September is recognized nationally as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month and it’s also Self-Care Awareness Month. These two ideas go hand-in-hand. Our mental health is a key piece to our overall wellness. In my opinion, we can’t truly be healthy if we aren’t taking care of our mental health.
Caring for our mental health can take many different forms depending on where we are on our journey of life. The main concern is that we must do something on a regular basis to clear the mind and nourish the brain. If you have read any of my articles in the past, I’ve explained how to properly nourish our cells which include brain cells. So let’s dive into ways to clear the mind.
Taking time out for yourself can be the most impactful thing you can do for your mental health. Me time, as it is called, is therapeutic. The problem is most of us either don’t know how to really make me time work or we simply don’t schedule it and forget to do it.
Me time is not watching television or playing on our phones by ourselves. Just because we are alone doesn’t make it me time. We need to think about ways to be alone that do not over-stimulate our minds. Think about the past, like before television. People would get done with their work day and then sit on the porch and watch nature.
Being in nature is one of the best ways to turn the mind off. We all know the feeling of putting our bare feet in the sand while listening to the waves crash on shore or walking down a trail in the woods listening to the birds and insects. Those are soothing sounds we need to help us relax. Sometimes being in a completely quiet place is not good for our mental health because we quickly start to wonder about all the stresses of our lives.
Journaling our thoughts can also be a great way to calm the mind. By putting our thoughts on paper we give our mind permission to let go of that information. We’ve stored it on paper so the hard drive in our head can erase it. Just like with a computer, the less you have stored up the better it will work.
When we put a time on our calendar for me time we are much more likely to actually take the time to care for ourselves. It sounds easy and it should be. If you are struggling with implementing the concept of caring for yourself, reach out to me at jerry@allinhealthandwellness.com and I can help you get on track.
Taking care of yourself allows you a better opportunity to take care of others.