Emotional Pain Is Not Something That Should Be Hidden: 12 Key Principles To Boost Your Mental Health
- Sandy Ische
- May 2
- 3 min read
May is mental health awareness month when America sets time aside as a nation to recognize how vital our mental health is to our well-being and to reduce the stigma around mental health challenges. Why do we set a whole month aside? Because, YOU matter and your mental health is paramount to your over-all well-being.
According to the Mayo Clinic, mental illness, also referred to as mental health disorders encompasses disorders that affect mood, thinking, and behavior, such as anxiety and depression, as well as schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors.
Studies reveal increased rates in anxiety and depression. Don’t turn on the news, it will only increase your anxiety and depression. What will you hear? Tragic global events. In addition, technology and ever-changing cultural norms continue to reshape how we talk about and care for our mental health. Why this is important? Ignoring one’s mental health concerns only makes it worse. Being aware of our fears and anxieties and taking action to boost one’s mental well-being is crucial to staying healthy.
1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
33.5% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2021 (19.4 million individuals)
The rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have a mental illness (5.8%) compared to those who do not (3.6%)
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They say that movement is life. One way to create movement is by being proactive in taking care of your needs - your self-care. Self-care is more than an idiom, it’s about being intentional, taking charge of what you can control, and setting boundaries around your spiritual, social, physical, mental and emotional well-being. A small shift can make a huge different in your mental health.
Being aware of the signs of anxiety, depression, of feeling overwhelmed, or being burned-out can make a difference in how you prioritize your self-care needs. Be open to asking for help and receiving support from family and friends, talk to a pastor, or seek professional mental health services.
Knowledge is power and power means taking responsibility toward your over-all health.
12 Key Principles To Boost Your Mental Health
Check in with yourself.
How are you feeling emotionally?
Realize when you are not okay.
Take time to journal your emotions.
What do you need that will help you feel better?
Are you creating space for the things you need?
Who are the people you feel safe with that can pray for you and be with you?
Make a list of the things you are grateful for.
What are the things you enjoy doing?
Set specific self-care goals.
11. Be intentional about taking care of yourself and meeting your needs.
12. Prioritize and set boundaries to safeguard your well-being.
"Emotional pain is not something that should be hidden away and never spoken about. There is truth in your pain, there is growth in your pain, but only if it’s first brought out into the open.” — Steven Aitchison
Mental health awareness reminds us that individuals are hurting and that many are carrying invisible burdens. They appear to be okay on the outside, but on the inside there is a heaviness that is draining their soul and leaving them empty from the life they could be experiencing.
What is one area of your mental health that is suffering?
What action are you taking on a regular basis to protect your mental health?
How are you prioritizing the relationships where you feel loved, safe, and vulnerable?
What is one action you can take this week to create space to elevate how you feel and to do the things you enjoy doing?
Today is the day to take care of your mental health! It begins with awareness, followed by action. How important is your mental health to you? Why does your mental health matter to you? Let that be your anchor toward motivation and let your action begin today.
Hope is yours for the taking. Your mental well-being is a non-negotiable. Change is possible.
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10
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