When movement stops growth stops and we become stagnant …. Keep Moving!

May is mental health awareness month an I can think of no better of a cause to celebrate, honor and get our Mood ON and Move IT on Monday. There are so many organizations that support the cause of Mental Health and I salute them all. I will list some local and world wide organizations at the bottom of my post so please do scroll to the bottom to see more but this one is paramont if you or anyone you know suffer from mental health issues NAMI ( National Alliance of Mental Ilness).

None of us are immune to suffering from mental illness and it is a well know fact that 1 out of 4 or 6 depending on the study you read will face mental health issues at one point in our lives. As much as we work on stigma, it unfortunately still exits and it’s our job to continue to shed light on the subject, talk openly and honestly about it and do our part to increase awareness and change.

It’s imprerative that you reach out for yourself if you are suffering or witness it in someone else. Don’t be afraid to get in someone’s business if you witness any signs that someone is experiencing, are in distress or you are concerned. You just may save their life. Sometimes intervention is necesary and timeliness can’t be over emphazied.

Do you know that movement is one of the biggest things that will improve your mood and give you a boost in serotonin levels and dopamine in your system and also change the synapsis in your brain?

There is a good chance you do, it’s just that it feels like soooo much effort to get up off of the couch or the chair and actually move when you are feeling down in the dumps. I get it and when you feel like a ton of bricks have dropped on you, why would you want to do any heavy lifting?

You DON’T! I GET IT. Not only have I been there but I have helped hundreds of people in my lifetime feel better and get a program that they can commit to and see the changes they want to see and my Moto is:

DESIRE + COMMITTMENT = RESULTS

But how do you get there?

No mater how glum it looks today, tomorrow’s sun will cast light on tomorrow’s shadow

It’s NOT easy and I will be the first to attest to that. Some of my family memebers have suffered their entire life with mental illness and when it is a whole family it is difficult to make headway unless they want to change. If they choose to be victims to their circumstances and not take the support offered it is painful to witness and can feel like a fruitless endevour. This is where acceptance and bounderies become essential. Brain disease is a very sad and debilitating illness which is why to me it is one of the most important causes to support. If we don’t have our faculties about us, we can’t think clearly and help ourselves or allow others to get the help they need. They end up in denial and blame others around them using them as scape goats for their situation rather than taking the necesary actions they need to take, in order to heal.

One of the most frustrating parts of living with family members that suffer for me is being in a field where I am able to reach a lot of people but I don’t have the ability to do the same with my family members which is often the case. I have learned to love from a distance and do what I can so it doesn’t affect my mental health. I have worked too hard to maintain my sanity and live healthfully and happily, to sacrifice my own well being. While it might sound callous, we can only help others when we help ourselves first, no matter who we are.

How do you get there?

I will be the first to admit it’s not easy to get there and I have first hand experience of feeling the weight of the world upon my shoulders and stuck in quick sand. It took a lot of effort and digging out to get me to where I am today but if I could do it, you can too. But how you ask? Great question.

We could lament on all that is not working in our world, the mass shootings that seem to be up, suicide numbers, violence, bigotry, separation etc but you can easily find those stats by looking them up or listening to radio or the news. There are some articles I will list that I think are reputalbe and encouraging that I will list at the end, but what I’m intersted in is how we take the bull by the horns, reach across the table miles apart and practice love and kindness.

• Recognize if you or Someone you know has an issue: If you are isolating, have anxiety, depression, have fears and phobias, obsessive thinking, overly agitated or angry have thoughts of harming yourself or others GET HELP RIGHT AWAY! See the list below and reach out NOW! It’s NOT a weakness if you need help! It’s prudent and smart! Let them know exactily how you are and get an appointment for assessment.
• Make a Schedule: Realizing the issue is the first step so Congratulations! Now you need a small attainable list of things you can do daily. Be consistant and do it.

Schedule: KISS❣️ Yes, (Keep it simple stupid) Note this is not in liu of getting professional help

• BREATHE: I have said it before and I will continue to say it. It is the cornerstone to our mental health and studies show it reduces stress, increases oxygen which brings oxygen to the brain. Joe Dispenza has a great book that breaks this down a lot more if you are looking for more specifics on this and many more tips but these are great breathing tips
  
• MEDITATION: This cannot be over emphasized. The main purpose of meditation is to strengthen your conscious mind so you can use your conscious mind to understand yourself, gain better control over your mind and body and get access to higher intelligence Apr 3, 2021. It can help control anxiety, focus, awareness, presense of mind, helps combats addictions etc. Try an application to make it easy. There are several but these 2 are the ones I hear the best response from. Both have a free version you can check out. Calm is one of the ones a lot of my clients love as well as Headspace
  
• GRATITUDE: It is well documented that by appreciating what we do have rather than what we don’t have, changes our mindset. Whatever we give attention to is what we attract which is the law of attraction. Seeing our glass as half full vs half empty is a major player in staying positive. Write down 10 things each day you are grateful for. It can be little and keep it at that. ie: I am grateful for a place to lay my head, food on the table, the sun, the sky, writing, music, my arms and legs, my friends, family etc. By doing this everyday you will begin to change your mind set and attitude. Like we know: GRATITUDE IS AN ATTITUDE❣️
  
• REACH OUT: Call a friend or family member and share and find out how they are as well. By checking on someone else you are putting attention on someone besides yourself as well which is a gift to yourself. It is in the giving that we receive! \
  
• PLAY UPLIFTING MUSIC: It is a well know fact that music lifts our mood so find sngs that lift your spirit and alter your mood.
  
• MOVEMENT: This is one of the most powerful tools that I know of to increase your mood because you are working with breath, your muscular and skeletal system, endocrine system, brain etc all at once. Add music and tune in and tune out.
  
• REFRAME: Reframing is a cognitive behavioral approach to looking at something from a different vantage point and moving from a negative to a postive way of looking at things.
  
• AFFIRMATIONS or MANTRA: Affirming what you want in your life keeps your eye on the prize. Sometimes saying it over and over, posting it in different places in your house etc will remind you moment to moment to keep the right mind set. Make up your own or pick a couple of my favorites. I am healthy, vital and strong or Divine Love heals me or I am never alone or God is my source or Divine Love is my strength. Do you have one you use?
  
• TURN IT OVER TO A HIGHER POWER: Get out of your own way and bury it, ask the Gods, Godesses, God, Spirit Guides, Buddha… It doesn’t matter who just open your top Chakra known as the Sahasrara Chakra in Yoga and let the work be done through you effortlessly and easily!
  IT WORKS!

Join me here for 17 minutes of Strength and Stretching. Do what you can, visit often and watch your body and your mind improve.

 Life is a fluid dance, always in motion

How You Can Help

Be kind; it doesn’t cost a dime

Call Someone if you need help or if you see someone else that does. Call them first and if the are not responsive and you are still concerned, then reach out to the hotlines yourself to see how you can best be of service

Know your own mental health bounderies and take care of yourself first

Stay in touch with the mental health facitilies listed below

Write letters to your local congress people to tell them your views: they do want to hear and will often reply.

Share good news and improvements that are happening

Improvments that are happening

Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) are continuing to increase so we have officers that are trained in humane treatment when a mental health issue with and individual arises.

The No Cuffs Program is truly an inspiration to see the improvement so clients having a 90 % turn around for 3 years. This multi tiered approach is commendable and leaders are coming together to put together of crisis diversion. They embrace early on behavioral health They look at the client from all aspects of mental brain chemistry and and drug rehabilitation. There is a lot of hard work going and building relationships and partnerships.  Having a team is critical and case managers, probation, transportation, communication, housing Grant specialists, crisis intervention, public benefit services, local and state legislatures are all merging together which is needed to actualize this impressive change.

Articles such as these Can Kindness Prevent Suicide During the Pandemic in Psychology Today are uplifting and I think are paramont in creating change.

Resources to Call for World Wide Support

NAMI INFORMATION

Suicide Prevention If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911 immediately.

Clubhouse International is world wide with local chapters

MIA Mental Health in America

Local Support

One Mind is an organization committed to brain health and research. They are near and dear to my heart as my daughter went to the same school as one of the founders in this family owned organization.

Thanks soooooo much for visiting and another LOOOOOOOOOOG article but if we don’t have our brains and mental health, what do we have? As always I truly appreciate you and it is our connection, committment and faith that are the glue that hold us together.
Stay well, Keep Smiling and have faith in all you do no matter how glum it looks today, tomorrow’s sun will cast light on todays shadow and don’t ever forget that.

💖

Cindy