HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Now that the new year is underway, working to accomplish those New Year's resolutions is important. For some, improving their overall mental health this year is the main priority. But, what are some ways to get started?
Huntsville Psychotherapist and Psychotherapy and Counseling Services owner Moretta Vega said start by identifying a few things. "When we're talking about bettering our mental health, I would definitely encourage self awareness. We need to identify what we feel, why we feel that way, and how to effectively release those emotions and thoughts. You know, moving into a new year, a lot of times we have goals and resolutions and that could put heavy expectations on us. So we want to have realistic expectations for ourselves and then have compassion as we move towards accomplishing our goals."
Another step is pinpointing something that could be negatively impacting your mental health begins with noticing small changes in your everyday activities and your everyday behaviors. "You know, isolation, sleeping a little bit more are sleeping less changes in your appetite and the way you interact with others. and then also just that constant self-talk."
Have you noticed that your self-talk has been negative? "How are we feeling about the year or even about our goals or even about the month being able to have some time to yourself or even noticing when you are distracting yourself constantly so you don't have time to be with your thoughts? It's important to just kind of see how you are feeling and then how you're interacting with the world in society every day."
Vega also encourages setting short-term and long-term goals. Or as she calls it, lifestyle changes. "So let's think more so long term and short term lifestyle changes that will help us be the best version of ourselves instead of just thinking about who we want to be in the month of January or February."