Traumatic life events—such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or loss of a job—tend to take up mental and emotional space, prompting us to stop and evaluate these uncomfortable feelings.
Without such a trigger, however, the daily grind has a way of distracting us from checking in on how we’re feeling and processing our emotions. Our mental health should not be an afterthought, though. It should be something we check in on every day in order to ensure that we are physically, mentally, and emotionally in tune.
Taking the time to regularly assess our feelings has many benefits. People who recognize and accept their unpleasant thoughts may be less affected by everyday problems than those who try to bury their emotions. Sure, ignoring our feelings may provide quick relief, but if we never acknowledge them, they can eventually snowball into bigger mental health issues…like depression.
Performing a daily mental health self check-in might sound like a daunting task, especially if you find it difficult to carve out time for self-care. Start slowly, and ask yourself these mental health questions each day to set you on the right path:
- How am I feeling mentally and physically today? Many mental health conditions can manifest both emotionally and physically. Symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, and dizziness, etc. can be manifestations of poor mental health. Before moving about your day, check in with both mental and physical factors.
- What is taking up headspace? Think about what is occupying your mind. Work? Family? Are your thoughts positive or negative? If you need a little extra help to tease these thoughts out, feel free to write them down.
- How are my eating habits? Maintaining a healthy, nutritious diet is important. If you find that you’re not hungry—or are running for the comfort foods on a regular basis—these could be signs of depression or other mental health issues.
- What will I engage in today that will bring me joy? Every day you should set aside time to do something that you enjoy. It can be something as simple as curling up with a good book or going for a walk in the park. If you find yourself making excuses for why you don’t have time to do something for yourself, this might be an indicator that something is amiss.
Mental health check-ins are like physical exercise: you get the most benefit out of them by doing them regularly. By making them part of your daily routine, not only will you develop good habits, but the mental health check-in process will also, eventually, become easier. Another benefit is that you may start to see patterns in how your daily life impacts your mental health. Maybe you’ll identify that your job is causing heightened stress levels, or that you have a lingering sadness you can’t seem to move past.
Being able to identify your feelings from day to day can help you decide if you can work through them on your own, or if you should seek additional help. At Vitalitas Denver, we offer a full spectrum of psychiatric services and ketamine infusion therapy. If you would like to discuss your symptoms, we would be happy to help you. Complete the brief form below to schedule a meeting with a member of our team.
Contact Vitalitas Denver
At Vitalitas Denver, we encourage our patients to explore a wide variety of holistic treatment options to better support ketamine therapy. Ketamine infusions are effective for about 70% of patients, and works quickly to alleviate symptoms. To find out if you are a candidate, contact us using the brief form below, or call either of our Colorado ketamine clinics today.
