October 10th is known as World Mental Health Day.
Throughout history, mental health is something that society has paid little attention to. The consequences of one’s mental state can affect one’s physical and emotional well-being. Not many people realize the small things they can do to improve their mental state. Here are ideas for the next time one of those days comes around:
recommended coping mechanisms
- Reach out to your loved ones. No matter who that person may be, opening up and communicating is key to overcoming those negative emotions. It could be a parent or another family member, but in other cases it could be a friend or someone who serves as a sort of mentor in life. This individual is someone you can trust and confide in to talk about feelings or issues that may be occurring. Other forms of emotional therapy include service animals. Not everyone has a person in their life they are able to trust, so people may go to their dog or cat.
- Share a smile or a laugh. Walking by someone with a smile not only naturally produces serotonin for the person smiling, but for the individual witnessing it due to what is known as the mirror effect in psychology. The mirror effect occurs when watching a performed action and the brain produces neurons that trick it into believing it is performing that action. Even stopping someone to check in with them or to share a laugh can be beneficial. All of these naturally produce serotonin and result in making one feel better.
- Journaling. For those who tend to be more introverted when it comes to sharing feelings, a journal could be one’s partner in crime. It allows for a comfortable and judgement free zone to open up about what one is dealing with or feeling.
- Listening to music. From the lyrics to even the beat of the song, one can find a connection that allows them to feel understood and less alone. This can be known as music therapy which has been shown in data to be highly effective among school-aged children because it encourages self-expression.
- Working out/Sports. Physical activity allows for one to release negative feelings through the movement of the body. This is a version of what is known as sublimation. Sublimation has been proven to be the only coping mechanism that is successful, but everyone communicates differently when going through situations. It allows for the sensation of release from any anxiety, sadness, anger, and/or frustration.
Just being able to share one of these coping mechanisms with another individual can do a lot for someone. When interacting with one another, always treat others the way one wants to be treated. Although it is cliché, everyone has their own baggage and experiences they are trying to get through. That is what society needs to realize and remember. Everyone has downs and no one may ever know when they are experiencing them. Mental health as a whole needs to be talked about more, no matter the stereotypes. Everyone’s hardships deserve to be worked out. Again, everything connects. The mind is what controls the body and without a healthy functioning mind, everything begins to go south.
With that all being said, remember to smile, enjoy the little moments, hug family and friends tighter, listen to music, get to know yourself, and love yourself. No one is alone and never forget to speak up. Help be a part of the new norm of speaking up about mental health.