Monday May 17, 2010 Column


Since 1949, Mental Health America, the nation’s largest and oldest community-based network (http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/) has set aside the month of May as Mental Health Month. I think it’s important to have a “mental health month,” because it seems we have a month for everything else, and what could be more important than keeping ourselves mentally fit?   This year, the theme is “Live Your Life Well,” to challenge us to promote health and wellness in homes, communities, and schools, and also to inform those who don't believe it's attainable.  Every day, of course we’re all affected by a myriad of challenges, stresses and demands on our lives. The good news is there are tested and effective tools that are readily available and free that we can use to help us cope better and improve our well-being. Mental Health America is encouraging us all to use the tools in their Live Your Life Well campaign.  They’ve specially designed a valuable website (http://www.liveyourlifewell.org/) to offer coping skills for stress and to help us create more of the life we all want.  On the site there are proven methods that can help us feel stronger and more hopeful, so I thought it would be a good idea to share some of them with you to consider as we celebrate Mental Health Month:

• Connect with Others.  Mental Health America found that 71 percent of people surveyed turned to friends or family in times of stress. Of course, we humans are social animals and we crave feeling supported, valued and connected.  Research indicates the benefits of social connection pointing out increased happiness. In one compelling study, a key difference between very happy people and less-happy people was good relationships. Also, better health and longer life are benefits because loneliness was associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure in a recent study of older people. People with strong social and community ties were two to three times less likely to die during a 9-year study.
• Stay Positive. Thinking negatively can drag down our moods, our actions and even our health. Experts say it's worthwhile, and possible, to learn how to think more positively.  Consider what researchers found about the benefits of staying positive: people who were pessimistic had a nearly 20 percent higher risk of dying over a 30-year period than those who were optimistic.  People who kept track of their gratitude once a week were more upbeat and had fewer physical complaints than people who obsessively repeated negative thoughts and behaviors and were able to change their unhealthy patterns. The fascinating thing is that their brain activity actually changed too; proof that we can change our brain by changing what we think and do.
• Help Others. If you lug your elderly neighbor's groceries up her steps, clearly it's good for her, but its likely good for you too. Research indicates that those who consistently help other people experience less depression, greater calm, fewer pains and better health. They may even live longer. Don't feel like you have to make grand gestures or huge time commitments either. Sure, helping can mean serving food at Christian Services or The Rescue Mission every week,  but it also can mean simply calling a friend to see how she's doing, serving your spouse breakfast in bed, or letting a car in front of you on the highway. Have you ever thought that smiling at a stranger on the street, or holding the elevator door for your co-worker could make a tremendous difference in someone’s life?
• Take Care of Your Spirit. For many of us, being spiritual means observing rituals, studying texts and attending religious services, but for others, it's not at all about traditional structures or notions of God. You can think of spirituality as connecting to whatever you consider meaningful and holy. You can find it in God, in yourself, in other people, in nature, art, or in simple kindness. Whatever you focus on, spirituality offers many possible benefits, including better mood, less anxiety and depression, and even fewer aches and illnesses.  Consider what science has discovered about the benefits of spirituality. It’s been proven that people who meditate have increased activity in a "feel-good" area of the brain.  People with strong religious beliefs recovered faster from heart surgery than people with weaker faith and people who didn't attend religious services died significantly younger than those who attended more than once a week. Why the connection between spirituality and health? It seems spirituality cuts the stress that so often triggers disease.
• Get Professional Help If You Need It.  A mental health professional can help you:

·        come up with plans for solving problems

·        feel stronger in the face of challenges

·        change behaviors that hold you back

·        look at ways of thinking that affect how you feel

·        heal pains from your past

·        figure out your goals

·        build self-confidence

There’s many more thought provoking ideas available on this great web site, so I hope you’ll check it out and choose to celebrate Mental Health Month.