Life can get busy, and each person has things going on that others will never understand. While each of us is on a unique journey in life, we can all relate to one another because we all experience the same emotions such as joy, sadness, anger, fear, and many more feelings. Balancing work, family, health, and life’s overall busyness can get in the way of making mental health a priority. People will go to the doctor if their elbow hurts but are much more hesitant to seek help when they feel depressed, sad, overwhelmed, or anxious. Mental health should be just as much a priority as any other part of the healthcare system. There are things we can do to help support our mental health by taking time to acknowledging its importance in our overall wellness.

Also see our blog about Drugs to Health Mental Functioning
 
Simple things such as meditation, exercise, journaling, and self-care can help support our mental well-being. Reminding ourselves about the things in our control such as our words, who we spend time with, how we say things, and our boundaries with others can help reduce stress in our everyday lives. Another important thing we can do to help support our mental well-being is remind ourselves about the things outside of our control such as other’s opinions, what other people say, the weather, traffic, and more. By being aware of the things in and out of our control we can focus on how we have the power to control our attitude and responses in life to different situations. Understanding what is in our control and out of our control can be empowering and reduce stress in our daily lives.
           
Other important things we can do to support out mental well-being is taking time to ourselves and doing things that relax us and make us happy. If an activity such as painting relaxes you then carve out time in your schedule to take time to yourself to do that activity. While it is great to find activities that relax us and can reduce stress in our lives it is not emphasized enough in society to seek help with mental health when we need it. Asking for support can be seen as a weakness in society, but it is a very strong thing someone can do to take the time to seek support with their mental health. Seeking help with mental health should be a priority and it is important to remind people that they should always be empowered to do so.
 
Here are additional references and resources:
 
https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/tools-resources/individuals/index.htm
 
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/habits?gclid=CjwKCAjwqauVBhBGEiwAXOepkV91O4snpPD617RZV3rpZJtHYGhH1Hc6b0484oJL4new-9UJBHIeehoCb4oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds