Let’s Get Back to Your Mental Health
I’ve delayed writing this week’s blog post because admittedly, I don’t know how much I have to offer about improving mental health. I feel like this is an area that I could really use some help with. So as I sit down now to write this post, only the day before I plan to go live with it, I’m ready to write. I know exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it. The reason for this epiphany is that I just came in from a run. Exercise. That is how I clear my mind. If I am sad, I move my body. If I am mad, I move my body. If I am stressed, I move my body. And if I need inspiration and motivation, I move my body. Running specifically is when my creativity flows. No joke, most days when I return from a run, I have a new idea for a blog post or an entertaining reel. For me, I know that my own mental health is always improved by movement. So I will start this week’s blog post there, with exercise.
Exercise. No one ever regretted a workout, right? Exercise is attributed to improving mental health in many ways — boosts your mood, decreases stress, improves brain function, reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, improves sleep, boosts self esteem, and helps regulate emotions. I’m going to circle back to Week 1 of this Back to You series and refer you to my first blog post and finding a method of exercise that you enjoy in order to improve your mental health.
And yoga is a big one. For one, meditation is often part of a yoga practice. Meditation improves cognitive functions and decreases stress, anxiety, depression and mood swings. Yoga itself has been shown to lower stress hormones while also increasing beneficial brain chemicals that help decrease anxiety and improve your mood. There are certain poses that target various cognitive functions:
Child’s Pose creates inward focus and restores energy. It also promotes relaxation and focus.
Bridge Pose calms the brain and central nervous system, relieving stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression.
Eagle Pose “squeezes” out tension in your body improving focus and concentration.
Triangle Pose relieves stress and reduces anxiety.
Cat/Cow Pose creates emotional balance.
Corpse Pose improves concentration and calms the mind by grounding the body.
Just to name a few…
Your body’s actual physiological response to exercise also helps improve your mental health. When the body is warm and the blood is flowing, the brain is also warm, leading to more relaxation and less anxiety. Additionally, sweat makes people happy. Sweating releases endorphins in the brain that make people feel good. Sweating causes the increase of serotonin and dopamine, more feel-good chemicals.
Unplug. I guess it’s funny for the “influencer” to be telling you to unplug. But I’m no dummy and see the first hand effects of constantly being plugged in and always “doing work” on my phone. Not only does it effect my own mental health, it effects those around me. My husband recently sent me an article about how being on your phone around your kids has a profound impact on their language development. Yikes! All around, breaks from the phone, breaks from technology, and breaks from social media improve overall mental health.
Social media increases anxiety and depression. It affects sleep and attention span. And it’s addictive. It’s designed to be that way. False illusions, poor body image and comparisons are just a few of the ways that social media can negatively impact your mental health. Monitoring how much time you spend on social media can be helpful (and eyeopening) and taking breaks is necessary. I know I can improve big time here. As much as I like to say my mindless scrolling is “research and development,” more times than not, I’m just as guilty of plain old mindless scrolling. And you may have seen that cute little box I bought to hold my phone and my family’s phones during times of interaction, like dinner time, etc…. Well, the true story behind my purchase, is that my 5-yr-old son asked me to buy it when I was mindlessly scrolling on IG with him next to me and was spammed an ad from that company. Yikes all around! But he was very happy when it arrived. And as I am sharing this, my heart is breaking. I realize that I really need to do better here.
Decluttering your home declutters your mind. Oh my god, has this been true. The first week that the kids returned to school, I took days to clear out all the shit that had piled up over the course of the summer. And when I was done (although, am I ever really done?), a calmness came over me that transcended to all parts of my life. And people noticed it.
There are reasons for this: A peaceful space improves your mood and happiness. When there are less distractions around you physically, productivity and creativity improves. Improvement in time management and stress reduction occurs when things have a place in your home and thus, can be quickly located when you want to use them. (I know this one resonates with all the moms out there). When your bedroom is clean, you sleep better because you are more relaxed and less distracted. Ok… but if the act of organizing and clearing out your house stresses you too, then where do you start? I wanted to consult my sister-in-law, who runs a popular organizing company on the Main Line, to get her professional advice on decluttering your space.
Here are the takeaways from my conversation with Devin Richmond of A Life Less Cluttered:
Start small - one space, a junk drawer, the mudroom, the mail pile… DO NOT START IN YOUR CLOSET or in the kitchen. Those rooms are too big and will leave you stressed and discouraged. You will feel good from tackling just one small mess at a time!
Put things where you use them - toilet paper does not go in the mudroom, Brooke! It goes in the bathroom. In fact, the mudroom should only hold things that you need to get in and out the door. Mudroom space is too valuable to hold anything else. (I guess I’m cleaning my mudroom today).
When you bring in supplies or food (snacks are a great example), unbox/ unpackaged it. This makes it easier to fit into your space, it allows you to see how much you have left and it’s aesthetically pleasing which helps to calm and relax you in your space.
Buy what you need and what you have room for in your house - watch those Cosco trips. Having overflow out in your space will only cause stress. The key is to have less stuff in the spaces you use a lot.
Get your kids involved at an early age with routine and repetition - everything has a place when they get home from school. Your kids can understand donating toys to kids who don’t have as many toys.
Brain Dump. This is a really easy one. One you may already be doing. I know I rely heavily on the notes section of my phone. And if you do too, you are unknowingly doing a “brain dump.” every time you make yourself a list. You know that little thing we call the “mental load”? Well, a brain dump can help clear your mind of that load in order to accomplish something else, like work or sleep. A brain dump is a technique for clearing your mind by writing down what is on your mind. The goal of the brain dump is to make room for new ideas. A great time to do a brain dump is right before bed so that you can clear your brain to improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
You could enter this nightly brain dump into your phone’s notes, but if your phone is no longer in your bedroom at night with you, just use a note pad. And they even make a journal designed specifically for this purpose. But don’t overcomplicate it. Just write it down. Organize it how you will. This is meant to be done in a completely judgement free way. A way that only you needs to understand.
Therapy. Obviously, therapy should be part of a post about mental health. But therapy has its own challenges. It can be expensive. Therapy is time consuming, and if you are already stressed and struggling to find time, adding something else to your plate can exacerbate the issue. I also think the task of finding a good therapist that you trust and jibe with can be overwhelming. Online therapy could actually solve all of these issues.
Online therapy companies will help pair you with a therapist based on your questionnaire answers. Often these services cost less money, with additional discounts for enrolling or trying it out. But my biggest draw to this form of therapy is the fact that you don’t need to travel to an office for it. You can conveniently fit an appointment into your schedule. These services may even be available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. This form of therapy overcomes several big hurdles and the reasons why people put off going to therapy. Some of the more popular online therapy sites include BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Cerebral. I have never used any of these and cannot personally speak to the experience, but this article may help determine if online therapy is for you.
And with that, I am wrapping up this series about getting back to you. If any of the tips or tricks from this month resonated enough for you to give them a try, then I feel like I have accomplished something here. I’d love to hear your feedback. I know I set a bunch of good, healthy and enjoyable habits for my own self in motion this month. So for that, I am grateful that you all voted to get BACK TO YOU instead of focusing on back-to-school so much in September.
That being said, I am doing a quick little back-to-school segment over the next two weeks on the blog. First up: Teacher approved looks from a very popular activewear and athleisure company. And you all will have the opportunity to nominate local teachers to win some free clothes from Vuori! Stay tuned…