Take a moment to consider your environment. Do you feel safe? Do you have access to health care and grocery stores? Does your home support you, both physically and mentally?
This Mental Health Month, challenge yourself to look at your world and how different factors can affect your mental health. Depending on where a person is born, lives, works, plays, as well as their economic stability and social connections, are part of what is called “social determinants of health.” The more these factors work in your favor means you are more likely to have better mental well-being. However, when it seems like the world is against you, your mental health can suffer.
While many parts of your environment can be out of your control, these are steps you can take to change your space and protect your well-being:
- Work toward securing safe and stable housing. This can be challenging due to finances, age, and other reasons, but there are a few things you can try, such as reaching out to a state/local agency to secure housing, removing safety hazards in the home, or finding another space (such as community center or friend’s home) where you can get the comfort you are missing at home.
- Focus on your home: Consider keeping your space tidy, sleep-friendly, and well-ventilated. Surround yourself with items that help you feel calm and positive.
- Create bonds with your neighborhood and community: get to know local businesses and the people living around you.
- Connect with nature: Hike on the trails, sit in the park or along the river, bring a plant inside, or keep the shades open to absorb natural light.
If you’re taking steps to improve your surroundings but are still struggling with your mental health, you may be experiencing signs of a mental health condition. Take a free, private screening at mhascreening.org to help you figure out what is going on and determine next steps.
The world around us can be both positive and negative, and bring joy, sadness, hope and anxiety. Learn more with Mental Health America’s 2023 Mental Health toolkit, which provide free, practical resources, such as how an individual’s environment impacts their mental health, suggestions for making changes to improve and maintain mental well-being, and how to seek help for mental challenges. Go to mhanational.org/may to learn more.
It’s okay not to feel okay.
If you or someone you know has been struggling with their emotions, behaviors, or substance use please reach out to us. We can help you find appropriate tools and services that could help you overcome obstacles in your life. We are here for you. Please contact the Southern Ute Behavioral Health Division or the Native Connections Program at 970.563.5700 for more information or to set up an appointment to see a counselor or therapist.
Resources:
Mental Health America, (2023). Look around, Look within: Practical Mental Health Information Retrieved from https://screening.mhanational.org/diy/
Reminder: If you need to talk to someone, please reach out. It’s okay not to feel okay. Please contact us if you or someone you know has been struggling with their emotions, behaviors, or substance use. We can help you find appropriate tools and services that could help you overcome obstacles in your life. We are here for you. Don’t hesitate to contact the Southern Ute Behavioral Health Division or the Native Connections Program at 970.563.5700 for more information or to set up an appointment to see a counselor or therapist. Or you can call the NEW Nationwide Suicide and Substance Use Crisis line: 9-8-8 #988Lifeline
And for those interested in opioid use education, harm reduction, and support, please contact us for quick Naloxone (Narcan) training and fentanyl test strips. We can schedule individual, family, or friends training times at our Southern Ute Behavioral Health Building, or we can come to you, and the training is around 30 minutes. Please call us at 970.563.5700 to set up a training appointment.
Resources:
Celebrate diversity month. National Today. (2022, October 21). Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://nationaltoday.com/celebrate-diversity-month/
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Diversity definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity