7 Things To Remember For Your Mental Health This Fall
Fall is now here! While it can be an enjoyable season, it can also come with a variety of changes to our bodies and mental health.
These changes can include fluctuations in sleep patterns due to sleeping longer hours, but still waking up not feeling fully rested. Our anxiety levels can increase due to the less sunlight we encounter and changes to the way our neurological system functions. Some people may have increased feelings of loneliness due to less interaction with others, shorter days, and colder weather.
However, there are many steps that you can take to stay on top of your mental health and overcome these challenges. It’s important to remember that you come first. Without incorporating self-care in some part of your daily routine, it can be difficult to manage stress. Our happiness and well-being should come first before anything else. Engaging in self-care has been clinically proven to reduce anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, and improve energy. It has also been proven to reduce problems with physical health such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Here are seven tips that you can keep in mind for the fall season:
- Get outside and be in nature to clear your mind.
- Get cozy at home and drink a warm beverage, while watching a movie or reading a book.
- Catch up and spend time with people that you care about.
- Declutter or decorate your home and get yourself into the fall spirit.
- Sort your fall clothes so you can find them easily.
- As the seasons change, take a break from social media, and bring yourself back into reality.
- Experiment with cooking soups and stews
Not taking care of yourself can cost your health. Burnout and exhaustion can come with an ongoing stressful lifestyle. Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. When burnout sets in, decreased productivity usually follows with fatigue. It may be challenging to focus, make decisions, or complete tasks efficiently. Additionally, increased stress allows irritability and strained relationships to set in. The negative consequences can continue to mount so pushing off your self-care can be costly. This fall, starting putting you first. Have a healthy self-care routine to start your fall season off to a great start!
About Vaughn Greene Funeral Services: For more than 25 years, Vaughn Greene Funeral Services has been providing a ministry of care to Baltimore’s African American community. As a leading local, minority- and family-owned provider, we promise to provide our highest level of service and respect to families who entrust us to honor their loved ones. For more information about our funeral, cremation, memorial, repast, and grief counseling services, please call us at 410.655.0015 or visit us online at https://vaughncgreene.com/.
Leslie Holley, MA, LCPC, LPC, NCC is the owner of Healing-Circle, LLC. She is a Nationally Certified Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and an experienced presenter on mental health topics. We are honored to have Leslie help support our families needing grief support or hope and healing.
References:
- https://www.verywellmind.com/the-psychological-reason-why-we-love-fall-so-much-5205863
- https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/health/what-is-self-care
- https://balancethroughsimplicity.com/30-self-care-ideas-for-autumn/
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/seasonal-affective-disorder
- https://njhwllc.com/maintaining-mental-wellness-in-the-fall/
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