Mental Health Care
The first things that come to mind when you think about mental health care are likely therapy and medication.
And that’s a good thing because the evidence suggests that both of those options—especially in combination—can have a positive impact on your mental well-being.
But therapy and medication are not the only things that can provide a boost to your mental health. Not by a longshot.
Let’s look at three things you might not immediately think of in relation to mental health care but that can nevertheless have a positive effect.
Less Clutter Can Mean Less Stress
You have decided to wear your favorite shirt to an important meeting. If you are being honest, it isn’t just your favorite shirt. It’s your lucky shirt. And this is the sort of meeting where a little luck wouldn’t hurt one bit.
You thought you knew where the shirt was. But it turns out, you don’t. It’s not hanging in the closet. It isn’t draped over the exercise bike. It isn’t in the hamper or in the pile of clean but unfolded laundry.
Your meeting is fast approaching—and your stress level is on the rise.
We have all had this experience or one like it. When our living, working, or sleeping spaces are cluttered, we are likely to experience more stress. Reducing that stress by straightening up supports good mental health.
Also, decluttering can be a great way to get restarted when you feel overwhelmed or stuck. Tackling a cleaning project—even a small one like recycling all the junk mail that has piled up—gives you a quick win. It might be just the thing you need to remind yourself that you can, in fact, move projects forward rather than letting them stress you out.
Getting Outside Means Getting Mental Health Benefits
We all know that getting more exercise is good for our physical health. But it can be easy to forget that exercise also supports your mental health. When your body feels good, there’s a good chance your mind will, too. Some of that benefit is from the chemicals released in the brain when you engage in physical activity, and some of it is from the overall feelings of well-being you can experience when you take care of your body.
Getting outside also gives your body the chance to soak up some sun (don’t forget the sunscreen!), which provides essential Vitamin D—a key vitamin for supporting your mood. Getting Vitamin D from sunlight offers more benefits than taking supplements, and you get to enjoy some time in the great outdoors.
Your Inner Coach Should Be Rooting for You
Do you ever catch your inner voice criticizing you? You almost certainly do.
We have a tendency to think negatively about ourselves, and the more we do it, the more those thoughts seem to define us. Over time, that ongoing negativity can have a significant negative impact on our mental health.
As a result, it is important to change the way we talk to ourselves about ourselves and about our circumstances. There are a number of ways to start making this important change.
For example, you might decide to engage with daily affirmations or inspiring quotes as a way to inject some positivity into your self-talk. Or you might take up mindfulness practice in order to learn to focus more fully on the present and less on the mistakes of the past or your worries about the future. You might start a gratitude journal in which you write down a few things you are thankful for each day. You could use that journal as a place to jot down things you have accomplished each day as well. Reminding yourself of what you have done well can shift the focus on your self-talk from negative to positive.
The goal here is to shift your internal coaching style from the kind of coach who tears you down to the kind of coach who builds you up.
But Don’t Forget About Therapy & Medication
At Johnstown Heights Behavioral Health in Johnstown, CO, we offer compassionate, evidence-based care for those struggling with mental health disorders. We are committed to meeting you where you are and to crafting personalized care plans that meet your specific needs. Our team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, medical doctors, nursing staff, therapists, and mental health technicians—all of whom share our commitment to helping you build and maintain your mental well-being.
