No Mental Health Awareness Month would be complete without taking some time to focus on parents and caregivers. As a parent, a lot of people depend on you. In addition to your kids, you probably have a spouse or partner, neighbors, coworkers, family members, or all of the above looking to you for support, guidance, help, and feedback.
Juggling everything is a challenge, but it’s downright impossible when your mental health declines. If you’ve ever flown on a plane, you’ve heard a flight attendant say, “Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.” And if you’ve ever been on social media, you’ve heard that sentiment echoed as a strategy for sanity. That’s because you can’t show up for others effectively when you don’t show up for yourself.
When people talk about mental health, they’re referring to the state of emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. In other words, it’s how you think, feel, and act. Everyone has mental health, but not everyone has good mental health. All people of every age group are affected by the state of their mental health.
Mental health is a spectrum, and everyone lands somewhere. A person’s mental health might be healthy, somewhat reactive, injured, or in crisis. Knowing the signs and symptoms of good and poor mental health can help.
It’s important to note that while anyone can experience moments of poor mental health, that doesn’t mean they have a mental illness. And it’s not only people with mental illness that need to tend to their mental health. Everyone is unique, and their mental health is too.
Signs of good mental health include:
Signs of struggling or bad mental health include:
In between good mental health and severely bad mental health are various degrees. Someone might not have angry outbursts or panic attacks, but they might have persistent anxiety or recurrent muscle tension. While they aren’t in crisis mode, their mental health still needs attention.
Eating, sleeping, and staying hydrated might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how often busy parents neglect the basics. And it’s nearly impossible to gauge your mental health when you’re exhausted or hungry because these deprived states have such an extreme impact on how you feel.
We’ve all had days where everything went wrong, and everyone was out to get us, only to feel completely different after a good night’s sleep. Or, maybe you’re plagued by a headache, exhaustion, and irritability, only to realize you skipped breakfast AND lunch! Take care of the basics and go from there.
Finally, don’t forget to be gentle with yourself. No matter how conversational you are with others, most of the feedback you get is internal. Extending empathy to yourself goes a long way. If you’re struggling, reach out to a professional who can help you build a long-term strategy, fill your mental health toolbox, diagnose any mental illness, and offer the support you need.
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