Mental Health Awareness Month Blog

May is mental health awareness month! My favorite. I am very passionate about this topic. So in honor of it, here are 6 reminders from a mental health therapist:

1. Mental health is made up of so much more than your psychology/biology.

It's also shaped by your environment, what you’ve been through, how you grew up, any trauma you’ve experienced, your attachment to caregivers, and who you surround yourself with. It's also related to your hormone health, gut health, and brain health. It’s how you do or don’t take care of yourself, your physical health, how much sleep you get, the substances you use or don’t use, vitamin deficiency’s, the food you eat, and beyond. When you get proper nutrition, movement, and sleep your ability to manage stress, regulate emotions, focus, and learn improves. It also makes your mood more regulated and provides you with better energy.

So talking about what you are going through in therapy is extremely important, and you also need to be looking at all these other facets. The way you take care of your body, mind, and soul will impact how you feel. And it’s a good reminder you have more control than you think.

2. Diagnoses are important, but let’s get to the root cause.

A diagnosis can be very validating, informative, and important. I also want to shed light on diagnoses that are labels for a set of symptoms that you actually developed over time to cope and keep you safe from what you’ve experienced. So it’s important to look at the root cause. For example, anxiety can sometimes be a trauma response and now your nervous system is just on heightened arousal even though you are no longer unsafe or in danger. So if you were to look at anxiety as something to just medicate and be done with, you wouldn’t give yourself the chance to understand it and its triggers and why it was developed, which means you couldn’t really fully learn to manage it. 

3. Prioritizing self-care is not a luxury, it’s essential. 

Self-care is an important part of taking care of your mental health. Look at it the way you would if you were physically sick. If you had the flu you would 100% be resting, hydrating, and sleeping. Bring that to your daily life. Make sure to prioritize rest and care for yourself. Give yourself the proper consideration you give others. Listen to your body and attend to your emotional needs. Say no and set boundaries when you need. Regular self-care is key for your mental health.

4. More people struggle than you know.

You really are not alone if you are struggling with your mental health. The world we live in is full of stressors and many people are having a hard time. The next time you are having trouble, reach out to a loved one and share what you are experiencing. We’re meant to heal in connection to others. Bottling it up makes you feel worse and your body can only suppress it for so long. It will get worse if you do not address it.

5. You have more control than you think.

When we struggle, go through trauma, or when we feel anxious, we feel out of control. While there are things we need to accept that are out of our control, there is actually a lot more in your control you think. An exercise for you to try: take time to write both down. Make a list of what’s in vs out of your control. Some examples of what’s in your control - how you respond to people, how you take care of yourself, what you do with your time, how you show up in the world, what you spend your time doing and looking at, the support you surround yourself with, and so on. Empower yourself with this list. And remember to accept and let go of a few that are out of your control. 

6. You deserve to have support and it’s easier than you think to get.

While there are barriers like insurance, financial costs, time, etc; getting help is easier than you think. There are so many therapists out there (if you are on the search and need help on where to look and what to ask read my last blog). Besides therapy there are psychiatrists, coaches, support groups, community memberships, exercise classes, mentors. Find yourself the support you need. Go to therapy, ask for help, put your mental health first today.

If you would like to take that step to start therapy, I would be happy to set up a free 15 minute phone consultation to see if it’s a good fit!

 Email alyssakushnerlcsw@gmail.com or schedule a free 15 min phone call. Follow my instagram page for more learning, tools, and inspiration.