How do you care for your mental health?

[AARPRachelA]

Sunday, 10/10, is World Mental Health Day. Mental health affects all of us, and it has been especially important to take care of it as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. What helps you care for your mental health?

Having a healthy state of mind is just as important as having a healthy body. Start building the foundation for mental wellness today. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® for more brain health information.

[DanielA216813]

I try to carve out a few minutes each day just to clear my head, whether that's a short walk or jamming to some tunes. I also love hanging with my kids and Teaching Kids to Think and Solve Problems, which gives me a fresh perspective and helps keep stress in check.

[SuS88806]

No one has mentioned counseling yet, so I want to speak up for that as an option people should keep ...

[8strts]

A good book to read is Instant Healing by Serge Kahili King, it’s all about thinking a different way thru depression,anxiety, being angry, hateful and it’s wonderful if you have a great imagination. It truly works!

[AARPRachelA]

Thanks for the book recommendation @8strts! I'll check it out!

[ReTiReD51]

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Being able to talk comfortably and freely with a spouse, significant other or a good friend about things that might be stressing us out works well for me. This pandemic has helped to create higher stress levels in all of us.  

[AARPRachelA]

I 100% agree @ReTiReD51. Simply having someone listen to and empathize with you can have profound effects.

[2Papa]

Every now and again I go whacky just to get it out of my system, then I’m fine.  😵‍💫🤪😵‍💫

[bl4598]

I’m exercising online and attendingTV Mass daily.

[AARPRachelA]

What online exercise videos or programs do you recommend @bl4598?

[bl4598]

I also have purged the negative people 

[ev29554696]

Can I get an AMEN??? It is SO important to cleanse your life of "those" people who go out of their way to find things to **bleep** about. I just read a letter to the local paper where some guy was angry because the city flushed the fire hydrants and didn't post signs that they were going to do it. And the quote is "I turned on my kitchen faucet and had 4 big air bubbles come through and it made me think I had a problem with my plumbing." Well, let me start by saying that if you are THAT dumb that you couldn't figure out why you had air bubbles in your water lines, there is really little that can be done about you. And then I'll move on to "THAT bothered you? THAT is something that motivated you to write a letter to the editor? That 3 seconds of your life?"

Some people actively and consciously choose to live in a world where it rains every day. I don't associate with those people. You are only in control of things you are in control of. Politics, others choices to get vaccine or not, rising prices... you are not in control of that. If you want to think you have control over things because once every 4 years you can vote in a new president, you have my sympathy, because life is going to be really hard for you.

I knew someone who sternly tried to rally everyone she knew against the governor of my state because he installed a quarantine during the height of Covid that closed restaurants. Every day she posted how her rights were being violated and all the yada yada, just because she couldn't dine out and can't cook. How we should all sign petitions to remove him from office. You can connect her being unvaccinated and not quarantining at home, or not, to her getting Covid.

She died from it. But hey, she exercised her rights to eat dinner in what places chose to defy the governor's rules!!

THOSE kind of people in general are gone from my life. Johnny Mercer wrote in 1945

"You've got to accentuate the positive - eliminate the negative"

Now, disclaimer: I am an extreme loner to begin with to the point where I didn't even notice being quarantined. Those months we were in quarantine I only drove 60-70 miles in a whole month, and those miles were all going to pick up food orders at three different grocery stores, necessitated by shortages that saw me have to go to store B and C because of what store A was out of.

Still, KEEP purging. If they plan to rain on your parade, don't take them with you.

[jw5013387]

I’ve tried to avoid negativity as much as possible, even to the point of dropping friends & avoiding relatives who thrive on pushing conspiracy theories and stressing the worst case scenario for everything….I call them my psychic vampires. This year I stopped using Facebook for the most part & only check in on alumni & local store postings maybe 1-2 month. I prefer letters & email to keep in touch with my friends, old classmates and former co-workers. I spend time gardening, playing with my cats, reading & watching TV, especially PBS, historical documentaries, British mysteries & comedies. Before I retired as a nurse, I never took vacations or time off, always working late & volunteering. When I retired in 2014 at age 68…..it was a pleasant surprise to take a vacation that year and since then my neighbor & I have taken several multi day bus tours to different states every year. Since she is still working, I’ve gone solo on many day tours…there is always someone to talk to. Lastly, I’ve found that doing random acts of kindness has a very positive effect on my own outlook & feelings…I make a habit of bringing cookies for the staff when I visit the library, post office, bank, MD office, etc - it’s a small gesture but an unexpected one and I find my worries dissolving when I see their smiles.

I remember, years ago, having bouts of sadness, unhappiness & depression but I haven’t experienced them for almost a decade.

[AARPRachelA]

I'm so glad you've been able to make time for vacations @jw5013387! What are some of the top places you've visited?

I've also found doing random (and also not random) acts of kindness has a soul-nourishing effect on my being. I love that you bring cookies to folks!

[jw5013387]

First one was a tour of Salem at Hallowe’en…fantastic! Went to Providence, Lizzie Borden Home, Richmond VA, Alaska, DC, Canada, several times to New England states &last month to Shenandoah Valley & Monticello. My day trips are mostly museums…9/11, Smithsonian, Harriet Tubman, Holocaust, African American, etc.

I can’t believe how many years I did without one. Actually, while I was walking through Salem in 2014, that’s when it hit me that it was the first actual vacation I’d taken in over 25 years!

[BrownLadyInPA]

Think I better continue to drop so-called "friends" who are full of hostility and negativity.  Thank you for your posting.