Choosing You: Prioritizing Mental Wellness

Life’s many responsibilities – such as work, school, and caring for children or loved ones – can make it easy to neglect your own needs and let your mental health suffer as a result. You may try to ignore symptoms of depression or anxiety, rising stress levels, or feelings of fatigue and burnout, which will only make them worse and increase their negative effect on your life.

Choosing to focus on yourself and prioritize your mental wellness is the first step in reducing your stress, boosting your mood, and promoting your inner peace.

How to Prioritize Your Mental Wellness

Talk to a Friend

Having a strong support system is important for mental wellness. Humans are social creatures who crave connection and community to feel fulfilled, and feelings of loneliness or isolation often negatively affect mental health. Make a consistent effort to engage and connect with loved ones, especially when you are feeling sad, anxious, or worried. If you have a lack of family and friends nearby you can lean on, try expanding your social circle by joining community groups, classes, or sports to meet new people.

Get Screened

If you have been experiencing any symptoms of depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition, visiting your doctor and getting a mental health screening can help you determine if you would benefit from any treatment. During a screening, your physician will ask you detailed questions about your mental health symptoms and possibly conduct a physical exam or blood test. A screening is an important way to stay proactive about your mental health so that you can promptly identify any problems and get back to wellness as soon as possible.

Reject the Stigma

Caring for your mental health can seem difficult sometimes because of the harsh stigma surrounding mental health treatment. Seeking help for a mental health issue isn’t a sign of weakness, and your mental wellness should be prioritized just the same as your physical health. If you find that you often criticize yourself for feeling unwell mentally, these negative thoughts will become difficult to change and negatively influence your mental health further. Combat the urge to self-stigmatize by focusing on good thoughts, rejecting your problematic thought patterns, and embracing open communication about your mental health.

Prioritize Self-Care

Taking care of your mental wellness means making room in your life for things that relax you, allow you to be expressive, or bring you joy, such as going to see a movie, reading a good book, practicing yoga, playing an instrument, journaling, painting, or mediating. Getting enough sleep, eating a healthy and balanced diet, and getting enough exercise regularly are also important ways to practice self-care – when you feel better physically, you’ll boost your mood as well.

Consider Mental Health Treatment

Many people shy away from seeking mental health treatment because of the incorrect assumption that it’s only necessary when you are struggling with a severe or debilitating mental health issue. However, counseling, medication, or group therapy can help for all types of mental health issues. If you’re experiencing any mental health symptoms that persist for more than two weeks, you may benefit from professional treatment to get back to wellness.

How LiveWell Counseling Can Help

From your first appointment at LiveWell, our therapeutic counseling center, you’ll receive personalized, compassionate care, customized to treat your individual symptoms. To learn more about how LiveWell can help you choose the right path back to mental wellness, please call (201) 848-5800 or visit ChristianHealthNJ.info/LiveWell.