Make Your Mental Wellbeing a Priority

Mindful Ways to Ease Stress and Why Not to Ignore Your Mental Wellbeing

Many of us tend to ignore our mental wellbeing. This month, we’re encouraging you to take a more active role in how you feel – and have some suggestions for how you can use mindfulness to ease stress.

Did you know one in six Americans suffers from some type of mental health condition in any given year? Unfortunately, many do not ask for help.

“Ashamed. Embarrassed. Afraid. All too often, these emotions stop people from sharing their mental health concerns with a doctor,” says psychiatrist, Karen Jacobs. “But living a full, productive life depends on more than just what you think of as ‘physical’ health. Mental health matters just as much. Unfortunately, mental illness still comes with stigma in our society.”

Mental illness is a root cause for many physical symptoms, such as heart palpitations or fatigue. For example, the American Heart Association released a statement in recent years recommending depression be considered a risk factor for poor outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Your doctor’s office is a safe place. If you are having any signs or symptoms of mental illness (such as anxiety or depression), it’s important to tell your doctor. Your doctor is a resource who can help you create a care plan or refer you to a specialist. Getting the help you need can help you prevent the symptoms of mental illness from getting worse.

Mindful Ways to Ease Stress

Meditate.

Get a massage.

Spend time in nature, such as hiking or gardening.

Do yoga.

Sit by a fire.

Have lunch outside.

Take a class, such a pottery or painting.

Color or read a good book.

Take a walk with the dog — or a friend.

Journal.

Watch the sunrise or sunset.

Sources:

“5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore Mental Health,” Karen Jacobs, DO, health.clevelandclinic.org, May 10, 2018.

“Mindfulness: 17 Simple Ways to Ease Stress,” Roxanne Sukol, MD, health.clevelandclinic.org, May 31, 2018.