January is National Mental Wellness Month

It’s the beginning of a new year and many of us have resolutions or goals that we hope to achieve. Many times, we are focused on dieting, exercising, and decreasing screen time.  One aspect that we tend to forget about is our overall mental well being. According to the CDC, poor mental health can increase the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

January is National Mental Wellness Month and it is just as important to care for our mental wellness as we do our physical health. Here are some simple ways to improve your mental wellness:

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

It has been shown that exercise can improve attention, focus, memory, cognition, language fluency, and decision-making. When we exercise, we release endorphins which improves our overall mood and over time can decrease stress factors. It can be something as simple as walking 30-60 minutes a day.

MINDFULNESS

Often, we find mindfulness to be a very daunting and a vague phrase, but it is much simpler than we realize. A simple act of mindfulness (living in the present moment) could be taking a few minutes to take a mental scan of your body paying attention to how each part is feeling in that particular moment.  It can be as simple as focusing on your breathing or paying real attention to what you can see, hear, feel, smell, and taste. Many find practicing yoga as a way to incorporate physical activity with mindfulness and again can be a simple 30 minute practice.

GRATITUDE

The holidays are a perfect time to reflect on everything we are grateful for, but incorporating this practice into our daily life helps to cope with stress. This can be as simple as writing in a daily gratitude journal or writing a letter to someone you are thankful for.

LEARN A NEW SKILL

In the era of television, social media, and constant content, it can be easy to get caught up in the absorption while losing out on exploring and learning. Another way to improve mental wellness is to learn a new skill like trying a new recipe, learning to jump rope, or learning a new language.

NURTURING FRIENDSHIPS

Our friends are such an important part of our mental health so nurturing those relationships is so important.  Friends create a sense of belonging, provide emotional support and can offer prospective.  Laughter is the best medicine and friends are the best at helping us laugh and reduce stress!

SEEK HELP

Sometimes you may just need help and that is OK.  If it has gotten to the point that how you are feeling is effecting your ability to work, study or preventing you from being with others, reach out to your physician or a mental health professional.

Just working on one of these aspects a day can make a huge difference in your overall mental wellness which will only benefit your physical health as well.  For local resources for help please see a list below.