Mental illness affects over a million Americans. Some mental illnesses include anxiety, depression, drug addiction and even serious ones like schizophrenia, mood disorders, just to name a few.
People don’t realize how serious these disorders can be. They affect our whole body, mind and soul. Sometimes, we are too busy to worry about ourselves and we start to find less pleasure in activities and the things we enjoy. As humans, we find pleasure anywhere that we can. But we can get stuck in this stress that we call 'burnout'. Burnout is when we suffer from long tired feelings and a decrease in work ability. This can be placed on people when they have too many commitments.
There are many ways to prevent burnout from happening. We can increase mental wellness by taking some time off and worrying about ourselves. Coping mechanisms are positive ways to manage internal and external stress. Any mental health professional can tell you that adaptive coping mechanisms can increase your mental health and self-awareness. But many people find coping in maladaptive ways like drinking and smoking. This could lead to some of the mental health issues individuals suffer from today. As a mental health counseling student, you are taught to take time out to help yourself and find a hobby or an activity you like and stick with it when you become a professional.
Some questions to ask about our well- being are: To what degree am I taking care of myself, physically and emotionally? Am I generally consistent in my job, home life or school? These are just a few of the many questions we would like to think about. Some coping mechanisms or self-care activities I like to enjoy are hiking, hanging out with friends, writing and reading. These are just a few. Undertake activities that have no other function other than the joy that they give. Read a special book — not one for school, work, parenting or therapy one just for you. Play with pets and animals. Listen to your favorite music. We all have hobbies and activities that we enjoy like reading, watching a movie, going out with friends, going to the gym, yoga and much more. These coping mechanisms can decrease stress and increase happiness. It’s how we utilize them in our everyday life. Meditation is another coping mechanism that can help us find our internal state of mind and it also increases relaxation. Adding humor to a stressful situation can also help to lighten the mood. Organizing and time management are other ways to decrease stress. Organizing your time can help you find time to enjoy the activities you like to enjoy. Another coping mechanism that is a popular one that people enjoy is using is writing or journaling. I am a crisis intervention counselor and one of the things I tell my clients is to write down whatever comes to mind and how you are feeling at the moment. This can help with self-awareness and it teaches us lessons that we can learn for the next time we go through a negative emotion. Self- care and coping mechanisms can give you a sense of relaxation and increase joy in everyday life. If we time that hour or two to give us the “me” time we strive for, everyone will be in their happy place.
People do find coping mechanisms in order to survive burdens in the past or worries about the future. When practicing positive coping mechanisms and caring for yourself, it can increase joy in the present and future. Whether it is venting to a friend, painting, journaling or running, it can serve as ways to help yourself and make time for you.