Make Your Mental Health a Priority in 2016

As the year comes to a close many people look at the new year as a fresh start. People make resolutions to lose weight, eat healthy and save money, but what about mental health? Who wouldn’t want to be happier and less stressed? We put so much emphasis on physical health and often ignore the fact that a person needs to be well, both physically and mentally, in order to be a healthy person.

For 2016, make your mental health a priority. You may know that you are unhappy, but do you know exactly why? Maybe you’re always stressed and overwhelmed, but you don’t know how to cope. Instead of ignoring your feelings, pay attention to them and try to understand what is causing them. Here are a few things to watch out for:

Negative Thinking
If you constantly see the glass half empty, it’s a problem. Negative thinking causes people to view the world in black and white. A bad day at work means the job will always be bad. Making one mistake means you’re stupid and can’t ever do anything right. If you find these types of thoughts coming into your mind more often than not, it’s something to take care of. Take the negative thought and turn it into an accurate thought. You may have made one mistake, but that doesn’t mean you’re stupid and never do anything right.

Loneliness
Loneliness is very damaging to your emotional and physical health; some research suggests it can be just as dangerous as obesity. Everyone feels lonely sometimes, but you need to address it if you fall into the category of chronic loneliness. Don’t forget, being lonely doesn’t mean you don’t have people in your life; you can feel alone in a house full of people if you don’t have close, meaningful relationships with them. If your world consists of a bunch of acquaintances, you are more likely to feel lonely than someone with one or two true friends. As uncomfortable as it may be, try connecting with others; take a class, join a club, go to church, volunteer. You never know where you will make a friend.

Low Self-Esteem
It’s normal to have a bit of self-doubt, but if you find that you are your own worst enemy, it’s time to look at how you’re talking to yourself. What thoughts go through your mind on a daily basis? When you’re in a large group, do you feel confident or feel like everyone else is better than you? If your self-talk is mostly negative, your self-esteem quickly erodes. Low self-esteem leads to anxiety and stress because you always worry you aren’t good enough or that you will look/sound foolish. That anxiety can lead you to isolate yourself, which can cause depression. In order to raise your self-esteem, you have to shut down the negative self-talk and give yourself a chance to succeed. Maybe you always stay quiet in meetings because you think your ideas are dumb. During the next meeting, force yourself to share your idea no matter how uncomfortable it feels. You may be surprised at how well it’s received. The positive reaction will raise self-esteem and make it easier to contribute in future meetings.

Fear
Fear holds a lot of people back in life. From fear of flying to fear of public speaking and fear of failure, there are millions of people who haven’t done something they have wanted to do because they are afraid. Do you know what you’re afraid of? Is there something you want to do or achieve, but haven’t? Maybe you want to start your own business, but are afraid it will fail so you don’t try. As years pass, you may kick yourself because you never achieved your dream and then you are left with regret. The only way to conquer a fear is to face it head on. If you’re afraid to fly, you need to get on an airplane. If you’re afraid of failure, you need to try anyways. We always worry about all of the bad things that can happen, but try to think about the good things. You may be a successful business owner, a world traveler or a published author.

Everyone can experience negative thinking, loneliness, low self-esteem and fear, but they can also be symptoms of mental illnesses, like depression or anxiety. It’s important to monitor your feelings. Keep a journal and take note of how long you experience these things. If you experience these symptoms for the majority of time for a month, it’s best to consult with a mental health professional. Dealing with one or more of these issues doesn’t mean you have a mental illness, but a mental health professional can help you identify problem areas and come up with strategies to address them.

Address the whole person in 2016 and take care of your body and mind. We wish you a healthy and peaceful New Year.