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Get Healthy De Soto

…having a long-lasting positive impact on the health and safety of the De Soto community by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, through programs promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, weight control and disease and injury prevention.

Mental Health Challenges

Almost 20% of adults in America experience a mental health challenge. We’re a terribly stressed society. One way to improve your mental health is to accept reality as it is though. Sometimes in life we end up in situations that we just can’t change. Acceptance is all about fully accepting your reality in situations that are beyond your control. This doesn’t mean you approve of the situation, are giving up, or that it isn’t painful. You are still allowed to (and should!) feel however you feel, but by accepting that it is what it is, you give the problem less power over you, and you can begin to move forward. And practicing this acceptance has been shown to reduce feelings of shame, guilt, and anxiety.

One way to cope is through the use of coping statements. These are sentences that remind you that different, healthier ways of thinking are possible. Repeating them (think mantra) can help you get through difficult moments – you can focus on just one or make a long list of your own. Some examples are:

  • It is what it is.
  • I can’t change what has already happened.
  • I can accept things the way they are.
  • I can only control my own actions and reactions.

If it helps, write your coping statements on Post-It notes and put them in places where you will see them multiple times a day, or set an alarm on your phone with a coping statement to pop up with a reminder every now and again.

When you’re fighting against reality, the first step in accepting reality is gaining awareness that you’re resisting it. It may seem like this would be easy to spot, but there are actually a lot of subtle ways that people push against reality. If you’re feeling bitter or resentful, wishing things were different, or thinking about how life isn’t fair, you might be fighting reality.

Learning to spot that, and to practice your coping strategies, takes…well, practice. It’s a great way to deal with difficult situations that we just can’t control. It takes time though, and don’t be hard on yourself if you fail. Start small with simple situations, and build from there. For example, curse the moon when traffic is at a standstill. Then, take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, and say, “this isn’t something I can control.” It might be awkward at first, but don’t let that stop you.

If you have a grandmother or mother of a certain age, she might have taught you this very skill when you were small and you didn’t even realize it. For example, sirens can be stressful for people. My grandmother always had us say a prayer for whoever was driving and might be riding in the emergency vehicle when we heard sirens. It was a way for a little kid to process that anxiety and help us realize that we couldn’t do anything about it other than pray. Pretty simple, right? If you look back over the course of your years, you might find similar instances of this sort of acceptance of reality. Reinstitute those! It make make you healthier.

Mental Health Tools

We can all joke about the pandemic making us crazy, and a bit like Kevin Bacon, the closer in degrees you are to me, the more likely you are to fit that description. I seem to attract crazy people (and I’m okay with that)!

It’s been a hard year, and for some of us, a clinical diagnosis of a mental illness has really happened. For others, trying to determine if professional help is needed is difficult. There is an incredible stigma that goes with mental health, and one way to combat that stigma is to start having discussions about your mental health. No, not just discussions with the people who share space in your head! Actual discussions with friends and family about stress, struggles, sleep (or lack of it), and coping skills.

I have a friend who prepares me for her own unburdening. Before going into a big rant about something and asking my opinion, she first asks if I have mental space to deal with her issue. I love her consideration, and even more, it makes me think about whether I’m at a place to listen or not. Her approach is as unique as she is. However, like most of us, if you were woefully unprepared for all the stress of this pandemic, it’s time to assess where you are and where you can make improvements.

A simple way to start is through a mental health assessment. Mental Health America offers some screening tools that you might find beneficial. Word of warning though: there are a lot of them, so if you get stressed by having too many options and not being able to make a decision, prepare yourself mentally before clicking the link!

These easy, online assessments can help you evaluate if professional help is needed and help you locate appropriate health care providers. It’s just a small step to improving your mental health.

Online Assessment Tools

Move More

Anxiety and stress generally come with holidays. This is especially true this year as we all deal with a pandemic too. Families are making decisions about whether to gather, which isn’t an easy decision to make. When stress runs high, it is important to keep moving. Physical activity is important for your overall health, but can help with your mental health situation during these difficult times.

If you’re looking for something new, you might give mindful meditation or yoga a try. Yoga is usually slow-moving, focuses on breathing, improves balance, and can improve flexibility. This short video from MU Extension might help get you started. It was created for beginners.

And if you need a bit of sunshine, you might check out this video from a few years ago. It features Glennon Doyle Melton, an alcoholic with an eating disorder who spent time as a teenager in a mental hospital. This presentation at a TEDx event in Michigan lays it all on the table and identifies her “brutiful” life. It has some aspects which you can probably identify, and she’s a little funny in the telling. It is a reminder that we all have vulnerable times and need to learn to ask for help.

Mental Health Check-In

We do regular screenings and physicals with a doctor; or we should. It is time we started doing some regular mental health screenings too. The simplest way to ensure good mental health is to regularly “check-in” on your own mental health. You might do this daily, weekly, or monthly. It can be difficult at first do make the task regular, but a bit of discomfort when assessing your own mental health is to be expected when you first get started. Here are some good questions to include.

Minaa B., LMSW

Asking yourself about your overall wellness is important, so when you assess how you’re feeling, include both your mental and physical health. In fact, certain aspects of mental health can influence your physical health.

The headspace question is really about determining if there is too much going on up there. Are there so many tasks and ideas roving about that it makes it difficult to get any of them done? Basically, this question has you assessing your stress level.

Question 3 is about depression and anxiety. These often lead to a loss of appetite. It also helps you assess if you’re really upset about something or just hangry!

Fatigue and insomnia can often be signs of larger issues too, so assessing this on a regular basis might help you determine changes and shifts in your sleep patterns. A smart watch can be helpful for this too. Although I don’t put much stock in my Garmin’s sleep data, I do check on my average sleep time about once a month. We could all use a little more rest, and checking it regularly is a helpful reminder.

The question about joy…I don’t take much stock in the lady who says to rid your home of items that don’t bring you joy. (There are a ton of functional items in my home that don’t particularly bring me joy. There’s the whole washer/dryer stacked unit downstairs. Does it bring joy?) When you’re assessing your mental state though, if you’re repetitively finding it difficult to find things that will bring you joy, it might be time for a change or to reach out to some one who can help you find your way back to those things that provide joy.

In times of such great uncertainty, stress can multiple. It is important to do things to survive, but not just survive; we need to be able to recover as well. None of us know when that might happen, but a recent article from Harvard University addresses how you can survive this time of turmoil.

  1. Step back. When traumatic events are occurring, whether it’s a natural disaster, pandemic, or mass shooting, you need to stay abreast of the news, but the goal is to stay informed without increasing your anxiety level. Turn off the notifications on your phone, and be particularly wary of spending too much time on social media.
  2. Take action. To take back some control, get involved in activities that can help others or address the situation. Volunteer, or help with food drives.
  3. Reach out. Social connections are crucial in difficult situations. If you can’t see people in person, then connect with the help of technology, such as video conferencing or even a simple phone call.
  4. Get rose-colored glasses. While advice to look on the bright side in the face of hard times may seem trite and unhelpful, don’t scoff. Evidence shows that positive thinking and having the ability to reframe a situation in more positive terms can help people become more resilient in the face of problems.
  5. Be patient. Moving on from a traumatic event takes time. Allow yourself time to grieve.
  6. Get help. Make sure that sadness and stress don’t cross over into depression. The symptoms can be similar to stress and anxiety, but if they last more than a couple of weeks and get in the way of functioning at home or work, it is time to reach out for help.

Mental Health Questions to Ask Others

If you’re looking to assess the mental health of your children living at home, you might consider this article that offers some questions as a guide. It might assess mental health or just open good dialogue with your young adolescent.

And because more resources and options are better for some people, you can check out these questions for connecting with friends during this difficult time.

Mental Health America has some interest self-assessment tools that you might check out too. The assessments are fairly simple, and the website tries to connect you to resources based on your mental health needs.

Community Actions

If you’re interested in doing more to help with the mental health of our community, you might consider taking a Mental Health First Aid course. It is a simple way to show you care for the community and can equip you to help those around you. Several courses are being offered for free, and there are different courses for adults and those working with adolescents. You can learn more here.

Say Something Foundation

Guest Spot by Jeff Tripp

On September 27, 2018, our daughter, Camryn, ended her life by suicide, thus bringing an end to a lifelong battle with mental illness that most did not know she had. On the outside, Camryn appeared normal, engaging in activities that others her age were involved in. But she could never understand why she felt the way she did. She was a gifted singer and student, but her greatest gift was the ability to “act” normal and say all the right things. It wasn’t Camryn’s responsibility to reach out for help. She tried many times, but it was the misunderstandings of those who loved her that allowed her to take her own life. It is these misunderstandings that our foundation hopes to change.

Camryn’s story is unique, but it is not necessarily an untold story. Each year thousands of young people make the same decision: to walk away from their pain and their suffering. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-24, yet it is the one topic we don’t discuss.

Suicide does not discriminate. While most people who make the choice to take their own life suffer to some degree from mental illness, suicide has become an option for anyone struggling with life in general. Young people who just have a bad day can make that choice and are doing so at an alarming rate. On average, 5 out of 30 young people will consider suicide, 4 will make a plan to commit suicide, and 2 will actually attempt suicide. Females will attempt 3:1 more times compared to males, while males will succeed 4:1 more times compared with females.

While it can be difficult to recognize the signs, 80% of those who attempt suicide showed warning signs of their intentions. These might include thoughts of suicide, anxiety, or depression. It could simply be a feeling of overwhelming helplessness or a feeling of “no escape” brought on by rejection, hurt, or anger. The Say Something Foundation aims to help not just those afflicted with suicidal thoughts, but anyone who feels a struggle to get through life. The foundation was founded in memory of Camryn, and it doesn’t promise to put an end to suicide. Instead, the mission and vision is to raise awareness for those who are in the struggle, in addition to providing resources for those who need the help and/or want to help in an effort to reduce suicidal attempts. The organization is made of up nearly 100 volunteers, mostly young students, who are trained on the signs of suicide and how to handle someone who might be struggling. Volunteers are trained to “say something” when they feel it is appropriate.

To Say Something is to encourage others, but it also means to identify those in the struggle and have the courage to reach out and offer help. In addition to these effort, the Say Something Foundation offers scholarships to seniors, grants to groups, resources for families, small support groups, and grief support groups. In the past two years, approximately $30,000 has been raised and been used for scholarships and helping those in the struggle by either providing them support or helping with medical costs.

If you want more information on suicide or have an interest in educating yourself to help someone, please contact the Say Something Foundation at 314-520-7103 or 314-623-0164 (call or text). You can also email [email protected]

Guest Spot by Jeff Tripp. Learn more about him and the foundation he started using the button below.
Say Something Foundation

The Say Something Foundation is hosting their first cornhole tournament at the farmers’ market pavilion on September 26, 2020. For details, you can check out the Facebook event page.

News

Contact

[email protected]
314-471-3681

Mailing Address

1002 Rock Rd.
DeSoto, MO 63020