With a new year comes new resolutions. For some, the focus on the year is improved physical health. For others, it might be better mental health. While achieving either goal may not be as simple as diet and exercise, there are various ways to strengthen your mental health.
Raquel C. Hare, a licensed marriage and family therapist and owner of Heart’N Mind Counseling in Brentwood, suggests setting reasonable goals. By planning objectives that are realistic and fit within your lifestyle, you are less likely to give up on them quickly.
“Take it one month at a time,” she said. “Don’t get overwhelmed and don’t project two months or six months in advance or a whole year. Just take it a month at a time and in a year, you’ll realize ‘Oh my gosh, I actually achieved my goals.’”
To boost your mental health and help with stress, Hare suggested learning a new skill as a resolution. That skill can be anything that you feel will help with your daily life, such as budgeting or time management, to help with stressful situations. Your mental health goals can also work hand in hand with your physical health goals.
“Movement is fantastic,” Hare said. “I always encourage everybody to move, whether it’s a 10-minute walk, just pick something you like to do. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t have to be going to a spa all day.”
Mindfulness can help you strengthen your mental health at home or in your spare time. Hare described mindfulness as “the ability to be able to stay focused on the here and now. Look at it as having a curiosity and sense of acceptance in your current experience.”
Hare recommended writing in a daily journal to help with mindfulness as it provides clarity and helps control your emotions.
She also mentioned adult coloring books as a way to let go of stress and focus on your creative side. “There’s different things out there that suit you,” said Hare about other mindfulness techniques. “Some people say positive affirmations in the mirror, some people pray, some people meditate, others do yoga. It really depends on your style.”
More stressful events in your life could mean joining a support group.
Joy Hamilton, the administrative director of the Kaleidoscope Cancer Connection in Byron, works with families of cancer patients. She offered insight into how group meetings help people dealing with the illness.
“We have a group called Coffee with Carolyn, which is a specialized group only for people who are dealing with cancer and are currently in treatment or caring for someone in treatment,” Hamilton said. “They can come and say whatever they want to say, and they can support one another. It’s one of our most popular groups; we have about 20 people at each meeting. I think they need that a lot. These people, a lot of them can’t drive that far, so it’s been a lifesaver for some of the families where they can get to people quickly and nearby.”
Hare and Hamilton said that additional support from a group or professional is entirely dependent on you and your situation. However, those resources are always available for when you are ready.
“A lot of people may look at counseling or therapy as a negative,” Hare said. “There’s still a stigma that ‘I have to be really broken, or sick, or there’s something wrong with me’, but that’s not the case. You can come to counseling at any time.”
Heart’N Mind Counseling is at 191 Sand Creek Road in Brentwood. Their phone number is 925-331-0457.
Kaleidoscope Cancer Connection is at 14671 Byron Highway. Their phone number is 925-237-1614.