Who can influence your mental well-being? You!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

By Melanie Dallas, LPC

We have learned a lot about mental illness over the past decades. We’ve learned that many mental illnesses are, at their most basic, the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, but also that the factors that influence that imbalance are many and varied. We also know that mental illness can be treated, and that people can recover.

But for all we’ve learned about mental illness, one of the most important things we’ve learned is that there are things each of us can do, every day, to protect our mental health.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year’s theme is More Good Days, Together. But if simply having a good day doesn’t strike you as a realistic recipe for good mental health, it turns out that you have more influence than you might think – and asserting your influence can indeed make a positive, and significant, difference in the quality of your days, and your overall wellbeing.

Let’s start with what we already know. For example, we know that physical activity, good eating and sleeping habits, avoiding tobacco and drinking enough water can help protect your physical health. Does doing those things mean you’ll never have a physical illness? Of course not, but they reduce your risk, they help protect your health. Most important, they are all within your power – you can have a positive influence on your physical health and wellness.

It’s the same principle with mental health. First of all, because physical and mental health are inexorably linked within each of us, those things that can influence your physical health also influence your mental health – for better and worse. And just as there are actions that help your physical body, there are steps you can take to improve your mental wellbeing.

On its website, Mental Health America (MHA) – which originated Mental Health Awareness Month – has an immense number of resources about mental health and wellness (they also have mental health screening tools, which may be helpful if you find yourself struggling). I want to share three simple things to start – they may not seem like much, but try them and see what happens.

First, make small changes. In other words, make decisions about the things you can control – maybe what you wear, what you’ll have for lunch, what you’ll do after work. According to MHA, research shows that when you feel like you’re doing something you want to do, expressing yourself, you often feel better.

Second, help others. I’ve personally found that I always feel good when I perform a random act of kindness. Maybe it is helping a stranger carry packages out of the store, holding the door for someone, listening to a co-worker vent. On a larger scale, you might also volunteer with an organization whose work is meaningful to you. Research also shows that helping others makes you feel good about yourself.

Finally, be kind to yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in negative self-talk, but when was the last time you gave yourself a compliment? Do you look good today? Was your comment in the staff meeting meaningful? Try saying to yourself the positive and supportive things you might say to a friend who is struggling. Remember, we all make mistakes, so give yourself some grace and understanding when you do.

Still, if you find yourself having more bad days than good, or struggling to have any good days at all, maybe it is time to seek help – and you may want to talk to your doctor or a mental health counselor. And while I will be the first to acknowledge that not every day will be a good day, there is much about every day – and how you feel about the day – that you can influence.

Melanie Dallas is a licensed professional counselor and CEO of Highland Rivers Behavioral Health, which provides treatment and recovery services for individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities in a 13-county region of northwest Georgia that includes Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Floyd, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk and Whitfield counties.