YOU CAN MAKE IT BETTER!

by: Dr. Charla Waxman BS, MBA, EdD Director of Business Development Lake Behavioral Hospital

or behaviors like self-injury which seem, in the beginning to ground our behaviors. When shame and guilt take over we exhaust ourselves by trying to isolate so family and friends don’t see what we know is happening. We are in a mental health crisis.

Mental health conditions are common. At some point in our lifetime, according to the National Council for Mental WellBeing, one in 5 of us will suffer with and know someone who struggles with mental illness. A staggering 40% of us will not seek help or even a modicum of support; instead suffering in silence. The reasons for the solitude are many, but no matter the cause, people are left with no mental health awareness, no skill improvements, no medication for acute care needs and no change in the thinking and behaviors that are barriers to successful work, school, and relationship experiences.

“It is what it is”, a common phrase for giving up and going with the status quo and status flow of what life gives us may be at the fore of just accepting that things will never get better. In our hearts and minds we may recognize that our thinking and behaviors are just not right, but we may choose to ignore what we know deep down: our mental and emotional health is at stake. So our behaviors just continue and drive us down and our emotions keep us there. We may find ourselves self-destructing with any combinations of addictions like drugs, eating disorders, or gambling

There is hope and always help. Both self-care and professional support can help you find your way through the mire. Find the combination of these that is right for you and you have found the key to mental health. Mental health is very personal, but should not be private. Ignoring the signs and symptoms of mental illness does not create resilient, bounce-back-fromadversity life skills and life practices. Life can be hard and the struggles are real, boosting your mental health is not easy and may take time, but you can make it better.

Although sometimes mental health conditions may require medication, it is not always the case and although professional support and treatment are needed with mental health emotional and behavioral difficulties, that is not always the case either. Often the best methods are combinations of professional help and self-help commitment. There are some things you can do on your own that will have positive impact on your mental health.

Three areas of our life fuel positive or negative mental health. To again refer to the wisdom of the National Council on Mental Well-Being, work or school, how we attend to daily living needs, and our relationships all matter in how health-full we are.