Recognizing Signs

Changes in our mental health rarely happen overnight. Often times they are usually gradual and show up in the areas of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. 

A few signs of changes could appear as:

• Changes in your mood or appetite
• Headaches
• Sleep difficulties- too little or too much
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering
• Difficulty with decision making 
• Becoming anxious or irritable
• Nausea or upset stomach
• Suicidal thoughts
• Muscle tension
• Excessive spending and trouble managing money

Seeking the support of a mental health professional to go deeper and more specific as it relates to these signs is encouraged, especially if you’ve noticed these symptoms for a prolonged period of time. 

Strategies to cope and support Mental Health

It’s important to recognize there is no one size fits all approach to taking care of any area of your health, especially your mental health. Depending on your current needs and where you are as it relates to taking care of your mental health, strategies to support your mental health may vary.

Healthy Boundary Setting

Give yourself permission to set healthy boundaries around your mental health. Being okay with saying NO. Learn to recognize your triggers or the things that drain your mental energy, whether that be people, situations, conversations or environment’s. 

A healthy boundary can look like, not answering the phone, if the person on the other end is normally negative and your feel drained after speaking with them. 

One thing a day for YOU

Make your mental health a priority. Do one thing a day that supports your mental health and overall well-being. A few ideas are:

• Getting enough sleep
• Going to therapy
• Connecting with you support systems

Alternative ways to maximize brain performance

Are you someone who feels like your mental health is pretty well managed and you’re looking for alternative ways to maximize your brain performance to maintain good mental health? 

Research and data driven tools to support your mental health are:

• Breathing exercises 
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Biofeedback and neurofeedback

I encourage you to take some time this week and be intentional about checking in with yourself. Be patient and kind to yourself, give yourself permission to take some time for you to recharge.

Visit tracyalston.com for more alterative services and tools that you can utilize to support your mental health. 

Let’s begin to make mental health a priority and something recognized as just as important as any other area of health in our lives. 

We will get through this together!! 

WATCH VIDEO SHOW HERE
https://tracyalston.com/covid-19-signs-and-strategies-to-cope/

Shine Brighter!

The post Signs and Strategies to Cope with Covid-19 Mental Distress (Part 2) appeared first on Tracy Alston | Optimize Your Mental Performance.

There’s no playbook for COVID-19 or it’s potential long-term effects on the mental health of our nation, that’s why now more than ever, we need to go back to the basics. In a 2-part series

Mental health is rarely talked about and is often stigmatized unless it’s in connection with a crisis, trauma, loss or something to take care of.

Why Mental Health Matters?

Just like physical fitness is necessary to keeping your body and health in tip-top shape, being mentally fit and practicing mentally healthy habits is necessary for keeping your brain and emotional well-being in balance. 

In a global pandemic, with so many uncertainties and unknowns, taking care of your emotional, psychological, and social well-being is necessary for surviving and thriving during these times. 

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is something that everyone has. It affects our thinking, feelings and behaviors. Mental health is directly connected to how we handle and respond to stress, our ability to relate and connect with others and the choices and decisions that we make. It includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being (www.mentalhealth.gov).  

Mental health and your overall well-being have an impact on:

1. Your self-value and self-esteem
2. Your resiliency and ability to bounce back and overcome challenges
3. Your ability to maintain and accomplish your goals
4. Your relationships and your ability to connect with others 

No one is exempt from situations or circumstances having an effect on their mental health. No one experiences perfect mental health or well-being all the time, but it’s about finding a balance and being able to adjust and adapt to the changes in our life.

Self Check-In

Take a moment to reflect on how the current situation may be affecting your mental health. Whether it’s in your:

• Work, home or school
• Motivation
• Relationships
• Sleep 
• Appetite
• Thinking and decision making
• Memory
• Energy levels

Have you noticed any shifts or changes lately? If so, it’s ok and you’re not alone. Being mindful and aware that life and situations and our reactions to those things can cause changes in our mental health, is the first step.

I encourage you to take some time this week and be intentional about checking in with yourself. Be patient and kind to yourself, give yourself permission to take some time for you to recharge.

We will get through this together!! 

WATCH VIDEO SHOW HERE
https://tracyalston.com/covid-19-and-mental-health-why-it-matters-mfm-55-radio-show-wsic-105-9fm-33/

Shine Brighter!

The post Why Mental Health During COVID-19 Matters? (Part 1) appeared first on Tracy Alston | Optimize Your Mental Performance.

Expressing Emotions is beneficial for humans. Have you ever felt an emotion and didn’t know what you felt or even why you felt that way? If you answered yes to this question, you are not alone. 

Although difficult at times to talk about and express emotions are a normal, natural, and healthy part of being human. Emotions and the ability to express emotions give us the ability to connect deeper with ourselves, thereby improving communication and relationships with others. 

We are born to feel a range of emotions, from sadness, anger, joy, happiness and fear. Stopping this natural and healthy process can lead to negative and unhealthy consequences. Just like we are naturally born to breathe, we are naturally born to feel. Holding or stopping your breath, leads to death, stuffing and numbing your emotions creates unhappiness, stress and other life threating illnesses and disease.

BENEFITS OF EXPRESSING EMOTIONS

Learning how to express emotions in a healthy way has some benefits:

• Improves the ability to connect with self and others leading to healthier and happier relationships
• Improves decision making and ability to solve problems
• Increases resilience
• Reduces stress
• Reduces anxiety
• Improves confidence
• Reduces depressive symptoms   

STEPS TO UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS

NORMALIZATION

Emotions are normal, we all have them, we all feel them and they are all necessary. Our brain is a muscle and it is responsible for everything that we do, think, and feel.

When it comes to processing our emotions, we have to identify our emotions, express them and keep moving forward, in order for our brain to do a proper job and allow us to feel healthy emotions. During the normalization process, the first step is to identify your emotions.

How do you express your emotions if you don’t know how you feel? Use the daily mental fitness check-in worksheet to identify your emotions. 

DAILY MENTAL FITNESS CHECK-IN

I recommend completing the daily mental fitness check-in worksheet for yourself and with your family. Emotions can be tricky and if you are someone who hasn’t expressed emotions in years or feels overwhelmed by their emotions or you’re not sure what your emotions feel like, you’re not alone in this. Completing the daily worksheet with allow you the opportunity to get more connected your emotions and begin living a more full, healthier and happier life. 

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

Remember you are human and humans feel. Practice self-love and compassion. Give yourself permission to let go of any thoughts and beliefs around emotions that are no longer serving you.

If you are noticing feelings of guilt and embarrassment when expressing emotions, think about it. They may be attached to a non-supportive thought, story or belief that you were once told about that emotion.

EMOTIONS HAVE A TIPPING POINT

DOWNLOAD THE “Daily Mental Fitness Check-In” WORKSHEET

The post Why Expressing Emotions Is Beneficial? appeared first on Tracy Alston | Optimize Your Mental Performance.