Mental Health and Wellbeing

What is it and why is it important?

Those that seek counseling/therapy and embrace the process – without any doubt – will improve their lives. If we are afraid to get to know ourselves better – through the counseling process – it could be contributing to our difficulties.

Go and celebrate your life. Be all that you can be. If you are having difficulties navigating life, reach out for help. It is a gift you give yourself.

The following are possible signs of compromised wellbeing:

  • Regular disturbed sleep.
  • Lack of peace during most days.
  • A feeling of being discouraged and the lack of a clear path or understanding of how to correct that.
  • Substantial changes in diet: Eating less, eating more.
  • Disregard for physical health: i.e., unhealthy eating, excessive eating, lack of physical activity, excessive amounts of food or drink that we know to be unhealthy: alcohol, sweets, fats, etc.
  • Little to no social life outside of work.
  • The sense of leading a reactive vs. a proactive life: Not making decisions on a regular basis about what, where and when to spend time and energy… vs. …Regularly scheduled time and energy to pursue creative, spiritual, social…etc. activities and engagements.
  • Lack of growth and expansion in your life. Everyday is exactly as the day before.
  • Making decisions regularly based on fearful thoughts or anxious thoughts. Letting your fears dictate your decisions and your reality.
  • Feelings of guilt and shame regarding who you are or who you feel you have been.
  • Making many decisions based upon what you believe someone else feels you should do or be vs. knowing and understanding your own personal truth and preferences.
  • Continued involvement in relationships that do not encourage you or celebrate you.
  • Overall feelings of sadness more than 10-15% of the time that last more than 2-3 weeks.
  • The feeling that you need to distract yourself from your real life on a regular basis; through alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, internet usage, etc.
  • The regular wish that you had someone else’s life.
  • Dreading your day/s.
  • Feeling old: no matter what your age. Even if you are 88.
  • Difficulty making decisions and choices that you know to be good for you.
  • Wondering if you really want to be living your life.

"When we can talk about our Feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary." - Mr. Rogers

Help is availalble

The above list is not intended to be exhaustive but a sampling of the kinds of things that we struggle with that greatly impact Good Mental Health.

Canada released conclusions from a body of research that indicate mental health to have an impact 1.7 times greater than all cancers combined. link

There is help available but it must be accessed. You will have to reach out and ask for it.

A professor at a local university remarked: “I hope one day we will put our counseling and therapy experiences and tenure on our resumes; indicating the work that we have done towards making ourselves as healthy as possible”.

Those that seek counseling/therapy and embrace the process – without any doubt – will improve their lives. If we are afraid to get to know ourselves better – through the counseling process – it could be contributing to our difficulties.