What does it mean to be "mentally healthy"?
First, lets take a look at what being healthy means.
According to Merriam-Webster, healthy means:
2: showing physical, mental, or emotional well-being : evincing health
3: beneficial to one's physical, mental, or emotional state : conducive to health"
So, being mentally healthy is part of the definition of health. As a former teacher, nothing drives me crazier than having the word I'm defining show up in the definition. That tells me NOTHING!
When you're mentally healthy, you are better equipped to conquer whatever life throws at you. Your body does better when its healthy, so it would make sense that your mind will do better when its healthy, too.
Here are 4 tips for staying mentally healthy:
1. Be active; get outside. Your body creates hormones that are released when you're active. If you're able to be active outside, that's even better. The sun provides your body with Vitamin D which helps combat depression.
2. Check your diet. Diet is an important part of overall health. The saying is true: Garbage in, garbage out. You need to think of food as fuel, not just to live, but to live well. (The occasional Oreo cookies and milk binge is okay too.)
3. Do something that gives you pleasure. More than likely this will be something you're good at (because why would you intentionally do things you're not good at all the time??) Your body releases hormones when you do things that are pleasurable so that you will continue to do them.
4. Talk about how you are feeling. This will help you keep the dialogue open with others for those days when you're not feeling your best. Ask for help when you need it. Here at Lotus, we can help you work through your feelings. Your mental health is our business.
Until next time,
Laura