Tools to Live Your Life Well
Tool #1:
Connect with Others – Research points to many benefits of connectedness.
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Creating Connections happens when you get concrete help, validate and offer emotional support
Do you have enough support?
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Do you have family or friends that can “rev you up?”
* Do you have someone that you can share your feelings, thoughts, or concerns?
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Do you have someone to help you solve problems?
Making Friends
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If your current connections are not providing enough support consider making new connections:
Enroll in a class that intrigues you, join a book club, volunteer, etc.
Strengthening Your Relationships
*Be mindful about keeping in touch with people that you care about
*Work to minimize things that are a distraction in your life (i.e. pager, iPods, Cell phones)
*Listen to others
*Show your respect and support to people that you care about
Getting Support From a Group
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If you're facing a particular stress, like a serious illness, you may want to get additional support beyond what your friends and family can offer.
Tool #2:
Stay positive
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Foster Optimism- Search for the silver lining
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Practice Gratitude – Share your good news, remind yourself to savor good moments, or write a gratitude journal
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Avoid Negative Thinking – Change unhealthy self-talk or avoid dwelling on downers.
Tool #3: Get Physically Active-Besides having many physical health benefits, exercise helps boost your mood. Research suggests that exercise can burn off stress hormones, increase blood flow to the brain, stimulate feel good hormones and reduce muscle tension. Some ideas on how to get active:
* Plan a walk with your spouse/partner or meet with friends and neighbors to walk regularly
* Play with your kids. Help your kids release pent up energy by shooting baskets, playing catch, joining in a game of tag, etc.
* Stop putting off that pesky yard work and start thinking about is as a “good” workout (okay, that’s easier said than done!).
Tool #4: Help Others-Helping others not only makes you feel good, but gives a strong sense of purpose. Here are some “Hints on helping.”
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Helping someone doesn't have to require a big time commitment. It could be as easy as calling a friend to say hello or doing something nice for a loved one.
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Volunteer in the community or volunteer to help out a loved one.
Tool #5: Get Enough Sleep-Poor sleep has been linked to: Greater risk of anxiety and depression; increase risk of heart disease and cancer; impaired memory; reduced immune system functioning; weight gain and greater likelihood of accidents. Tips for ensuring good sleep:
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Set a regular bedtime
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Limit your caffeine intake
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De-stress yourself: Do something quiet and calming before bedtime
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Exercise
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Make your bed a “Sleep Haven.” Avoid doing bills or writing reports in bed
Tool #6: Create Joy & Satisfaction-Research shows that laughter has many positive health benefits. It can: decrease pain, reduce anxiety and decrease stress
Tool #7: Eat Well
Among other benefits, good food can:
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Boost your energy
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Lower the risk of developing certain diseases
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Provide fuel to your brain
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Counteract the impact of stress on your body
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Affect mood-related body chemicals
Tool #8: Take Care of our Spirit
You can think of spirituality as connecting to whatever you consider meaningful. Spirituality can provide a:
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Reassuring belief in a greater force or being
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Sense of purpose and meaning
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Focus on your own or universal wisdom
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Way to understand suffering
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Connection with others
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Reminder of the good in the world
Tool #9: Deal better with hard times
At some point in our lives, most of us will face extremely stressful times. During those times it is important to have strong coping skills to make it through the experience. Here are some specific ways to deal with those difficult times:
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Write it out- if something is bothering you, get it out on paper
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Tackle your problem- don’t stew over the situation, use your problem solving skills
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Shift your thinking- Try “re-thinking” the problem because how you think about the problem affects how much it upset you. Shift your mind away from negative thoughts or worries.
Tool #10: Get professional help if you need it
If the problems in your life are stopping you from functioning well or feeling good, professional help can make a big difference. And if you're having trouble, know that you are not alone: One in four adults in this country have a mental health problem in any given year.
A mental health professional can help you:
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Come up with plans for solving problems
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Feel stronger in the face of challenges
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Change behaviors that hold you back
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Look at ways of thinking that affect how you feel
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Heal pains from your past
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Figure out your goals
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Build self-confidence As always if you have further questions, please feel free to contact your building resources (i.e. counselors, social workers, school psychologists, nurses, etc.).
For further information, please refer to the following web sites…
http://www.liveyourlifewell.org/
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/may
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health www.macmh.org |
