Your Mental Health And You

We all understand the importance of taking care of ourselves physically, but more often than not, we forget to take care of our mental health too. Our Mental Health has limits as well, and they can sometimes be directly affected by physical activities we perform throughout the day. It’s important that we maintain these aspects of our health to live long, balanced lives. 

Mental health issues are face by everybody on some level or another. From anxiety to depression, it is completely normal and common for you to experience moments where your mental health is not at its A Game. What we can do is begin by looking at some ways to try and work and combat these often negative emotions that could lead us down darker paths. 

Here are some tips to try and combat anxious or depressive episodes. These may or may not work, depending on person to person, but what matters is that you try what helps you relax. 

1. Staying Calm
1. The number one and most obvious step when combating a mental health crisis, one must remember to always find ways to remain calm. Often times these episodes can bring about feelings of anxiety or depression, and we have to remain calm when riding them out.
2. Understanding and accepting negative emotions
1. The second step to overcoming a mental health crisis is understanding where these feelings and emotions are coming from and accepting them as they are. Often this can be achieved by practicing self reflection or through therapeutic sessions.   
3. Separating Yourself from these emotions
1. You must be able to separate yourself from certain situations. Understanding that outside factors beyond your control are sometimes the contributors to your mental health declining. You must remind yourself of this in order to continue to be strong.
4. Understanding Self Care
1. Self care is important. Through practicing, you’ll be able to know your triggers and when you need to step back and let yourself know that it's time for some self care. This is crucial for combating depressive episodes. Consider it like going to the gym, only for the mind. 
5. Breathing Cycles & Counting
1. Taking time out of your day to meditate on the past events that might be still bothering you through creating exercises. Find a place or time where you can sit and close your eyes, breathing in and out and mentally counting for 10-30 seconds of peace. This can help bring you down from your crisis and even be part of your self care routine. 
6. Practicing Mindfulness
1. Similar to the following step, finding time in your day where you can sit and review and reflect on all the positives in life. Mindfulness is key and especially helpful when combating depression. 
7. Exercising
8. Developing good sleeping habits
9. Asking for Help
1. Never be ashamed or afraid to ask for help. Going to a family, friend, or a loved one for support is always recommended. If however, you feel you cannot seek these options, consider meeting with a counselor or getting referred to a therapist to speak on the issue. Most therapy sessions first begin with a sorta of interview setting, where the therapist gets to know you and what you’re dealing with. If they feel like they can tackle your situation, they can plan a schedule to routinely meet. Never feel like you need to stay with just one therapist! If you feel as if they’re not meeting your standards or helping your situation, never be afraid to ask to end a session or seeking another opinion.  

Always remember that combating mental health is challenging and different for everyone, but very real day-to-day for some. If you need any other resources, we’ve gone ahead and listed out several for you to contact for any reason. Please stay safe and continue to work on improvement. 

Available Resources:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Available for online chat as well: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/

SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-622-HELP (4357)

Free, Confidential, 24/7, 365-day year treatment referral and info.

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

PDX Mental Health Resources, LLC: http://www.pdxmentalhealth.com/services.html

Clackamas County 24 hour crisis line: (503) 655-8585

Centerstone Clinic
11211 S.E. 82nd Avenue, Clackamas, Oregon – bus #72 & #71
Phone: 503-722-6200
Walk-in: Mon.-Fri., 10 AM – 8 PM and Sat.-Sun. 10 AM – 7 PM

Clark County
24-hour crisis line: 360-696-9560 or 1-800-626-8137

Multnomah County 24-hour crisis line: 503-988-4888 or 1-800-716-9769

Urgent Walk-In Clinic
2415 SE 43rd Avenue, Portland, Oregon – bus #4 Division
Open 7 AM to 10:30 PM, seven days a week

Unity Center
1225 NE 2nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon
(503) 944-8000
Open 24 / 7 – call ahead

Crisis Assessment and Treatment Center
30 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, Oregon
Open 24 / 7
Access by calling the Multnomah County Crisis Line 503-988-4888 or 1-800-716-9769

Washington County Crisis line: 503-291-9111