As we leave the rarefied atmosphere of the pandemic, Mental Health concerns take on importance in our everyday lives. Who has not already encountered behaviors from others recently that would not have been considered “normal” in the years prior to the social isolation of COVID-19 measures?
From trolling for fights on social media to culture wars over the use of words in our shared language, we have not been at our best lately.
With such public displays of emotion, it is obvious that some of us have coped less effectively with our current world than others.
The good news is that as seemingly easy as some of these behaviors have come on, so too we have the tools and skills to adjust these effects. Let’s see what we can do to get back to normal.
Turn Off the Media
I tend to go for a pragmatic solution whenever one is present.
With so much unhappiness and narrowly focused perceptions in the media, an obvious solution is to walk away from all the noise competing for our attention. The denizens of social media are dependent on having an audience for their behavior. Like the child throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the store, sometimes the most effective response is to ignore the fit.
Take an empowering step forward in positively addressing your mental health and unplug from the things that drag us down to their level.
The option is always there.
Crack Open Those Books!
When was the last time you did what I affectionately call “Fun Reading”? You know. The fictional writing that transports us to people and circumstances far removed from our daily lives. Or maybe the travel writing that takes us to visit real places and people of the world.
Whatever type of reading you find pleasurable, just read.
The mental health effects of reading are there.
As crazy as it may sound, even political reading even can provide benefits. In studying the views of the other side of the political fence, empathy can be developed. We do not have to agree but understanding can go a long way towards building communication. Remember, it is the above cited trolls that find it useful to keep us arguing from polarized camps. If we develop understanding of one another, it takes away a lot of that angry thunder of constant argument.
Write It Down!
Whether journaling or keeping a diary, write down your thoughts. A friend encouraged me to start a journal when I was a teenager, and the process of writing has been a therapeutic tool I have used ever since.
There is just something unifying about the writing process for me. I feel connected with my thoughts and feelings when I write.
In the process I learned to give up worrying about grammar or even content. I just write and start to feel like myself again.
Write for no audience. The less editing of ideas you do, the better. I have never read much of my early writing. In not reviewing, I become a little less inhibited in the writing.
For those of us dipping a toe into the World Wide Web, going public with some blogging can be equally liberating. Understanding that you have a possible audience makes for a different style of writing, but the process is still very liberating.
Write to get your emotional feet back on the ground. Write to share your thoughts, stories, and recipes. No matter what or how you want to share, just write.
Fuel Your Post Pandemic Mind
Our brains, while highly specialized in functions, share many of the same needs as all other organs in our bodies. Like all organs, the brain requires good nutrition to function optimally. A diet with a regular variety of whole foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) is desirable.
Avoiding the processing of these foods whenever possible is the ideal solution to adequately fueling the human body.
Our brain is susceptible to poor diet choices too. To work towards a healthy brain, as we do to build a healthy body, a healthy diet is essential. “Garbage in, garbage out” applies to our physical, as well as our mental health.
A tasty fix too, by the way.
Get It moving!
Exercise has a long list of known positive effects on our mental health. From endorphins to dopamine and beyond, the chemical cocktail of brain hormones connects directly with our mental functions. Physical activity is often a driver of these chemistries that determine how we think and feel.
Want to feel better? Go for a walk.
Hitting some doldrums in your workouts? Try to cross train by adding a different type of exercise.
In the same way that our athletic performances are so closely connected to our thinking, getting our bodies moving (especially after some time off) has great mental health payoffs.
Review Those Meds
With the prevalence of allopathic medicine in society, many of us tend to collect an assortment of prescription medications over the years. This polypharmacy effect can, over time, lead to some undesired physical and mental effects.
Take some time to sit down with your physician and evaluate your current menu of meds to make sure your treatment is still on track and not inadvertently producing symptoms.
Connect For Mental Health
You do not need to be especially extroverted to reach out to others. Interpersonal communications are how we function as individuals. COVID-19 did not do us any favors as far as socialization and conditions have not improved a whole lot since the restrictions have been eased
Step across the aisle to offer help to someone else. Check on that neighbor whom you have not seen lately. Talk to people in line as you wait to check out of the grocery store.
Be proactive. Teach confidence. Make a joke at your expense. Just create opportunities to interact.
We are all a little gun-shy right now but the more I interact with people, the more I find that we really have not changed. Political speech is still polarized but people are still people.
We are all responsible for our own Health. Our mental health is just one aspect of this total picture of who and what we are. For those who need additional help, modern society has a broad spectrum of mental health support that they can connect with.
Use the available help as needed and let’s enjoy the challenges of rebuilding society after the test of a pandemic. Let’s make things happen. Positive mental health is part of what we build into our overall Health.
“If you obsess over whether you are making the right decision, you are basically assuming that the universe will reward you for one thing and punish you for another.
The universe has no fixed agenda. Once you make any decision, it works around that decision. There is no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities that shift with each thought, feeling, and action that you experience.
If this sounds too mystical, refer again to the body. Every significant vital sign- body temperature, heart rate, oxygen consumption, hormone level, brain activity, and so on- alters the moment you decide to do anything… decisions are signals telling your body, mind, and environment to move in a certain direction.”
― Deepak Chopra
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