7 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health Right Now
By: Christine Hammond LMHC
Marcia’s
small business was finally turning a profit. After years of investing long
hours from her family and resources she didn’t always have, she began to see
the benefit of her hard work. Even though her husband and kids were supportive
of the business, the normal demands of an active family life exhausted her.
Marcia
would easily work 10 hours a day at her job, run errands for her kids during
lunch, dash to a soccer game at night, pick-up some dinner on the way home, and
find sink full of dishes left undone from the previous few days. Her house
routinely looked like a bomb went off and was only cleaned just before company
came to visit. Marcia and her husband talked more about who would help with
what homework than just about anything else. On good days she barely kept her
head above water and on bad days she felt like she was drowning.
She knew
things needed to change. But short of selling the business she loved, divorcing
her best friend husband, and farming the kids off to another relative, she
needed to find another reasonable solution. There was no time for yoga classes
(unless she could find one at 3am), vacations (which are not really a vacation
when kids come along), or making organic meals (no further explanation needed).
She needed things she could do in her car, sitting at her desk, or on the
sidelines of a soccer field. Here’s what she came up with:
1. Rest. The idea of getting a solid night’s sleep disappeared after
the birth of Marcia’s colicky baby. So rest needed to come in smaller
increments during the day. When things got hectic at work, Marcia would take a
walk outside for 15 minutes just to get way from the computer and people. In
her car, she would listen to 80’s music and sing at the top of her lungs. These
small periods of rest helped to reset her anxiety levels.
2. Breathe. These are not the shallow chesty breaths that a person
takes during a panic attack. Rather it is a long slow breath that originates
from the belly. Before starting her car, Marcia would take 4 deep breaths:
breathing in for a slow count of 4, holding for 4, and then releasing for a
count of 4. This simple step sends ample oxygen to the brain which promotes
more purposeful thought.
3. Meditate. Marcia did not have hours in the day to
meditate so instead, she set a phone alarm to do it 4 times during the day for
5 minutes at a time. She meditated (which means a focused intentional thought
without any distractions) on the warmth of the sun, a wise proverb she heard, a
friend who was suffering from cancer, and her hopes for her kids. This
prayerful time encourages a person to let go of the things they cannot control.
4. Gratitude. Part of Marcia’s new nighttime routine was to
make a list of all the things she was grateful for during the day. This allowed
her to focus on the good things of day instead of all the things left undone. She
was thankful for her son passing his science test, her daughter scoring a goal,
her husband getting recognized at work, and the dog not pooping while the family
was gone.
5. Pleasure. There is an old song lyric, “These are a few of
my favorite things,” from the musical, The
Sound of Music. It goes on to list a bunch of ordinary items that a person
takes pleasure from seeing or having. Marcia made a list of 10 items that she
gave her pleasure. Some of these included: playing catch with her dog, putting
notes in the kid’s lunches, taking a bubble bath, butterfly kisses, and
snuggling on the sofa.
6. Focus. For Marcia, the busyness of everyday life was a huge distraction
to what mattered most. It was easy for her to lose sight of the big important
things when the little insignificant things got in the way. So Marcia condensed
her goals into one simple statement that she put next to her phone at the
office, on her bathroom mirror, and on her computer screen saver. This constant
reminder kept her focused which reduced stress.
7. Emote. All too often, Marcia stuffed her emotions so she could get
through the day. The problem was by the end of the day, she was too exhausted
to revisit any frustrations so they got buried even further. This unfortunately
resulted in random explosions over small incidental matters. Alternatively,
Marcia set aside two times during the day for reflection and expression of any
and all emotions that she stuffed. This relieved the pressure and reduced the
outbursts.
While
these 7 steps won’t eliminate the pressure of a hectic schedule, they will help
to unload some of the burdens of daily living.
To schedule an appointment with Christine Hammond,
Please call our office at 407-647-7005.
