Cultivating Mental Health
By Lynn Schlossberger, LPC
May is a time of blossoming, a good time for Mental Health Awareness Month. The health of mind, body, and spirit can be easily overlooked, until something goes wrong and we get pain signals. Care of the whole person does not have to wait until we are distressed by symptoms of trouble, in the form of nightmares, shame, blame, substance abuse, insomnia, worry, or anger that erupts unexpectedly. We live in a stress-saturated world, and care of our emotional wellbeing really can’t wait.
Cultivating mental health is a form of preventative self care. Emotional wellness is a life strategy that helps us prepare for unforeseen stress, with calm confidence. Cultivating our emotional wellbeing requires us to learn coping skills that increase our resilience, our ability to respond with strength to change we didn’t ask for, and to adverse events; to bend, if need be, without breaking.
Emotional self care involves awakening to our needs. We are accustomed to functioning on autopilot, doing what we have always done, as if our routines were unchangeable. We pride ourselves on being constantly busy, multitasking while snacking compulsively, and medicating our stress in unproductive ways. The seeking of wellness, of flourishing rather than just getting by, invites us to stop and take a breath. When was the last time you made self care a thoughtful priority? In this noisy world, we may benefit from taking a break from constant chatter, by unplugging from social media for an hour or a day or a week. Could you do that? What actually nurtures you? Care of our own spirit often benefits from caring for the wellbeing of another person, by listening to them, by reconnecting with those who have gone missing, by volunteering in the community. Wellness may involve finding an activity in which you feel creative, productive, and challenged. It might be your job or your hobby, sudoku, or your passion for music or good food. Wellness involves mindful pursuit.
Mindfulness is a discipline that promotes wellness, by helping us become more aware of our immediate environment, our sensations, and our inner lives, awakening to the present moment, and cultivating self acceptance without judgment. Mindfulness has crept into the behavioral health literature and into our clinical practice. Mindfulness meditation practice has been shown to improve our ability to focus, and to reduce our rumination on the negatives of life. Mindfulness can help us observe ourselves more accurately, and express our emotions in healthier ways. Mindfulness promotes empathy for others, and helps us with the more difficult challenge, compassion for ourselves.
How do we incorporate mindfulness in our already overwhelmingly busy lives? By doing the things we already do, with purpose and curiosity, living fully in the present moment. We can breathe mindfully, noticing the body sensations we normally overlook. We can walk mindfully, putting down worries and digital distractions, and noticing the grass beneath our feet, the small details of the world we inhabit. We can eat mindfully, using our senses to more fully appreciate the aroma of coffee and the texture of pretzels. We can listen mindfully, offering our undivided attention, understanding the moment as a fragile gift. We can be present. Happy spring.
Lynn Schlossberger LPC