The Path to Mental Wellness

Mental wellness refers to intentionally caring for one’s mental and emotional well-being by taking an active role in one’s health. Many people only focus on physical health and ignore their mental health, yet physical illness can often begin with mental distress.

For example, if you care for an aging parent or have recently experienced financial strain, the chronic stress will affect your nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight-or-flight response, as adrenaline and cortisol flood the system. You begin to suffer from brain fog, panic attacks, and insomnia. Eventually, this can lead to physical illnesses. Boosting mental wellness can keep you emotionally resilient and better able to handle stress.

Factors that Affect Mental Wellness

Mental wellness goes beyond thinking positive thoughts. The brain controls the body’s systems. If you are overwhelmed, stressed, or fearful, the brain will send a message to the nervous system that you are under attack. Even if this danger is not a predator, but looming bills or deadlines, the brain and nervous system still consider it a danger to your well-being.

As your nervous system stays in high alert, releasing adrenaline and cortisol to keep you ready to run or fight, your body begins to break down. You may experience sleep issues, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, appetite changes, and more.

The following are factors that can also affect mental wellness.

Physical Health

Your physical health can also affect your mental well-being. Chronic illnesses can contribute to mental conditions, such as anxiety and depression. People with autoimmune disorders are at a higher risk of developing mood disorders compared with the general population. As many as 55% of autoimmune disorder patients will develop anxiety, and roughly 50% will develop depression.

Hormonal issues can also contribute to poorer mental health. Women during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause experience sharp fluctuations in hormones, causing mood changes, anxious feelings, and persistent sadness.

Social Interactions

Introverts tend to be loners most of the time or need time to decompress after too much social interaction. Yet, God created us to socialize with one another. When we isolate ourselves for too long, our mental health can begin to spiral.

Toxic relationships and friendships can also take a toll on one’s mental health. If you feel as if you are walking on eggshells around someone, chances are your stress levels are high, and you are at risk of developing anxiety, depression, and possibly a trauma disorder. Seek help immediately if you are involved in a toxic or abusive relationship.

Stress Management

You might be stressed and not realize it because it has become your normal. You might have issues at home and at work that have built to a fever pitch, but to you, it feels like Thursday. Or you might think you are calm while carrying substantial debt and expecting twins, but your blood pressure is through the roof, and you can’t sleep through the night.

The body sends signals when it is in a state of high stress hormone levels. Learning stress management techniques will help you soothe your nervous system. Canceling and delegating tasks can help ease your mind. Eventually, your body will feel that the danger has ceased.

Cognitive Self-Regulation

Racing or intrusive thoughts can interfere with daily life. Thoughts that form beliefs can derail your goals and sabotage relationships, leading to depression and other mental conditions. Learning cognitive self-regulation, the process of staying mindful of your thoughts and reframing them, can lower your anxiety and boost self-esteem.

A counselor can help you determine if negative thoughts are weighing on your mental health. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method of identifying and analyzing thoughts, changing perspective, and acting accordingly to change the emotions associated with them. Your counselor can help you learn the basics of CBT.

The Path to Mental Wellness

There are things you can do to improve your mental wellness. You want to treat your mental health with as much priority as your physical health. If you work to address your physical, mental, and spiritual health together, you will feel more comfortable in your own skin, feel closer to God, and experience more peace.

The following are several suggestions for finding your path to mental wellness.

Use a mindfulness journal

A mindfulness journal provides you with an outlet to express your thoughts and emotions. This intentional act of writing can help calm anxiety, focus your mind, and clear your mind of worries and fears. It can also be a place to record your gratitude to God for your blessings and answered prayers.

Although devices are an option, consider using a traditional pen and paper to record your thoughts. You can use your mindfulness journal in several ways; it belongs to you, and nothing you write will be shared unless you choose to share it with someone. Some clients ask their counselor to read a few entries to help them identify thought and behavioral patterns.

Spend time in green areas

Spending time in nature can ease your body’s systems and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Being outside can lower cortisol levels, allowing the body to relax. There is something special about standing in nature, God’s gift to humanity, and away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

Take regular walks outdoors if possible, or sit in a park or your backyard and practice deep breathing. If you live in the city, try to create a green space on a balcony or visit a park daily or weekly.

Take a social media sabbatical

Social media has its pros and cons. On one hand, you can enjoy connecting with others and local businesses or ministries. On the other hand, you risk falling into the comparison trap, envying others for their homes, families, careers, or appearances.

Occasional social media sabbaticals are good for your mental health. You could choose to step away on the weekends, during Lent, or around the holidays. If you find yourself mindlessly scrolling more than usual, try taking a week-long fast from social media and stay mindful of how often you reach for your phone or feel the impulse.

Don’t make social media an idol. Anything can become an idol if it replaces what you could be doing for God or how close you feel to Him. Take note of how much your mental health improves after a short fast from social media.

Create a nighttime routine

When your mental health is poor, sleep can become elusive. You may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep through the night. Creating a nighttime routine signals to your brain that it is time to unwind. Cortisol levels are naturally higher in the morning to help wake you, but as the day wears on, these levels begin to drop. By bedtime, they should be low enough for you to relax and fall asleep.

A nighttime routine helps your body feel relaxed and safe. Choose three tasks to do in the evenings to wind down. These could be at or after dinner time. For example, you could shower, slip into pajamas, and read a book. Try to avoid screens for at least two hours before bed.

Join a group

Avoid giving in to the urge to isolate when you feel overwhelmed or stressed. Now is the time to lean on others. Confide in a trusted friend or family member. Or form new friendships by inviting others over for coffee or out to lunch.

Join a group of others who share the same interest as you. If you don’t regularly attend a church, find a new one to visit. Check out their services, small groups, and volunteer opportunities. Volunteering and serving in a church can help you meet new people and form close-knit relationships while demonstrating Christ’s love for people.

Christian Counseling for Mental Wellness

If you are feeling mentally drained, overwhelmed, or depressed, contact our office today to speak to a representative. We will connect you with a Christian counselor to help you improve your mental wellness.

Your physical and mental health work in tandem. To feel more like yourself and better manage setbacks, stress, and life in general, let us help you with your mental wellness today.