Find a positive outlet.
  • Learn to be okay with being alone sometimes.
  • Trust your gut feeling. 
  • Love yourself and let go of expectations and the need for acceptance from others.

Mindfulness

I (Ray) am required to be trained and teach Dynamic Mindfulness in the classroom to my students. We use these skills in order to teach them how to manage their stress, self-awareness, and self-regulation. The techniques are there for you to focus on your breathing as well as connecting your breath to movement and being in the moment. Dynamic Mindfulness has been proven to improve school and classroom climate as well as the well being and health of the students. All of these techniques and skills can be adapted to fit your everyday life and that is what we teach our students. The techniques we use can be done by anyone just about anywhere. We encourage them to use these skills whenever needed and hope they carry them into adulthood.

Take A Moment

Taking time for yourself and your mental health is not selfish. You are important! Taking time to be aware of the now, will help you realize what may be good for you and the things that are harmful to your mental health. Be mindful of your mental health and reach out to a professional for help. You never have to go through anything alone. Help is out there and we will happily lead you in the right place to better your mental health. We both have family members who suffer from depression, schizophrenia, bipolar and anxiety. We understand the havoc depression and anxiety can have on your life. You’re not alone – even if at times it might feel like it.

You are allowed to have bad days but you don’t have to go through them alone!

Please share how you deal with episodes of depression or what you have done/changed to better your mental health!

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How To Shake A Bad Day

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Bad Days Suuuuuccccck

Do you ever feel like you’ve not only had a bad day but a bad week? I hate that shit. One thing turns into another and it fucks up your day. Then, that thing rolls into the next day which puts a damper on that day too. Bad days suck! But what do you do about it? How do you shake them? I would love to share some things I do, but I would also love to hear what you do to get back in the groove of things. No one deserves a bad day.

 

What To Do With A Bad Day

1. Focus on YOU!- Take some time to focus on you. Whether that be going on a run or privately reading or writing in your journal. Relax your mind and your environment and let your thoughts unfold. Finding peace with yourself helps everything else fall in place. 

2. Go somewhere that makes you happy- Changing your environment can do so much for your well being. Go to your favorite coffee shop, yoga studio, park, or wherever makes you happy.  Usually, your happy place has happy people in it which will brighten your mood. 

3. Do something mindfully- You can do just about anything mindfully. Take the time to mindfully think about everything you are physically doing. How deep your breathing, how the air feels on your skin, the smells and sounds around you and so forth. Mindfulness helps focus your attention on the present moment and accepting it without any judgment. It is proven to help stress and improve happiness. 

4. Vent- Sometimes just telling someone ( that you trust) what is going on can make all the difference. They may be able to see something you missed or can explain something better to you. Just having a reliable nonjudgmental ear can make your day so much better. 

5. Gardening- For me, there is just something so majestic about getting my hands in the dirt to make new life grow. This is the time I take to be one with nature. Repotting plants or watering the grass by myself brings me happiness and a sense of mindfulness knowing that I am helping things around me grow. It is a calming sense whenever I reconnect with nature.

6. Guided Meditation- There are so many cool apps, but I think one that everyone needs to have is Headspace. Headspace is an app that provides guided meditation, thoughtful reminders, and other tips to help you be a better you. 

7. Exercise- Doing some type of workout helps pass time and makes you feel amazing. During this process, you’re working on bettering yourself physically, emotionally, and so many other ways. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in the body that makes you feel great. 

8. Yoga- Specifically yoga! I have gone to yoga in the worse mood and for some reason, the instructor always knows exactly what to say that resonates with me at just the right time. And I think that’s exactly how yoga is supposed to work. You also get to set your own intention for your practice which is perfect when trying to change your mood. Recently, I have had the ultimate release during yoga that involved crying and it just felt so perfect and exonerating. It was exactly what I needed! 

9. Confrontation- Confrontation doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it simply starts a conversation. And if you’re able to confront whatever puts you in a bad mood, it may make you feel better or give you more understanding. Of course, try to do this in the right, nicest way possible so it doesn’t backfire on you.  

10. Positive light- Be around someone who you see as a positive light. That can be a bestie, niece or nephew, or just a friend or coworker who makes you laugh. Kids and babies always put a smile on my face, so a visit to a family member is the perfect prescription for a bad day. 

Turn Your Frown Upside down

Of course, these aren’t the only ways to fix your bad day but these are a few of my go-to’s. Know that every day is a new day and don’t let one bad day turn into another. When you wake up, look at it as a fresh start to a new day that has a clean slate. Remember to forgive, don’t live with a grudge or a heavy heart. You don’t get today back so live it being happy and give the bird to your bad days. 

What Do You Do With A Bad Day?

Please, share how you handle a bad day. Feel free to try these tips and share with us if they helped you at all. Wishing you all the best days in the world!!!

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