December 17, 2017 in Blog by Dee

Improving Emotional Health Strategies and Tips for Good Mental Health

By: Melinda Smith, Robert Segal and Dr. Jeanne Segal

People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their emotions and their behavior. They are able to handle life’s challenges, build strong relationships, and recover from setbacks. But just as it requires effort to build or maintain physical health, so it is with mental and emotional health. Improving your emotional health can be a rewarding experience, benefiting all aspects of your life, including boosting your mood, building resilience, and adding to your overall enjoyment of life.

What is mental health or emotional health?

Mental or emotional health refers to your overall psychological well-being. It includes the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships, and your ability to manage your feelings and deal with difficulties.

Good mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues. Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental and emotional health refers to the presence of positive characteristics. Similarly, not feeling bad is not the same as feeling good. While some people may not have negative feelings, they still need to do things that make them feel positive in order to achieve mental and emotional health.

People who are mentally and emotionally healthy have:

A sense of contentment.
A zest for living and the ability to laugh and have fun.
The ability to deal with stress and bounce back from adversity.
A sense of meaning and purpose, in both their activities and their relationships.
The flexibility to learn new things and adapt to change.
A balance between work and play, rest and activity, etc.
The ability to build and maintain fulfilling relationships.
Self-confidence and high self-esteem.

These positive characteristics of mental and emotional health allow you to participate in life to the fullest extent possible through productive, meaningful activities and strong relationships. These positive characteristics also help you cope when faced with life’s challenges and stresses.

The role of resilience in mental and emotional health:

Being emotionally and mentally healthy doesn’t mean never going through bad times or experiencing emotional problems. We all go through disappointments, loss, and change. And while these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress.

The difference is that people with good emotional health have an ability to bounce back from adversity, trauma, and stress. This ability is called resilience. People who are emotionally and mentally healthy have the tools for coping with difficult situations and maintaining a positive outlook. They remain focused, flexible, and creative in bad times as well as good.

One of the key factors in resilience is the ability to balance stress and your emotions. The capacity to recognize your emotions and express them appropriately helps you avoid getting stuck in depression, anxiety, or other negative mood states. Another key factor is having a strong support network. Having trusted people you can turn to for encouragement and support will boost your resilience in tough times.

Physical health is connected to mental and emotional health:

Ladies working out, taking care of your body is a powerful first step towards mental and emotional health. The mind and the body are linked. When you improve your physical health, you’ll automatically experience greater mental and emotional well-being. For example, exercise not only strengthens our heart and lungs, but also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals that energize us and lift our mood.

The activities you engage in and the daily choices you make affect the way you feel physically and emotionally.

Get enough rest. To have good mental and emotional health, it’s important to take care of your body. That includes getting enough sleep. Most people need seven to eight hours of sleep each night in order to function optimally.

Learn about good nutrition and practice it. The subject of nutrition is complicated and not always easy to put into practice. But the more you learn about what you eat and how it affects your energy and mood, the better you can feel.

Exercise to relieve stress and lift your mood. Exercise is a powerful antidote to stress, anxiety, and depression. Look for small ways to add activity to your day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going on a short walk. To get the most mental health benefits, aim for 30 minutes or more of exercise per day.

Get a dose of sunlight every day. Sunlight lifts your mood, so try to get at least 10 to 15 minutes of sun per day. This can be done while exercising, gardening, or socializing.

Limit alcohol and avoid cigarettes and other drugs. These are stimulants that may unnaturally make you feel good in the short term, but have long-term negative consequences for mood and emotional health.

Improve mental and emotional health by taking care of yourself:

In order to maintain and strengthen your mental and emotional health, it’s important to pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Don’t let stress and negative emotions build up. Try to maintain a balance between your daily responsibilities and the things you enjoy. If you take care of yourself, you’ll be better prepared to deal with challenges if and when they arise.

Taking care of yourself includes pursuing activities that naturally release endorphins and contribute to feeling good. In addition to physical exercise, endorphins are also naturally released when we:

Do things that positively impact others. Being useful to others and being valued for what you do can help build self-esteem.

Practice self-discipline. Self-control naturally leads to a sense of hopefulness and can help you overcome despair, helplessness, and other negative thoughts.

Learn or discover new things. Think of it as “intellectual candy.” Try taking an adult education class, join a book club, visit a museum, learn a new language, or simply travel somewhere new.

Enjoy the beauty of nature or art. Studies show that simply walking through a garden can lower blood pressure and reduce stress. The same goes for strolling through a park or an art gallery, hiking, admiring architecture, or sitting on a beach.

Manage your stress levels. Stress takes a heavy toll on mental and emotional health, so it’s important to keep it under control. While not all stressors can be avoided, stress management strategies can help you bring things back into balance.

Limit unhealthy mental habits like worrying. Try to avoid becoming absorbed by repetitive mental habits—negative thoughts about yourself and the world that suck up time, drain your energy, and trigger feelings of anxiety, fear, and depression.

More tips and strategies for taking care of yourself:

Appeal to your senses. Stay calm and energized by appealing to the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Listen to music that lifts your mood, place flowers where you will see and smell them, massage your hands and feet, or sip a warm drink.

Engage in meaningful, creative work. Do things that challenge your creativity and make you feel productive, whether or not you get paid for it—things like gardening, drawing, writing, playing an instrument, or building something in your workshop.

Get a pet. Yes, pets are a responsibility, but caring for one makes you feel needed and loved. There is no love quite as unconditional as the love a pet can give. Animals can also get you out of the house for exercise and expose you to new people and places.

Make leisure time a priority. Do things for no other reason than that it feels good to do them. Go to a funny movie, take a walk on the beach, listen to music, read a good book, or talk to a friend. Doing things just because they are fun is no indulgence. Play is an emotional and mental health necessity.

Make time for contemplation and appreciation. Think about the things you’re grateful for. Mediate, pray, enjoy the sunset, or simply take a moment to pay attention to what is good, positive, and beautiful as you go about your day.

Everyone is different; not all things will be equally beneficial to all people. Some people feel better relaxing and slowing down while others need more activity and more excitement or stimulation to feel better. The important thing is to find activities that you enjoy and that give you a boost.

Supportive relationships: The foundation of emotional health:

No matter how much time you devote to improving your mental and emotional health, you will still need the company of others to feel and be your best. Humans are social creatures with an emotional need for relationships and positive connections to others. We’re not meant to survive, let alone thrive, in isolation. Our social brains crave companionship—even when experience has made us shy and distrustful of others.

Social interaction—specifically talking to someone else about your problems—can also help to reduce stress. The key is to find a supportive relationship with someone who is a “good listener”—someone you can talk to regularly, preferably face-to-face, who will listen to you without a pre-existing agenda for how you should think or feel. A good listener will listen to the feelings behind your words, and won’t interrupt or judge or criticize you. The best way to find a good listener? Be a good listener yourself. Develop a friendship with someone you can talk to regularly, and then listen and support each other.

When to seek professional help for emotional problems:

If you’ve made consistent efforts to improve your mental and emotional health and you still don’t feel good—then it’s time to seek professional help. Because we are so socially attuned, input from a knowledgeable, caring professional can motivate us to do things for ourselves that we were not able to do on our own.

Red flag feelings and behaviors that may require immediate attention:

Inability to sleep
Feeling down, hopeless, or helpless most of the time
Concentration problems that are interfering with your work or home life
Using nicotine, food, drugs, or alcohol to cope with difficult emotions
Negative or self-destructive thoughts or fears that you can’t control
Thoughts of death or suicide

If you identify with any of these red flag symptoms, consider making an appointment with a mental health professional.

December 17, 2017 in Blog by Dee

Dinnertime Should Be Family Time

By: Jim Burns

Seven Reasons Why It’s Important

1) Keeps Kids Out of Trouble

Kids who live in families that eat dinner together regularly are less likely to be involved in at risk behaviors. According to the 2000 study done by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), children who don’t eat dinner with their families are 61 percent more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs. By contrast, children who eat dinner with their families every night of the week are 20 percent less likely to drink, smoke, or use illegal drugs.

2) It’s Bonding Time

Families who eat dinner together regularly are more likely to have stronger, happier family relationships. As families struggle to find amounts of quantity and quality time together, family dinnertime provides the opportunity for both. When families hang out together and communicate, they grow strong and healthy.

3) Offers Stability

Families who eat dinner regularly develop a stronger family identity. Eating together serves to build a family identity. Additionally, this family “routine” provides a sense of stability and security that provides kids with a positive environment where they can grow into healthy adults.

4) Time for Family Updates

Families who eat dinner together regularly can keep in touch with each others’ lives. Everyone – kids and parents alike – can keep up-to-date during your family dinnertime on what is going on with school, jobs, family life, and friends.

5) Chance to Resolve Conflicts

A regular family dinnertime provides natural opportunities for planning and problem solving. Scheduling family meeting times to discuss planning, needs and problem solving can be difficult. A regular family mealtime can offer a natural solution to the challenge.

6) Educates Your Kids

Eating dinner regularly fosters learning. When families who eat dinner together engage in a variety of conversation topics, learning is encouraged. Kids who are exposed to regular family discussion times learn a broader vocabulary.

7) Healthy for the Whole Family

Kids are likely to receive better nutrition when eating dinner regularly with their families. A simple, but true rule applies: when kids eat with their families, they eat better. A family dinnertime means kids are more likely to eat a nutritionally balanced meal, lower in sugar and fat content, than if they prepare or purchase meals on their own.

December 17, 2017 in Blog by Dee

8 Ways to Cleanse Your Mind, Body & Soul with Water

By: Claire Charters

Whether you are religious or not, water blesses and cleanses the soul. Without water there is no life. Water is energy, and energy is life. You are made up of mainly water, the planet is 70 percent water, life is created from water, and life can be healed from water. Your body and soul craves hydrotherapy as a means of promoting wellness and healing. Water evokes purity, clarity and calmness. It’s nature’s way of helping you cleanse your mind, body and soul.
 
Water is one of the most vital elements of life, yet it is probably the one thing that many of us take for granted. Many of us are dehydrated; not only do we not drink enough of this miracle elixir, we mindlessly shower in it, curse it when it falls from the sky and run from it when it tries to weep from our bodies.
 
The humble drop of water enables us to see vibrant rainbow colors reflecting in the sunlight, it gives shape and form to everything, it builds mountains and cliffs, it floods our bodies with nourishment, and it helps to release the pain within our body through the tears we cry.
 
As a surfer, I have grown up with a connection to water. Over the years I have turned to water as my healer on several occasions. The grey and angry waves that have crushed me have humbled my soul, the unpredictable moods of the ocean have taught me to respect and never to assume, and with every wave I have been fortunate enough to ride, I have been filled with gratitude.
 
We all have this innate knowing that water is healing, however only some of us listen to our own wisdom and knowing. To prove this theory, take a moment now to think about relaxation and rejuvenation. Create visions in your mind of the perfect relaxation scene. What is it?
 
I am almost certain that at least 80 percent of you would have envisioned one of these scenes:
Relaxing on a tropical island surrounded in turquoise calm waters
Soaking in a hot bath
Swimming in a beautiful freshwater lake
Walking on a pristine beach or swimming in the gentle ocean
Getting lost by the beauty and tranquility of a waterfall
Being rocked by the gentle sounds of the rolling waves
Being stirred by the trickling of water from a water fountain or Zen garden
And all the many other magical experiences that include water….
So there you have it. When you are seeking a little relaxation, you intuitively connect with the energy of water. The healing powers of water deeply resonate within your soul, you have an inner connection and knowing that water is the essence of life.
 
From today forward, commit to yourself that you will forever experience water as never before, whether you choose to just simply dip your toes in or immerse your whole body, it is totally up to you. The therapy of water will evoke new thoughts, stir your soul, and bring to you the harmony that you seek.
 
Some ways to heal with water:
 
1. Drink 2-3 liters of water a day – it nourishes, energizes and detoxes your body, whilst plumping out your cells to diminish fine lines and wrinkles.

2. Jump in puddles – sounds absurd I know, but this will have you laughing like a child; it will make you look at the world with the heart of a seven year old.

3. Walk in the rain – whether it is summer or winter, make sure that you dress for the occasion, feel the rain-drops kiss your skin, smell the freshness in the air and let your soul connect with nature.

4. Take a swim – feel the water surround you and nurture you, get lost in the arms of the water, and let all your troubles get washed away.

5. Let tears come to your eyes – whether this is through laughing or crying, let your soul be free, lighten your body by releasing your emotions, and let it leave through the tears that you cry.

6. Take a bath – soak yourself and cleanse your soul. Regular baths increase blood circulation, lymphatic drainage while reducing stress and mental fatigue. Relaxing in a bath is a way you can connect with yourself and create healing, love, peace and harmony within your everyday life.

7. Have a shower – choose to look at your daily shower as a sacred cleanse. Let all your negative thoughts and emotions be washed away by the water, envision them leaving you for good as the water rushes down the drain.

8. Water your plants – watch your plants turn up and face the gentle shower of water; they suddenly look greener, fresher and more alive.