Mental Health Month, May 2022: Back To Basics
Practical Mental Health Information
May is Mental Health Month, and as the month ends, I want to leave you with a reminder that mental health is a part of your overall health and well-being, and just like your physical health, it’s important to be aware of when you might need some help.
Risk Factors for Mental Health Conditions
Approximately 40% of people in the US will have a mental health condition during their lives. There’s often no single cause for a mental health condition. Instead, there are many possible risk factors that can influence how likely a person is to experience a mental health condition or how serious the symptoms may be.
Some risk factors for mental health conditions include trauma, which can be a one-time event or ongoing; your environment and how it impacts your health and quality of life (also known as social determinants of health like financial stability and health care access); genetics; brain chemistry; and your habits and lifestyle such as a lack of sleep.
Important Mental Health Questions
Of course, understanding the risk factors for a mental health condition can be more difficult when it’s your own mental health. Take time to ask yourself about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to see if this is part of a pattern that may be caused by a mental health condition. Here are some questions to get you started:
- Have things that used to feel easy started feeling difficult?
- Does the idea of doing daily tasks like making your bed now feel really, really hard?
- Have you lost interest in activities and hobbies you used to enjoy?
- Do you feel irritated, possibly to the point of lashing out at people you care about?
Online Mental Health Screenings
You can also take an initial screening at the Mental Health America website that can help you to better understand what you are experiencing and get helpful resources.
Help is Available
Our society focuses much more on physical health than mental health, but both are equally important. You are not alone – help is out there, and recovery is possible. It may be hard to talk about your concerns, but simply acknowledging to yourself that you’re struggling is a really big step.
I’m Here for You
If you have any questions or concerns about your mental health, please feel free to contact me at www.isobelmcgrath.com, or (904) 806-8840
To your health and happiness,
Isobel McGrath is a licensed International Mental Health Counselor, Life Coach, and Certified Hypnotherapist located in St. Augustine, FL.
Isobel provides therapy, counseling, life coaching, and hypnosis in person at her St. Augustine Beach office, and through Telehealth. She is dedicated to providing exceptional, collaborative care, and truly cares about her clients and their well-being.
For more information about St. Augustine Therapist Isobel McGrath, please visit: Mindful-Options.com, IsobelMcGrath.com, and 30SecondsOfCalm.com
Source: Mental Health America