I came across an excellent article by @hungryhustle yesterday which talked about Mental Health Awareness Week. This came as a timely reminder for me as I have been feeling increased anxiety over the last couple of weeks. If you have been following my page for a while you will know I make no secret of the fact I have suffered from anxiety and depression in the past, and these are things I still have to deal with from time to time.

There are numerous statistics to highlight the prevalence of mental health, but I think the quote below shows how widespread it is:

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year - nami.org

Its ok to ask for help

Unfortunately, there is still a stigma surrounding mental health issues. As a child growing up in New Zealand this stigma was fairly strong (especially for males), as we have the ‘She’ll be right’ attitude’ - and lots of ‘macho’ rugby player types who don't like to talk about their feelings. However, there has been some massive campaigns for change over the last decade around speaking up if you have mental health issues led by former All Black John Kirwan. Here is a great video of him talking about his depression:

John Kirwan has also written a great book ‘All Blacks Don’t Cry’, which I read when I was going through depression and it really helped - he talks a lot about ‘holding onto hope’ and the fact that things will get better. It is really helpful to know that there are many other people who may have gone through similar experiences to you.

Your body is a temple

A huge part of feeling healthy revolves around how you treat your body - what you eat and how much exercise you do. I know when I am eating healthy food with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables I feel a million bucks! When I start to go of the rails and eat junk food (unfortunately abit like now) I start to feel sluggish, low on energy and also low in mood. I even blogged about this a while back how I went on a 28 day sugar detox and how much healthier I felt - I should probably do something like again!

I like to go to the gym and lift weight, and I have been doing this alot less lately which will also be affecting my overall mood.

We have been living in Spain for over 6 months now where it has been winter, and before that we had just come through winter in New Zealand. Winter means spending alot less time outside and in the sun. There is research to suggest that less time in the sun can affect energy levels and how you feel mentally. Luckily now it is coming into summer, which means spending more time outside and getting back to being more active!

You can run but you can’t hide

A big mistake I have made in the past is ignoring my problems or thinking I could run away from them. WIth anxiety and depression they won't go away if you don't make changes, and will likely follow you around for a lifetime. Often the first step to making changes is to speak to someone and admit you have a problem. I remember when I first spoke to someone about how I was feeling it was a huge weight off my shoulders.

Going to counselling can be helpful, as can help you to realise where the issues are coming from and ways to fix them. Often this means changing your thought patterns (especially with anxiety), eating healthy, exercising and creating overall healthy habits.

I hope this has been insightful, and remember ‘It's ok to ask for help’

Reference:
https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers