January is National Mental Wellness Month
This month is dedicated to focusing on mental wellness. Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others. It is important to focus on your mental health because it impacts your day-to-day life.
Emotional health is one aspect of mental health. It is the ability to cope with both positive and negative emotions. It is also being aware of the two. Emotionally healthy people have good coping mechanisms for stress and other negative emotions.
Psychological health is another aspect of mental health. This affects how we think and understand things. These thoughts affect how we communicate and behave. Being able to think, feel, and act healthily is essential to one's quality of life.
The final aspect of mental health is social well-being. This is being able to participate and connect to a wider social environment. Making social connections and networks is necessary for mental wellness.
Tips for Everyday Well-Being
There are little things that you can do every day to support your mental well-being. One way is to practice self-care. This is where you care for yourself emotionally, physically, and socially. This looks different for everyone.
Self Care Examples:
Good sleep
Exercise
Eating well
Take breaks/relax
Managing stress
Another tip is to connect with others. Social support is very important for mental health. Having a network of people who are supportive of different roles in one's life influences behavior and overall well-being.
It is okay to ask for help.
Contact your medical provider if you are feeling overwhelmed. Check out Caseyville Library's Community Resource page for local links and further research.
This post was written by Faith, CPLD's BSW Student Social Worker. You can make an appointment with a social worker to discuss getting connected to community resources, applying for aid programs, or finding local, state, and federal services to help with housing, shelter, utilities, medical, family planning and family services, and much more. Schedule an appointment HERE.