Your Mental Health is as Important as your Physical Health
Mental health is often in the news.
The concern is that although mental health is just as important as physical health, many feel they don't need to seek medical help and should just soldier on regardless.
There are several questions you need to answer:
- Are you feeling anxious at this time?
- Are you not sleeping well?
- Are you feeling overwhelmed?
- Have you stopped enjoying those things or activities you normally love?
These questions can be signs of potential mental health issues
And it would be wise to be proactive when you start struggling with your mental wellbeing.
We share some of the actions you can take to help yourself, actions that do not require a doctor's appointment or medication.
Such actions can also reduce your chances of becoming physically ill.
How to help yourself
- By reframing any negative thoughts. Before you start to criticise yourself, think about what you would tell a friend in a similar situation. Invariably, you would treat them more compassionately that you do yourself.
- By connecting with others. Spending quality time with people improves your mental health - whether its online, on the phone or in person.
- By moving more. When you are active, this benefits your mind as well as your body. Walking, yoga, cycling, swimming - there are loads of options.
- By being more healthy. You really do know that a balanced diet, stopping smoking and drinking less alcohol all improve your mood.
- By releasing tension. Try this simple exercise by repeatedly squeezing, holding and then releasing your fists while breathing slowly for thirty seconds. You will find that this will ease anxiety.
- By confronting sleeplessness. If you find that sleep evades you, get up and do something. It will take your mind off your worries and help to make you feel sleepy again so you can go back to bed. Adding a few drops of Sleep Aid Formula to the back of your neck will soon send you on your way to dreamtime once more.
- By being more mindful. Think about spending more time appreciating the present. As you have no control either over the past or the future, it makes more sense to concentrate on the present.
- By starting small. It is all too easy to take on a task that is going to prove overwhelming and difficult to start. Instead, break down the task you have to do into more manageable chunks - and then make sure to give yourself credit for completing each step along the way.
- By keeping a written record. Keeping a diary has two great benefits. One is that you are keeping a record of how you feel so that you can more easily identify what is making you anxious as well as what you need to do to manage it. And the other benefit is that you can write down what you need to do in a convenient list - and then check off each item or task as it is achieved.
- By taking a screen break. We all know that those convenient devices can sometimes add to our anxiety. Make the decision to have a break and instead, read a book, listen to a podcast or go out into nature for a real break.
- By doing something for yourself. This can be finding a new hobby to take up, to learn a new skill or to take some "me-time". All or any of these will be very helpful for your mental health.
Mental Awareness Week
The dates 15th to 21st May mark Mental Awareness Week. What better time to make and share those changes listed above to help you on your quest for better mental health.
This year's Mental Health Awareness Week is focusing on people's awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem.
This link will take you to our image gallery, showing images of the various symptoms that can be treated with our specific Healing Natural Oils products.
And this link will take you to our health articles covering all the conditions for which we have products.
SOURCES:
Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 | Mental Health Foundation
Mental Health America | Homepage | Mental Health America (mhanational.org)
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.