“How to Take An Effective Mental Health Day”

These times, 2020 in particular, has novel challenges to our general state of well-being. As it became clear that COVID would grow to be a global pandemic anxiety and feelings of uncertainty mounted. The eventual lock-down that ensued produced a historical moment in modern human history-- the advent of forced societal solitude. The great pause in human activity that took place with empty streets, empty establishments, and empty homes, the sometimes eerie quiet of it reverberated through the global collective consciousness. In the quiet, it illuminated our shared need to engage our mental health and well-being. Our own self care mechanisms for mitigating the effects of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty; the aspects of our lives that produce the potential for negative outcomes had always been there but now it was made all too clear without the usual external outlets to indulge.   

Mental Health Engaged Produces Well-Being

I always like to frame any approach to our collective mental health with practical steps in how to achieve the desired results.  Structuring our days to include an aspect of wellness with the intended goal being balance.  The various wellness based practices I encourage provide ongoing benefits while building substantially improved resilience should a “stressful period arise.  The first step is to identity areas of your life that you would like to improve.  This could be sleep habits, weight loss, reduced anxiety, motivation(depth of conviction), or any combination of other personal goals.  My own routine involves many such aspects and applied modalities.  Below I will outline 3 basic modalities you can put into practice immediately.

1. Body movement

   1. Developing a healthy consistent practice of moving my body at least once per day is a gift to my mind as well.  The release of “happy” hormones, neurotransmitters, and endorphins is a cocktail worth imbibing daily with no downside i.e. the hangovers associated with most cocktail consumption.  Resistance exercises along with functional compound workout tend to stimulate the cocktail release more readily while remaining constructive to the body.  

2. Mental Stimulus

   1. At times our minds can seem to have a life of their own-- thinking away while we wonder why we can’t focus or clear our thoughts in order to direct our attention at all the joyous positive aspects of our lives.  Becoming unbound by our subconscious processes requires a consistent practice centered on tasking the subconscious with our truly desired reality.  Throughout the day I am mindful of my thoughts and any potential internal conflicts; if I find that a loop might be forming I actively send those thoughts down to my subconscious of processing or elimination.  Thereby cleansing my mind consistently throughout the day maintaining my mental health via clarity of thought.  This practice takes some time to gain mystery of but once achieved is invaluable as a tool for persistent peace of mind.     

3. Nutrition

   1. As we delve into each day whether there is a particular stressor or just the average day to day responsibilities our bodies need fuel in order to complete the day effectively.  When experiencing periods of stress this becomes even more vital as our micronutrient content is deplete rapidly during those times. Our B-vitamin complex more than any other micronutrient suite burns rapidly when experiencing anxiety.  Anxiety also disrupts our gut microbiome exacerbating symptoms.  Enjoying foods high in b-vitamins b12, b9, and b6 will help  offset the effects of stress while providing your body with the fuel it needs to properly maintain balance. Think dark leafy greens and healthy nuts like almonds. In future posts I will discuss specific recipes and expand on the concept of nutrition for the well-being of our minds.

Start with the basics when first planning a mental health day for your self .  Be sure to include each aspect of self mind, body, and spirit.  A long hike for the body, nutritious meals afterwards for the mind and body followed by a peaceful time in contemplation of what brings you joy eliminating anything that does not direct the subconscious towards our ultimate aim; Holistic Health.