While we talk about the importance of prioritizing mental health year-round, Sunstone Counseling celebrates the dedication of May as Mental Health Awareness Month. We envision a world where seeing a therapist is as commonplace as seeing a primary care doctor—where people grappling with emotional and relational challenges can easily access the professional services they need to not only survive, but thrive.
In our busy lives, we all have moments where we feel like our mental health might be suffering. Especially given the ongoing experience with pandemic living, many people are realizing that stress, isolation, and uncertainty have taken a toll on their well-being. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we wish to remind you of 5 manageable ways to boost your mental health.
While taking a sick day is common when you are feeling physically unwell, what’s not as common – but should be – is taking a mental health day when you are feeling mentally and emotionally unwell. The truth is, taking a mental health day from work or school can be extremely important for your overall well-being. It can help to improve your mood, avoid burnout, get some much-needed rest, and rejuvenate yourself so you can tackle “real life” once again.
By its very definition, vulnerability is uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. Even when we try to control every aspect of our every day, we will be met with unexpected situations that require us to respond – with no script and no guarantee of perfection. We can try to avoid being vulnerable, or we can choose to face the uncertainties of life head-on, knowing that vulnerability often leads to greater intimacy, self-worth, and compassion for ourselves and others.
Mindfulness is an ancient practice that encourages us to be engaged with ourselves and the world around us without judgement. Many of us are stuck thinking about the past or worrying about the future that we don’t spend much time in the present moment at all. Getting started with a mindfulness practice doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are four brief exercises you can try at any time, in any place.
After about 6 years of dedicated clinical work, education, development, self-exploration, teamwork, and determination, one can become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Virginia. Counselors have the honor to be a part of some of the most intimate details of a client’s life. It is this arduous training that allows an LPC to gracefully care for these moments in a way that will be healing.
