| Family Solutions Counseling Center |
| Helping Families Weather The Storm |
| Are you going through some rough times in your personal, social or work relationships? Are you experiencing anxiety or depression; or maybe abusing alcohol or drugs as a way of coping? You've just reached a place where you can get help with negative situations, destructive habits and struggling relationships that are causing you emotional pain? Let FAMILY SOLUTIONS help you to weather the storms of life. |
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| Maintaining Your Total Well-Being Most of us know that it is unhealthy to eat junk food all day and sit around on the couch. This is clearly indicated by the numbers on the weight scale and the reflection in the mirror. Yet, how many people pay attention to other aspects of their well-being besides their physical attributes? Just like you would go to the doctor if you had a broken bone or see a specialist to treat a disease, it is important to keep up with your mental and psychological health. These factors are equally crucial to maintaining your complete well-being, and should not be minimized or ignored. May is the month dedicated to increasing awareness about our emotional, psychological, and mental health. In today’s society, going to see a counselor, therapist, psychologist, or even psychiatrist is becoming less of a stigma. The old stereotypes of lying on a couch while having your dreams interpreted and your thoughts analyzed are not always the case when you are involved in therapy. Many people seek counseling, and they are not “crazy” for doing so. People of all ages and various walks of life go to therapy. Even most CEO’s of fortune five hundred companies have been reported to have personal coaches. These types of coaches are essentially counselors who help to improve their client’s ability to cope with life and its pressures, provide communication training, and offer support. If CEO’s and other successful individuals see the need and benefits for maintaining mental health, why should you not? The truth is that millions of Americans suffer from stress, depression, anxiety, and other psychological issues of various levels. Unfortunately, the tendency that our society has to be independent, over-achieving, hard working individuals often takes its toll on our psyches. If you find yourself still feeling skeptical about the importance of mental health, consider the connection it has with the body. Notice the next time that you feel stressed, upset, angry, or sad and how your body feels. Are your shoulders tense, your neck tight, your jaw clenched, your muscles aching, or your stomach in knots? We all experience stress and other intense emotions in different ways. However, many of you will most likely see that your body has a way of letting you know that your mental health is out of balance because you often feel tired and emotionally exhausted. The first step to evaluating and improving your emotional and psychological well-being, is to take a few minutes and answer some simple questions such as these: Have you recently experienced a change in your sleeping pattern, in which you find yourself sleeping very little or more than usual? Have your eating habits changed? Have you been experiencing headaches, stomach pains, or other bothersome ailments? Do minor problems and disappointments make you extremely upset? Do you have trouble getting along with others and them with you? Are you less interested in things that you once were? Are you always thinking about your problems and what could go wrong? How did you do? Chances are that if you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be experiencing some deterrent to healthy living. Perhaps, your psychological state has begun to affect not only how you respond to life’s challenges, but also your relationships, your outlook on life, and maybe even the way that you feel about yourself. You may want to consider making your mental health more of a priority. Give yourself permission to leave the dishes in the sink and do something for yourself instead. Allow yourself to put off mowing the lawn to take a nature walk. Make more time to do things that rejuvenate your mind and spirit such as taking a bath, reading a book, journaling your thoughts, shopping with a friend, going fishing, and the list goes on and on. Remember, if you do not make the time to do these types of things, the consequences will affect you in physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual ways. Finally, if your answers to the above questions are the same two to three weeks later, take the time to find a counselor or a therapist that you feel comfortable with and trust. Depending on each individual, this could be the beginning of establishing a more complete well-being, and happier you. Erin Busby, M.S., LPC Child & Adolescent Therapist Family Solutions: 678-493-3943 |
| Are you maintaining your total well-being? Take a look at the following article. Let us find tools to support you and cement the relationships that matter in your life! |
