May 2017 is Mental Health Awareness Month

Greetings to all Blog Readers & Followers who are following along as we discuss Mental Health this month.  We've briefly discussed some of the myths & facts surrounding Mental Health in our last Blog Session.

When we were last here, we also talked about the importance of having a Journal and writing in it daily.  The Journal Therapy exercise that was suggested involved answering a few questions and writing the answers in your Journal.  The purpose of doing the Journal exercise was to get you started on your writing and to invite you to recognize the benefits of thinking as you are living.  Your thoughts play an important role when it comes to your mental health.

Many people already use Journals or Diaries on a daily basis.  For those of you who do not use a Journal or a Diary, take the time to purchase one or both, and begin to use your Journal/Diary as a tool for self awareness.

Decorated Journal

One area to focus on during your personal Journal sessions is your mental health.  When you were a teenager, you might have kept a diary hidden beneath your mattress. It became your confidant and a place to confess your struggles and fears without judgment or punishment. It probably felt good to get all of those thoughts and emotions out of your head and down on paper. The world seemed clearer.

Although you may have ditched the diary once you reached adulthood, the concept and its benefits still apply. Now it’s called journaling.  It's simply writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. And if you struggle with stress, depression, or anxiety, keeping a journal can help you gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health.

But keep in mind, Diaries are still used by adults as well as young adults.  The Diary has not vanished off the face of the earth.  In fact, people create beautiful personal Diaries that invite usage...

Personalized Diary with tabs

Let's take the above Personalized Diary as an example of what you can do with a little creativity.  If you opt for tabs in your Diary, you can label them with any topics that you like.  For instance, if you are using a particular Diary to focus strictly on Mental Health, you may want to have tabs that help you to identify your problems, fears, and concerns.  You may also opt to have tabs that allow for you to document within your Diary your stress triggers, anxiety triggers, or mood swings.

If your emotions vary from day to day, and you would like to get a handle on why this happens, keeping a Diary is one way to find out.  Writing down what you do each day, and being clear about the emotions you are feeling when you are encountering certain situations during your day, will help you to understand your mood changes.

One of the ways to deal with any overwhelming emotion is to find a healthy outlet in which to express yourself, which makes a Diary or a Journal a helpful tool in managing your mental health.

Written Self~Expression has many mental & emotional health benefits!

Journaling and/or keeping a Diary can help:

• Manage anxiety
• Reduce stress
• Cope with depression

Journaling and/or keeping a Diary helps control your symptoms and improve your mood by:

• Helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns
• Tracking any symptoms day-to-day so that you can recognize triggers and learn ways to better control them

Both Journaling and keeping a Diary provides an opportunity for you to experience positive self-talk and also helps you to identify negative thoughts and behaviors.

When you have a problem and you're stressed, keeping a Journal or writing in your Diary can help you identify what’s causing that stress or anxiety. Then, once you’ve identified your stressors, you can work on a plan to resolve the problems and, in turn, reduce stress.

Keep in mind that keeping a Diary, or journaling is just one aspect of a healthy lifestyle for better managing stress, anxiety, and mental health conditions. To get the most benefits, be sure you also:

• Relax and meditate each day.
• Eat a nutritious, balanced diet.
• Exercise regularly—get in some activity every day.
• Treat yourself to plenty of sleep each night.
• Avoid alcohol and drugs.

You may use your Diary or Journal to make sure you follow the above guidelines daily.

Next Session we'll discuss:  How to use a Journal

~ See you back here with your Journals ~

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

MAY 2017 ~ Mental Health Awareness Month

Greetings Blog Readers ~ This month we are discussing mental health here on the Blog in an effort to open up discussions and to bring more awareness to the topic of mental health.

We'll be diving into many topics of discussion in relation to mental health, and hopefully you will be able to gain further knowledge and also add your input as well.

Please Note:  [You may catch up on any past Blog posts by scrolling down, or by clicking on any of the links in the far right column in the "Blog Archive".  As always, your thoughts, comments and/or questions are always welcomed and encouraged.  You may post your comments here on the Blog in the "Comments Section".  Remember you may also "Follow by Email", simply enter your Email address and click "submit" {far right column just below my eyeball}].

Let's take a look at Mental Health Myths & Facts:

Myth: Teenagers don’t suffer from “real” mental illnesses — they are just moody.
Fact: One in five teens has some type of mental health problem in a given year.

Myth: Talk about suicide is an idle threat that need not be taken seriously.
Fact: Suicide is the third leading cause of death among high school students and the second leading cause of death in college students. Talk about suicide should always be taken seriously.

Myth: Mental illness is an indication of weakness, and those experiencing problems should just “snap out of it.”
Fact: Mental illnesses are just that: illnesses. They are not character flaws. Facing a mental illness and going through the process of therapy takes an enormous amount of emotional and physical strength.

Myth: Mental illness is not real and cannot be treated.Fact: Mental disorders are as easy to diagnose as asthma, diabetes and cancer and have a range of effective treatments for most conditions.

Myth: Mental illnesses are not “real” medical illnesses.
Fact: Mental illnesses can be just as disabling as other medical illnesses, and many are at least partly biological in nature.

Myth: We’re good people. Mental illness doesn't happen to my family.
Fact: One in four families is affected by a mental health problem.

Myth: Eating disorders only affect celebrities and models.
Fact: Each year eating disorders and binge eating affect 24 million Americans. Eating disorders claim more lives each year than any other mental disorder.

Myth: It’s not depression; you're just going through a phase.
Fact: Nineteen million adults in the United States suffer from some form of depression every year.

Myth: Insurance doesn’t need to cover mental health; it’s not a big problem.
Fact: Fifty-four million Americans are affected by mental illness each year, regardless of ethnicity, sex or socioeconomic class.

Myth: Doctors are too busy treating physical problems to deal with mental health.
Fact: Up to one-half of all visits to primary care physicians are due to conditions that are caused or exacerbated by mental illness.

Myth: Mental illness is a personal problem not a business concern.
Fact: Depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States over back problems, heart disease and liver failure.

University of Michigan, Five Common Myths. (n.d.). Retrieved from URL  

Visit:  Healthy Campus - Mental Health Home

As part of the process of learning more about mental health on the Blog this month, we are Journaling our thoughts . . .

Journal Therapy

Journals are wonderful tools to keep in touch with your feelings, your emotions, your thoughts, and your day to day activities.  With respect to your mental health, you'll find that keeping a Journal is a very therapeutic exercise.

You'd be amazed at all of the things that have happened in your life up to this point that you have pushed under the rug.  Writing in a Journal daily helps you keep in touch with your authentic and true "self".  The original "you" is not who others make you out to be.  Nor is the original "you" the incidences that have dampened your spirit.  The original "you" knows exactly who you are and the greatness you are capable of.

No matter what anyone has said about you or to you that you know is not true, remember your true "self" is bigger and better than any insults, criticisms, lies, or hurtful comments.

A Journal helps you to see the joyful moments of your life as well.  Your life has been full of many moments of accomplishments and conquests for the betterment of others that you may have discounted.  Many of your most joyful moments others do not have a clue about.  No one is with you every step of your life.  They do not see all of the joys, nor do they see or know about all of your hurts.  You know you better than anyone else.

Here is a Journal exercise for you this evening...

Get comfortable, put on your favorite music, light some candles, burn some incense, turn on your therapeutic water fountain . . .

I'm going to help you to get your Journal Party started!  Pull out your favorite Journal and your favorite ink pen.  In your Journal, write about . . .

1)  The first joyful moment you can remember.

2)  How old were you, and why were you so happy about that particular joyful moment?

3)  Who, (if any), were the people involved or around?

4)  Where was the location of your first joyful moment?

5)  Now, consider the first incident in your life that made you unhappy, sad, scared, or angry.

6)  How old were you, and what was the reason that you were unhappy, sad, scared, or angry?

7)  Who, (if any), were the people involved or around?

8)  Where was the location of your first incident of unhappiness, sadness, fear or anger?

Go back in your mind as far as you can to answer the questions above, and to revisit the emotions associated with the joy and the pain.  You may think you have forgotten, but the answers to those questions are in your subconscious mind.

After you have taken the time to write all of the above items in your Journal, sit back for a minute and just breathe ~ relax.

Put on a song that you absolutely L O V E!

We'll be back . . .

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

MAY 2017

Mental Health Awareness Month

During the month of May, here on the Blog, we will be focusing on Mental Health Awareness.

Now is a good time to pull out your Journal, or get a new one specifically for the purpose of taking a good look at where you stand in terms of your own mental health.  Not only will you learn more about yourself, you'll also open your mind up to those around you.  Writing has a way of clearing out all that you have within and laying it on the table so to speak.

Not everyone is willing to talk about what is going on with them.  Sometimes, people tend to become silent when they are going through problems, or have issues that they feel are painful or too private to share.  Voila!  ~ Here is where your Journal comes into the picture.

This month, Journal your thoughts!

If you have people around you who are sullen, bad-tempered, gloomy, sour, resentful, pouty, foul mannered, surly, moody, unfriendly, unpleasant, short-tempered, grumpy, or just plain hateful, just know that there is much more behind those dispositions.

People who fly off the handle for minor reasons tend to displace what they are really angry about and project it onto the nearest person or thing to them.  Just think about the person who throws things, or in worst cases is violent towards others.  Road Rage is a good example.  To the extreme, there are the cases of domestic violence.

Many people need anger management, and if they are wise they will recognize that they have a problem and seek help through counseling or therapy to work through whatever the problem or issue may be.  Ruining relationships, losing jobs, causing broken marriages, and in some cases ruining the life of the angry one is the end result when the person does not recognize that they have a problem and they don't take the steps needed to get help.

Think for a minute about the two year old that has tantrums and falls out into the floor when they don't get their way.  What is that really all about?  Is it because they are too young to really know how to express their feelings?

A temper tantrum is a sudden, unplanned display of anger or other emotions.  It is not just an act to get attention.  During a temper tantrum, children often cry, yell, and swing their arms and legs.  Temper tantrums usually last 30 seconds to 2 minutes and are most intense at the start.

Temper tantrums are unpleasant and disruptive behaviors or emotional outbursts. They often occur in response to unmet needs or desires. Tantrums are more likely to occur in younger children or others who cannot express their needs or control their emotions when they are frustrated.  Temper tantrums or "acting-out" behaviors are natural during early childhood.  It is normal for children to want to be independent as they learn they are separate people from their parents.  This desire for control often shows up as saying "no" often and having tantrums. Tantrums are worsened by the fact that the child may not have the vocabulary to express his or her feelings.

When it comes to children, tantrums usually begin in children 12 to 18 months old.  They get worse between age 2 to 3, then decrease until age 4.  After age 4, they rarely occur. Being tired, hungry, or sick, can make tantrums worse or more frequent.

But what about ADULTS?  Is it called a temper tantrum or a need for Anger Management when an adult acts in the same way as a two-year old does?

Could it be that the Adult has not grown up mentally?

Adult temper tantrum

Dear Blog Readers:  There are many areas to discuss when Journals come into the picture.  It is worth your time to start now on your Journal Journey.  During the month of May, we will be focusing on Mental Health Awareness, and remember, you will learn more about your "self", and those around you -- trust me.  We'll come back here to the Blog with more fuel for your Journal Fire!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved