May is Mental Health Awareness Month 2023; a month to pay attention to our own mental well-being and be supportive of others on their journeys. This awareness is to build empathy and understanding while breaking the stigma of being labeled with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. We all experience levels of human emotion, anxiety, depression, anger, fear, and their positive counterparts: joy, excitement, anticipation, and contentment. It is how we react and respond to these feelings that help hinder our progress. I have a lot of strategies and sometimes cycle through a bunch of them more than once an hour. I prefer drug-free tools and tactics, so those are what I will describe here including super patches and others. I would love to hear about some of your tools.
Here are 9 tricks that I use to boost my mental capacity and strengthen my mental health. These strategies are not to replace advice from medical professionals but to supplement and enhance daily life. If you are in crisis, please reach out to a friend, loved one, stranger, or medical professional to help. Despite what your brain may be telling you, we need you here.
1. Super Patches
My favorite strategy in times of stress, anxiety, or during “squirrel” moments, is to use my drug-free Super Patches. So, what are Super patches? They are little pieces of plastic with tactile patterns on them that interact with my skin to help my brain.
The Super Patches are drug-free – just pieces of plastic with bumps on them. I use different ones to help me sleep better, think better, focus better, calm myself, and even be happy. Sometimes I have a bunch of Super patches on at once!
2. Go Outside
Get outside, even if it is not pleasant. I find that being outside whether it’s at the beach or on my front porch gives me a different kind of energy. The sunshine helps but the energy is there even when it’s raining or snowing. Being childlike and getting muddy or wet is good therapy for stress.
When was the last time you made time to play in puddles? (Maybe best in warmer weather?) Does taking a walk outside calm you? What do you see? Hear? Smell? Be mindful of all your senses as you change your environment. Try doing this mental health awareness month 2023!
3. Spend time being grateful
I find that taking just a minute or two to think of 3 to 5 things that I can be grateful for can make a significant impact on elevating my mood. I highly suggest writing them down each day so you can reflect back on them in the days ahead. It’s hard to be angry and grateful at the same time. Likewise, you are less likely to be discouraged or frustrated while grateful. There is great research on how gratitude can change your brain. Check out this study of University students who were seeking counseling for depression and anxiety and had gratitude as an option.
What are you grateful for right now? Can you come up with 3-5 things? Sometimes when I am struggling, I can be grateful to be able to breathe, walk, and eat good food. Other times, I can write a book of gratitude. Do you find that happens for you as well? Do think about it on this mental health awareness month 2023!
4. Eating Healthy
Eating healthy food, and having a well-balanced diet is great for your mental health, …and so is dark chocolate! Finding a balance between an occasional indulgence in dark chocolate and eating foods that are good for me can be challenging, but both give me the boost I need.
I look for cool new recipes that will help my body both physically and mentally. I often start my day with a smoothie and “hide” extra fruit, veggies, and protein in a tasty drink. Part of the adventure is trying new things and seeing the effects on my body and brain. Also, when I pack in the good stuff, it is easier to say yes to a small piece of dark chocolate, which is actually good for your brain.
What is your favorite “brain” food? What foods put you in a good mood? What do you tend to go for when you are stressed, tired, or hungry?
5. Get a massage
Massage is a great way to focus on self-care and affect your mental state. For me, it is not only receiving a massage but also giving them. Taking the time to recognize each muscle and how it releases, or just languishing in relaxation, can be of great relief from stress, depression, and anxiety. Also, paying attention to the muscles of another can connect you to your own sensations.
We often go right to thinking about massage as a self-care tool but don’t necessarily indulge as it can be expensive. What if you spent some time working on your own body? Give it a thought this mental health awareness month 2023!
6. Acts of Service
Do something kind for somebody else. Sometimes it’s easier to raise your vibration and feel better by changing your focus and making someone else’s life better. I never get tired of seeing the looks on people’s faces when I have done something nice or helpful for them.
There is a natural increase in dopamine from helping someone and making them feel good (Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that plays a role in how we experience pleasure. The more dopamine, the more fun!). These acts of service need not be huge or expensive.
In fact, sometimes it is the small things that have the greatest impact. Hold a door; make a coffee; sit and listen; make a meal; share stories; these are all ways to connect and serve. How else have you served? Do try this month.
7. Move your body
There is a lot of research that champions exercise and movement as they build resilience and strength, both physically and mentally. Exercise releases hormones and chemicals in your brain that turn you around. The trick is to get started and for that, sometimes baby steps are required.
Movement is medicine, whether it is cardio or not. Add some creativity and you will be surprised as to how much better you feel. My friend Michel Brown does amazing work with movement and music. Do you do yoga? Tai chi? Dance? Stretching? Do you find it easier to do solo, with a partner, or in a group?
8. Play
Play, whether it’s with a child, an animal, a musical instrument, or a creative project. These things can take your mind off stress, relieve it a little bit, clear your brain, and fill it with positivity and creativity. Brene Brown has said that one of the scariest emotions is joy because we begin to wonder when the shoe will drop and what will happen next that is not joyful.
Find your snippets of joy in moments. What will you do to play today? Can you make time for it? I might go so far as to say it is as important as breakfast.
9. Breathe
I was in a bistro one day and saw this acrostic poem on the back of a woman’s t-shirt. I took a photo and have adapted it to suit my needs at the moment. I will often do a video at the beach and say it out loud to share with those who may need it. I expand on each word as I feel in the moment.
- Believe
- Release
- Expand
- Align
- Trust
- Hear or Heal
- Exhale
The Final Words
Maybe you can wrap all these tips together and play outside with a friend, as you did as a child, get your exercise in, and then follow it up with a massage.
Can you make an afternoon of it?
Can you do it for more than a day? More than a month?
Which of these tips can you put into practice every day? Can you try super patches? Can you do an act of service? What other tools do you use?
Don’t be afraid to add new tools and share them with your friends. Who knows, you may have one they need at the right time, and vice versa.
May your Mental Health Awareness month be filled with empathy, learning, sharing, laughter and smiles as you continue on your life’s journey. Please feel free to share your tips, tricks, and success as we all benefit.
Beth Hill Poulin
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