Eulalee Thompson, The Gleaner's health editor, relaxes at the beautiful waterfront, downtown Kingston. This year 'Your Health' focuses on 'securing your mental health'. - NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Last year, we were all about taking control of your health - 'It's your health, take control' - this year it's all about securing your mental health.
RELAX. REFRESH. Renew. This year it's all about you, your wellness and your emotional wellness is at the top of our list. We want you to live your best life now and The Gleaner's health team is with you all the way.
So get started by getting rid of toxic people, places and things. Toxic places and things, you know what and where those are, but toxic people are a little more difficult to recognise. Like termites, under the quiet, they eat away at your soul, creativity and potentials. They are always whining, complaining, criticising and tearing you down. Hang with the 'builders' - people who help build your self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth, and respect and love you unconditionally. Then, pamper yourself - get your hair done, get a professional massage and take time out, each day, to appreciate nature.
EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
What's emotional wellness, anyway? It's all about your mental health. The American Psychological Association (APA) points out that research increasingly supports the idea that emotional and physical health are very closely linked (APA, How to Find Help Through Psychotherapy, 1998) and that illness should be addressed both at emotional and physical levels.
The APA points to many important topics under health and emotional wellness - coping with stress (whether everyday stress or stress associated with disease and illness); exercising for a healthy mind and body; recognising and dealing with depression; meditation; music and mental health; food and relaxation; silencing the disturbing chatter of the mind and the continuous self-analysis.
WELLNESS STRATEGIES
How about implementing these quick and easy wellness strategies this year:
Think positively.
Most people have a running commentary going on in their heads, you know the self-talk or automatic thinking. What's the tone of your self-talk? Are you always telling yourself negative things and depreciating yourself like, "I'll never finish this assignment"; "I will never be successful" or "I am always so stupid, bad and worthless"? Check if these self-talks are really based on facts; they may just be irrational. You may want to reframe those negative self-talks into more positive tones because the theory is that your thinking impacts your feeling and behaviour.
De-stress.
Researchers (Cormier and Nurius, 2003) say that stress stems from demand exceeding capacity; that is, roles, tasks or expectations from oneself, others or the environment exceed one's ability or condition. However, stress can be the result of largely positive situations such as a job promotion, marriage, having a baby or moving house. Several studies point to a correlation between stress and heart disease, cancer and other serious health conditions.
So, add stress-management strategies to your wellness list. Try some exercise - it's good therapy not only for physical fitness but a growing body of research shows that exercise will relieve or at least reduce some symptoms of mental disorder, in particular depression and anxiety. Also, try sitting in Emancipation Park (or any other park) and listening to the waterfall, doing some gardening (even a small piece of earth will do), deep breathing regularly to take in more oxygen and meditating on pleasant scenes.
Check your life support.
Do an inventory of your 'life support' - who is really there for you, giving you unconditional support? Studies say that major life events, such as getting a divorce or getting the boot (being fired), can permanently change the cardiovascular system but a good support structure of trusted friends (one or two good ones will do) can be a real buffer, protecting you from illness. Mayoclinic.com reports a study by Mark Roy, Ph.D., Penn State University (U.S.), where men facing a lot of stressful life events had their blood pressure getting higher but those with strong social-support networks recovered much faster.
Count your blessings.
Link this strategy to the positive-thinking strategy above. Counting your blessings is about cultivating an attitude of gratitude to increase your sense of satisfaction with life. You can choose to wallow in misfortunes or focus your energy on the good things in your life. At the end of each day you should be able to record, in your diary, at least five great things in your life.
Stay with us this year as we shore up your mental health.
(See related article by Dr. Wendel Abel.)
You can send feedback to eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com.
