May is Mental Health Month, a good time to remember that health is health. When someone says it’s all in your head, remember that your head is attached to your body. The software affects the hardware and vice versa.
Like physical health:
· Mental health issues can be chronic or acute. They can be ongoing, wax and wane, or come on suddenly.
· Symptoms can be mild, moderate or life-threatening
· Some symptoms or illnesses respond well to straightforward treatment. Others can take time to sort out, treat or respond to treatment.
· One’s genetics AND experiences can cause illness or make a person more susceptible.
· They are common. People have similar chances (20%) of having a two-week episode of a mental illness exacerbation in a year as getting another two-week illness like influenza.
· Mental stress has physical effects that can show up in many ways, such as autoimmune disease, blood pressure or cardiac issues, skin and gastrointestinal problems. Things bothering your mind will usually bother other parts of you too.
· Chronic or severe mental illness is not due to a lack of character, willpower, or sufficient religious uprightness and prayer.
· Just like any tendency toward illness or born-with or acquired disability, a person isn’t at fault for having it, but has responsibility for reducing its impact.
· Prevention and protection are key to reducing harm.
What does prevention and protection look like?
· Know your tendencies and warning signs. If you have a genetic or learned anxiety, mood or other illness, pay attention to early symptoms. Just like with an injury, early intervention can prevent need for higher-level treatment.
· Protect your health, both physical and mental. Support your circadian rhythm (which controls releases of hormones, sleep cycles, energy levels, etc) by eating, sleeping and waking at regular intervals. Get adequate physical movement to release stress related chemicals and keep body strong. Eat nutritious food and avoid too much caffeine, sugar, alcohol and junk. Find time for meaningful connection, preferably off-screen. Pay attention to what makes you relaxed, happy, curious and content.
· Inventory your coping skills. Some will be healthful and some not. Purposeful time off/relaxation is different from numbing and checking out. Mindful acceptance of what you cannot change is better than hardening yourself not to care or denying that you do. Find where you can seek spiritual solace rather than temporary dopamine hits like binge shopping/drinking/whatever.
· Figure out what steps you need to take to protect yourself. Like physical illnesses, mental problems can make you react more strongly than other people to some things. If you are lactose-intolerant, avoid dairy. If you are prone to anxiety and stress, avoiding overstimulating environments or the news might help. People with bipolar disorder should avoid variable shift work.
· Figure out what helps, and if you can’t, talk to a trustworthy person who might know such as your primary care or a mental health practitioner.
· Be wary of internet forums and social media. We ALL have some symptoms that could be part of a disease. I saw a post last year that said something along the lines of “Did you like to read a lot as a kid? That’s a sign of complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”. It could also be a sign you liked to read.
· Likewise, be wary of anyone offering a “three steps/one vitamin/this diet/this workshop will CURE you.” Look for people with more than one tool in their belt. Grifters abound and will take advantage of people suffering by offering what they need. People with chronic illnesses are targets for this.
· Like any bout of symptoms, when you are feeling unwell, be gentle with yourself. Looking at what might have led to the episode may help you reduce future ones, but shaming and blaming doesn’t help at all. Being responsible means being able to respond to what happened or is happening. If you are sick, take care or get care.
If you or someone you love is being affected by mental illness, get educated and get support. A great source for both is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The Mid-Valley chapter offers peer and family support groups and a comprehensive educational class. The website is full of resources. Counselors at the LBCC Advising Center can help with short term counseling and referrals for students, and our EAP offers free services for part-time and full-time LBCC employees.
