Difficult Roads Lead to Beautiful Destinations
“There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth.” — Fred Rogers, the dearly belated “Mr. Rogers”
It’s April!! What’s so special about April you ask? Well, a lot of things. It’s the month that ushers in springtime. The days get longer. Easter Sunday is in April. Several religions celebrate some form of rebirth or renewal. April is also Autism Awareness Month. There is also a beloved member of our community who has a birthday in April! Don’t worry Roz, I won’t tell anyone. And while I have so much appreciation for the arrival of April. I want to look a little bit ahead to May.
May is Mental Health Month, and we want to take some time to shine a spotlight on this pillar of our overall health. We continue to get better and better around our focus on physical health by showing up for our training sessions regularly, eating more whole foods, and loading our plates with vegetables. We drink enough water, and we focus on getting enough sleep. A lot of women keep these things top of mind because these things are commonly talked about and are the things we have learned to stay focused on for good health. All of these areas rise and fall for each of us over time. Sometimes we have it together in these areas, and sometimes we don’t. But we put effort into improving these areas. But if I were to ask, “what have you done for your mental health lately?” What would your answer be? The focus of this series of blogs over the next few weeks is our effort to help us move the needle on our mental health.
In some circles, the mere mention of “mental health” causes us to shrink back a little. For such a long time there has been a stigma around mental health and mental health issues. I think this comes from not understanding how mental health is tied to our physical health, the foods we eat, along with other things like deficits in certain hormones that the body is struggling to produce. Let’s start moving this needle with a short video to help us better understand how some things are tethered together.
Watch Dr. Mark Hyman discuss mental illness prevention:
Podcast Video — “We know that our diet can have a major impact on mental health. Unfortunately, however, most medical education programs don’t include nutrition, so many psychiatrists and physicians, in general, aren’t as empowered as they should be to prescribe a healthy diet. Moreover, stigma around mental illness is still pervasive in our society and can keep people from feeling empowered that they can change their brain health and get the care they truly need. Dr. Hyman recently explored these topics with psychiatrists Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Drew Ramsey.”