Do you or someone you know:

• Struggle with depression and have difficulty feeling like you can experience joy
• Have ADHD that makes school really difficult
• Have relationship challenges due to bipolar disorder
• Drink too much and your family is concerned
• Have a hard time keeping a job because of anxiety
• Have panic attacks that have affected your ability to work toward your goals

These are just a couple of examples that show how our mental health impacts our daily lives. This week (October 2-8) is Mental Health Awareness Week. Check out this website and find out more about what it means to become educated about mental health as well as what you can do to fight the stigma that comes with mental illness that so often is found in media, among friends, at schools, and in our communities. There is something you can do to create more of a welcoming and caring atmosphere for those who struggle—and this connection and desire to be understood and valued  is at the heart of all of us.

If you (or someone you know) would benefit from support and professional help, in order to improve mental health, please check out http://www.pinerest.org/ to take the first step towards taking care of yourself.

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Cold and flu season—it’s here! As I write this, I am keenly aware of the scratch in my throat, wondering if I am going to come down with the same cold that each of my children has had over the past week or so. It is making the rounds in our home and I hope that it will pass over me!

I was listening to a radio program this morning that was discussing the cold and flu season that has descended up us, talking about ways to prevent the catch of these viruses. The two main areas that this program highlighted were adequate sleep and stress management. With these two building blocks of health in place, warding off colds is more likely. The standard sleep recommendation is over seven hours a night…I wonder how many of you can say that this need is being met for you?

And stress management—who knew that this has such an influence on our physical health—not just impacting heart attacks and chronic diseases, but little viruses like seasonal colds? If you think that you could build some skills in managing the stress of your life, believe me, you are not alone. Here are some tips on keeping stress in check:

• Pick your calming activity—take a good look at yourself and determine what makes you feel calm and collected (deep breathing, reading, journaling, etc) and make sure to practice this activity routinely. If self care is not a part of daily life for you, it needs to be to ensure that you can meet the needs of those around you.

• Be aware of what you are expecting from yourself, and if it is realistic. None of us are superhuman, but it consistently surprises me how much people expect from themselves. Examine what your day holds and if you are pushing it to the point of becoming frustrated and resentful. This likely signals that you have unrealistic expectations of yourself.

• Recognize that asking for help does not mean that you are weak. There are many of us that walk around with this belief…and then we end up stressed out and burned out. Drawing on your support system, delegating tasks if you can, and knowing who you can trust to vent to once in a while is another way of keeping stress in check.

For more information on behavioral health services, or to seek assistance, go to http://www.pinerest.org

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With children heading back to school, and families reorienting themselves to this routine, I’ve seen an increase in parents who are sorting through this transition in therapy.

Lately, I’ve spent time with parents who are preparing for the stress that comes with managing their households during the school year. Increases in anxiety, frustration, stress, along with feeling more overwhelmed that what is normal are common issues for primary caretakers in families this time of year.

We’ve been focusing lately on transitioning children–launching them into the school year successfully–now it’s time for me to share a couple of insights for parents. Here are some tips that will help you begin your fall in a way that leaves you feeling good about yourself.

• Get organized: Having a master family calendar is a helpful way of avoiding over booking and double booking activities, which increases stress levels. Combine children’s school calendars and your family’s social calendar into one that the family can review together.

• Take care of yourself: In order to stay healthy, remember the essentials: enough sleep, adequate exercise and good nutrition. Take a closer look at each of these areas of your life. Is there an area that can use extra attention or improvement? Do you know what the first steps to improvement are? Begin implementing some of these changes as your children head back to school and your calendar changes a bit. Taking care of yourself is the first step in being able to take care of your family well.

• Remember your passions: With an upsurge of commitments, it’s easy to feel like you are operating on autopilot. Remember to ask yourself: what gives me passion and energy? Allow yourself the time and thought to explore this. How might you incorporate some of these things into your day or your week? Accessing joy and allowing yourself to “play” will help replenish the energy that can so easily be absorbed into the daily routine.

For more information on behavioral health issues, or to seek assistance, go to www.pinerest.org

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A few blog entries back, I mentioned that striving for balance includes giving attention to how various aspects of our lives—work, family, friends/community, and self–fit together in such a way that is stable, sustainable, and meaningful.

I want to pass along an exercise that I’ve used in my own life as well as in my work with clients that can be helpful in this process of striving for balance. It’s called The Time Pie (credit to Alice Domar PhD), and is a way for you to identify how you can care for yourself in order to give more fully to your responsibilities.

Giving to your work, to your family, friends, and community from a full self instead of an exhausted and depleted self helps lay the groundwork for you to be able to give well, without bitterness or resentment, but instead with an open heart and greater joy.

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