Tag: <span>May – Mental Health Awareness Month</span>

Mental Health Therapy By blsedits 0 Comments

Improve Your Mental Health With Art Therapy

Written by: Amanda Parparian, Art Therapist

When I was in graduate school, a near constant companion of mine was my knitting.  I found that the rhythm of the needles and the feel of the yarn helped me to focus.  One of my professors called it cognitive anchoring, something to keep my hands busy, something that could become automatic, and allow my brain to better focus.

I have also found that knitting has a positive impact on my anxiety, it keeps me from unraveling.

Seeing these benefits of knitting myself, I’ve become interested in learning more about why knitting and other fiber arts (such as sewing, weaving, crocheting, embroidery, and quilting) are good for you and your wellbeing.

Fiber arts are tactile, they have a strong sense of touch, and often when creating with them the focus is on integration and coming together.  They can explore powerful metaphors and stories.  Fiber arts have been found to benefit self-esteem, provide social support, and self-efficacy.

Knit for Peace is an initiative of the Charities Advisory Trust in the United Kingdom, which did a literature review on the health benefits of knitting, and then surveyed 1,000 knitters.  They found that the positive physical and mental health benefits of knitting included:

  • lowering blood pressure,
  • reducing depression and anxiety,
  • slowing the onset of dementia,
  • is a form of meditation,
  • distracts from chronic pain,
  • provides an opportunity for creativity,
  • increases sense of wellbeing, reduces loneliness and isolation, and
  • increases sense of usefulness and inclusion in society.

Dr. Cassandra Dominick did her dissertation on “Knitting as a Therapeutic Group Technique with 4th Grade Elementary School Students” and she stated “[knitting] can untangle our stressed minds as we unravel balls of yarn and turn them into wearable objects.”  She also discussed how the process of knitting and motions required can help with focus and allow for holding attention longer.

The structure of knitting with the rhythmic and repetitive nature is similar to meditation.  While sitting comfortably, physically holding the textile yarn, counting, repetitive motions with a cadence, the same alpha-wave patterns can be found as when meditating.

Not convinced? Why not try it yourself? If you need help getting started, I’d love to teach you knitting as a therapeutic tool for stress relief and mindfulness.

Mental Health Self Care By blsedits 0 Comments

The Positive Benefits to a Positive Body/Mind Connection

Written by: Jennifer Beaupied, MSW, LCSW, Qualified Supervisor CSW

Our bodies are amazing machines and so it is vital to having a balanced body/mind relationship as the key to that positive connection. The reasoning for this stems from the idea that a person’s physical condition(s) can affect a person’s mental health status and that a person’s mental health status then intern can affect a person’s physical health. The decision to make healthy and positive choices and being mindful in our daily routines is an effective way to ensure a positive body mind connection. The ways an individual handles stress, types of coping mechanisms, emotional support system, daily routine and cognitive processing of people and interactions all play a pivotal role in how you process your emotional response.

When we are stressed, our body releases the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones are supposed to give us an adrenaline rush so we can get out of dangerous situations quickly. However, you can still feel stressed even if there’s no “danger”. Releasing these hormones too frequently can have negative effects on the body. Such as a weakened immune response, digestive problems, concentration issues, or even our bodies healing more slowly. While the connection between stress and health is easy to understand, it’s harder to imagine that the way we think and what we believe (positive or negative thoughts) can affect our health as well. Negative thinking patterns—assuming the worst, jumping to conclusions, and self-criticism—can make it more difficult to deal with health problems.  A negative inner voice can have serious health consequences, and those types of thought patterns are difficult to break. That’s where the mind-body therapies come in to help. Individuals with mental health issues have a greater risk of physical illnesses. Similarly, people with chronic medical conditions are more likely to experience mental health problems than people who are physically healthy. When chronic medical conditions and mental illnesses occur at the same time, care becomes more complex.

The good news is that through effective mental health treatments (including CBT, Mindfulness, positive lifestyle behavior changes, meditation/ guided imagery, relaxation techniques and affirmations)  patients can make a positive change in their overall well-being. Mental health is essential to our overall well-being. Our mental health and many forms of mental illness are the result of a complex interaction of genetics, environment, and experiences in our lives, Stress is a normal part of life that we all feel from time to time. It can come in response to an illness or trauma, a significant change in life circumstances like changing jobs, or in response to the overwhelming pressures of daily events and responsibilities. How you respond to stress, and the changes in your body that result from it, can have a big impact on your overall well-being. For example, if you respond to stress or a depressed mood by increasing your alcohol consumption or tobacco use, eating more junk foods, or experiencing sleep problems more health complications could arise. On the other hand, healthy lifestyle changes can improve your mental health. The quality and number of your relationships and social connections can also impact your immune system function, inflammation in the body, and the progression of chronic conditions. In addition to your social relationships, symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety can be significantly relieved by changes in “positive” health-related attitudes and behaviors. Even a small positive healthy change in diet, physical activity, and sleep can go a long way toward improving mental and physical health. You can reduce your stress and improve your health by making even small changes. You are what you eat and therefore, food can help or hurt your body, your brain, and your mental health. Try to eat a diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and fish and highly processed foods like refined sugars and flour, which are associated with obesity and inflammation. Get up and move by increasing your physical activity. Even a little, can improve mood, digestion, and sleep cycles. Never underestimate the power of quality sleep. Sleep helps the body cleanse itself and restores energy at the most basic cellular level. Since many mental disorders interfere with sleep, getting professional help to improve sleep may be an effective way of improving your health as well. Stay connected to people who provide positive emotional and other support. People who are positive in your life can have a beneficial impact on your overall well being. Work on ways to manage stress and try to advocate and encourage yourself to be the best version you can be every day.

“If you think your Body and mind are two, that is wrong; if you think that they are one, that is also wrong. Our body and mind are both two and one”. Shunryu Suzuki