Self Help, Meditation, Journaling and more

As you go down the road of improving your mental health, you might come across the topic of nurturing your own mental health. This means you work on yourself and your mindset and do what you can each day to manage your own mental health. It doesn’t replace medications or seeking out therapy, but it can be used in conjunction with it. This all depends on you and what mental illnesses you struggle with.

Here are some ways you can start to nurture your own mental health.

Understand and Accept Where You Are Today

To nurture your mental health, it requires a level of acceptance. Not accepting that it will never get better, but just understanding where you are today at this moment. Get to a place where you aren’t constantly trying to get to the next level if it is berating who you are and where you are right now. 

This can apply to anything in your life, from your physical appearance to your habits, profession, personal relationships, and of course your mental health. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to constantly change and be better, and just find a place of acceptance.

Have Scheduled “Me” Time

Yes, we’re talking about self-care. Just because it has become a trending topic the last few years, doesn’t mean it isn’t important and valuable! Self-care is nothing more than your “me” time. Activities that you choose to do for your own happiness, contentment, health, and fulfillment. 

When thinking about self-care, don’t rely so much on what others choose to do. Self-care is a very personal thing, so the activities you choose to do during your “me time” might be completely different from someone else. It can be completing an art project, doing a puzzle, watching your favorite show, taking a nap, going for a walk, or taking a bath. There are no limits and no right or wrong way to do it.

Log Off and Find Relaxing Activities

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your own mental health is to log off. Turn the phone off, shut off the television and close your computer. It is not uncommon for social media and a constant flux of news and opinions to harm your mental health without realizing it. If you find that you get angry, sad, frustrated, or feel inferior when you log onto Instagram or Facebook, it’s time to take more breaks from it. Give your mind a break and focus on other activities.

Know When it’s Time to Let Go

Letting go can be difficult for adoptees, but it is often something you need to embrace in order to nurture your mental health. This can be letting go of people who tend to be a negative influence or just toxic in general, letting go of a job you hate that is causing more anxiety, letting go of habits that are no longer serving you. 

Please follow the link and watch the video  to take your free tests. These tests will help you identify your type of anxiety disorder as well as whether you have a stress disorder or co-occurring disorder such as OCD.

Like adoption, anxiety is something that only people with anxiety can truly understand. This makes it really hard for others to empathize with you, because they have not experienced it themselves. It also means a lot of common misconceptions get thrown around. Here are some things that are often said about anxiety that are simply not true. It helps to understand them when you are on the path to improving your own mental health, or you know someone else struggling with anxiety.

Anxiety is Just Worrying Too Much

Anxiety and worry can often happen at the same time, but they are not the same thing. Having anxiety is NOT just being worried about something and definitely not something you can just will away by “not worrying as much”. Being worried about something and having anxiety are not the same thing, though you can definitely experience both simultaneously. 

You Can “Get Over” Anxiety

Anxiety is a mental illness, just like depression and bipolar disorder. While there are many different facets of anxiety disorders, and not everyone needs professional help for anxiety, it is not something you can just get rid of by thinking positively or going for a run. 

This is also a bit of a gray area, since it is possible to reduce the effects of anxiety or reduce panic attacks with daily routines, therapy, medication, and many other treatments. But that doesn’t mean you cure your anxiety or get rid of it completely.

Anxiety Isn’t a Serious Mental Illness

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety is the most common mental illness people deal with in the U.S. It affects over 40 million adults in the U.S. alone, even though less than 40% of these people get treatment for it. 

Why is that? Because the general consensus is that it isn’t that serious. People assume anxiety is just stress or worrying or worse, they are just overreacting. But if you think you have anxiety, you should think about getting help for it. There are many different forms, each with different effects on your mind and body. 

Avoidance is the Answer

You can’t avoid anxiety and hope it will get better on its own, just like you can’t avoid stress, depression, PTSD, or any other mental health issue you are facing. Just pretending your anxiety doesn’t exist is only going to exacerbate it because you aren’t learning coping techniques for dealing with anxiety attacks.

If you want a detailed blueprint on how to finally deal with your anxiety the book “Anxiety Rx”: A New Prescription for Anxiety Relief from the Doctor Who Created It by Russel Kennedy is a must read.