Mental Health: Keeping Your Emotional Health

Mental Health: Keeping Your Emotional Health Mental Health--What is good emotional health? People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships. They can keep problems in perspective. Even people who have good emotional health can sometimes have emotional problems or mental illness. Mental illness often has a physical cause, such as a chemical imbalance in the brain. Stress and problems with family, work or school can sometimes trigger mental illness or make it worse. However, people who are emotionally healthy have learned ways to cope with stress and problems. They know when to seek help from their doctor or a counselor. What about anger? People are sometimes not aware of what causes their anger, how much anger they are holding inside or how to express anger appropriately. You may be angry about certain events, your own actions or other people's actions. Many little things can build up to make you feel that life is unfair. If you find yourself becoming increasingly irritable or taking unhealthy risks (such as drinking too much or abusing drugs), you may have a problem dealing with anger. It's very important to talk with your doctor or a counselor about getting help. Tips on dealing with your emotions  Learn to express your feelings in appropriate ways. It's important to let people close to you know when something is bothering you. Keeping feelings of sadness or anger inside takes extra energy. It can also cause problems in your relationships and at work or school.  Think before you act. Emotions can be powerful. But before you get carried away by your emotions and say or do something you might regret, give yourself time to think.  Strive for balance in your life. Make time for things you enjoy. Focus on positive things in your life.  Take care of your physical health. Your physical health can affect your emotional health. Take care of your body by exercising regularly, eating healthy meals and getting enough sleep. Don't abuse drugs or alcohol. What can I do to avoid problems? First, try to be more aware of your emotions and reactions. To help you do a better job of managing your emotional health, learn to identify and address the reasons for sadness, frustration and anger in your life.

How does stress affect my emotions? Your body responds to stress by making stress hormones. These hormones help your body respond to situations of extreme need, such as when you are in danger. But when your body makes too many of these hormones for a long period of time, the hormones wear down your body -- and your emotions. People who are under stress a lot are often emotional, anxious, irritable and even depressed. If possible, try to change the situation that is causing your stress. Relaxation methods, such as deep breathing and meditation, and exercise are also useful ways to cope with stress.

1 Mind/Body Connection: How Your Emotions Affect Your Health People who have good emotional health are aware of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They have learned healthy ways to cope with the stress and problems that are a normal part of life. They feel good about themselves and have healthy relationships. However, many things that happen in your life can disrupt your emotional health and lead to strong feelings of sadness, stress or anxiety. These things include:

 Being laid off from your job  Getting a job promotion  Having a child leave or return home  Experiencing money problems  Dealing with the death of a loved one  Moving to a new home  Getting divorced or married  Having a baby  Suffering an illness or an injury “Good” changes can be just as stressful as “bad” changes. How can my emotions affect my health? Your body responds to the way you think, feel and act. This is often called the “mind/body connection.” When you are stressed, anxious or upset, your body tries to tell you that something isn’t right. For example, high blood pressure or a stomach ulcer might develop after a particularly stressful event, such as the death of a loved one. The following can be physical signs that your emotional health is out of balance:  Back pain  Lightheadedness  Change in appetite  Palpitations (the feeling that your heart is  Chest pain racing)  Constipation or diarrhea  Sexual problems  Dry mouth  Shortness of breath  Extreme tiredness  Stiff neck  General aches and pains  Sweating  Headaches  Upset stomach  High blood pressure  Weight gain or loss  Insomnia (trouble sleeping)   Poor emotional health can weaken your body's immune system, making you more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times. Also, when you are feeling stressed, anxious or upset, you may not take care of your health as well as you should. You may not feel like exercising, eating nutritious foods or taking medicine that your doctor prescribes. Abuse of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs may also be a sign of poor emotional health.

 Why does my doctor need to know about my emotions?  You may not be used to talking to your doctor about your feelings or problems in your personal life. But remember, he or she can’t always tell that you’re feeling stressed, anxious or upset just by looking at you. It’s important to be honest with your doctor if you are having these feelings.  First, he or she will need to make sure that other health problems aren’t causing your physical symptoms. If your symptoms aren’t caused by other health problems, you and your doctor can address the emotional causes of your symptoms. Your doctor may suggest ways to treat your physical symptoms while you work together to improve your emotional health. If your negative feelings don’t go away and are so strong that they keep you from enjoying life, it’s especially

2 important for you to talk to your doctor. You may have what doctors call “major depression.” Depression is a medical illness that can be treated with individualized counseling, medicine or with both.

 How can I improve my emotional health?  First, try to recognize your emotions and understand why you are having them. Sorting out the causes of sadness, stress and anxiety in your life can help you manage your emotional health. The following are some other helpful tips.  Express your feelings in appropriate ways. If feelings of stress, sadness or anxiety are causing physical problems, keeping these feelings inside can make you feel worse. It’s OK to let your loved ones know when something is bothering you. However, keep in mind that your family and friends may not be able to help you deal with your feelings appropriately. At these times, ask someone outside the situation-- such as your family doctor, a counselor or a religious advisor--for advice and support to help you improve your emotional health.  Live a balanced life. Try not to obsess about the problems at work, school or home that lead to negative feelings. This doesn’t mean you have to pretend to be happy when you feel stressed, anxious or upset. It’s important to deal with these negative feelings, but try to focus on the positive things in your life too. You may want to use a journal to keep track of things that make you feel happy or peaceful. Some research has shown that having a positive outlook can improve your quality of life and give your health a boost. You may also need to find ways to let go of some things in your life that make you feel stressed and overwhelmed. Make time for things you enjoy.  Develop resilience. People with resilience are able to cope with stress in a healthy way. Resilience can be learned and strengthened with different strategies. These include having social support, keeping a positive view of yourself, accepting change and keeping things in perspective.  Calm your mind and body. Relaxation methods, such as meditation, are useful ways to bring your emotions into balance. Meditation is a form of guided thought. It can take many forms. For example, you may do it by exercising, stretching or breathing deeply. Ask your family doctor for advice about relaxation methods.  Take care of yourself. To have good emotional health, it’s important to take care of your body by having a regular routine for eating healthy meals, getting enough sleep and exercising to relieve pent-up tension. Avoid overeating and don’t abuse drugs or alcohol. Using drugs or alcohol just causes other problems, such as family and health problems.

 Stress: How to Cope Better With Life's Challenges What causes stress?  Feelings of stress are caused by the body's instinct to defend itself. This instinct is good in emergencies, such as getting out of the way of a speeding car. But stress can cause unhealthy physical symptoms if it goes on for too long, such as in response to life's daily challenges and changes.  When this happens, it's as though your body gets ready to jump out of the way of the car, but you're sitting still. Your body is working overtime, with no place to put all the extra energy. This can make you feel anxious, afraid, worried and uptight.

3  What changes may be stressful?  Any sort of change can make you feel stressed, even good change. It's not just the change or event itself, but also how you react to it that matters. What's stressful is different for each person. For example, one person may feel stressed by retiring from work, while someone else may not.  Other things that may be stressful include being laid off from your job, your child leaving or returning home, the death of your spouse, divorce or marriage, an illness, an injury, a job promotion, money problems, moving, or having a baby.

 Can stress hurt my health? Stress can cause health problems or make health problems worse. Talk to your family doctor if you think some of our symptoms are caused by stress. It's important to make sure that your symptoms aren't caused by other health problems.

 Possible signs of stress  Anxiety  Trouble sleeping or insomnia  Back pain  Problems with relationships  Constipation or diarrhea  Shortness of breath  Depression  Stiff neck or jaw  Fatigue  Upset stomach  Headaches  Weight gain or loss  High blood pressure  What can I do to manage my stress? The first step is to learn to recognize when you're feeling stressed. Early warning signs of stress include tension in your shoulders and neck, or clenching your hands into fists. The next step is to choose a way to deal with your stress. One way is to avoid the event or thing that leads to your stress--but often this is not possible. A second way is to change how you react to stress. This is often the more practical way. Tips for dealing with stress  Don't worry about things you can't control, such as the weather.  Solve the little problems. This can help you gain a feeling of control.  Prepare to the best of your ability for events you know may be stressful, such as a job interview.  Try to look at change as a positive challenge, not as a threat.  Work to resolve conflicts with other people.  Talk with a trusted friend, family member or counselor.  Set realistic goals at home and at work. Avoid overscheduling.  Exercise on a regular basis.  Eat regular, well-balanced meals and get enough sleep.  Meditate.  Participate in something you don't find stressful, such as sports, social events or hobbies. Why is exercise useful? Exercise is a good way to deal with stress because it's a healthy way to relieve your pent-up energy and tension. Exercise is known to release feel-good brain chemicals. It also helps you get in better shape, which makes you feel better overall.

4 Steps to deep breathing  Lie down on a flat surface.  Place a hand on your stomach, just above your navel. Place the other hand on your chest.  Breathe in slowly and try to make your stomach rise a little.  Hold your breath for a second.  Breathe out slowly and let your stomach go back down. What is meditation? Meditation is a form of guided thought. It can take many forms. You can do it with exercise that uses the same motions over and over, like walking or swimming. You can meditate by practicing relaxation training, by stretching or by breathing deeply. Relaxation training is simple. Start with one muscle. Hold it tight for a few seconds then relax the muscle. Do this with each of your muscles, beginning with the toes and feet and working your way up through the rest of your body, one muscle group at a time. Stretching can also help relieve tension. Roll your head in a gentle circle. Reach toward the ceiling and bend side to side slowly. Roll your shoulders. seep, relaxed breathing by itself may help relieve stress (see the box to the right). This helps you get plenty of oxygen and activates the relaxation response, the body’s antidote to stress.