Mental Health Awareness Month 2023

Practice journaling. Ask yourself difficult questions and use the space to clarify your feelings, your path, your purpose.

Having a positive and loving relationship with yourself is so important. It's the foundation upon which all other relationships are built. If loving relationships were not modeled by your parents in childhood, you must learn how to be a caring parent to yourself. It's not an easy task, but it can be done!

If you're experiencing a difficult emotion or a particularly stressful situation, a dose of self-compassion may help. Think about what you might say to a friend or loved one (or even your beloved pet) if they were in a similar situation and then offer the same words to yourself.

An hour of self-care a week can greatly increase our capacity to connect with those we care about, and enable ourselves to carryout our daily activities without burning out. Take the time to prioritize your own well-being so that you can be together with the people who matter to you without stress looming.

Think small! Small changes that are maintained over time are impactful and more likely to stick.  Identify a very small behavior you want to change. For example, saying a pre-determined phrase, like "whoops, I will try again" to yourself when you make a mistake, or giving yourself 2 minutes to stretch before you start your work day. Don't go for too much, make sure the behavior is offered as a gift and not a punishment, and allow room for forgetting, change is bumpy. Offering yourself the gift of a small change builds confidence and self respect. 

Take advantage of the nicer weather to get up and move. A little physical activity is better than no activity.

To decrease racing thoughts at bedtime, try to stay away from devices at least 30 minutes before bed. It's also important to give your thoughts time to "breathe" throughout the day, so they don't come popping in for the first time when you're trying to go to sleep.