Our mental health is an important part of maintaining our overall health. Mental health is the sum of emotional, behavioral, social and cognitive well-being. While mental health may not be as conscious as caring for a cut or scrape, keeping a healthy and positive mental health can greatly impact your overall health. How do you look after your mental health? Mental health can be more complex than taking one action or going through one experience. Mental health can include specific illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. However, it can also refer to how we think, feel or act. Mental health is a vital part of our overall well-being and how we view ourselves. Therefore when attending to health and lifestyle, mental health should be considered an important focus. Here is a checklist put together by NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Illness) of lifestyle habits to consider when focusing on positive mental health:
- Maintain a support system of people you can talk to about how you are doing. Stay active and eat healthy regularly.
- Get good sleep each night.
- Focus on positive thinking throughout your day.
- Ask for help when you need it.
- Avoid smoking.
- Avoid substance abuse.
For any mental health needs, questions, or concerns, speak with your healthcare provider before considering lifestyle changes associated with your mental health. For the source from NAMI and for additional mental health resource, click here: https:// www.nami.org/getattachment/Extranet/NAMI-State-Organization-and-NAMI-Affiliate Leaders/Awareness/AKA/Mental-Health-Fact-Sheets/Maintaining-a-Healthy Lifestyle.pdf
