Health and Wellness
Written By: Christina Russell, Intervention Counselor Sutter Yuba Behavioral Health
Typically, when we hear the words health and wellness we think of medical issues and ways to reduce risk. Some of these examples may look like annual doctor appointments and routine cleanings. Many of us fail to realize that our mental health and physical health coincide one another; both aspects effect the way we operate on a daily basis and look differently on each individual.
Looking at the overarching picture of our physical and mental health each of us have a duty to preserve our wellbeing. We are at a greater risk of developing multiple issues if health and wellness are not properly addressed or are ignored for too long. When we hear the word comorbidity, we often think about more than one physical ailment when these things can manifest in various ways. More than 50% of us will be diagnosed with a mental health issue in our lifetime*; within that percentage the risk of substance use is exponential higher. This is especially true for those who do not seek help and self-medicate.
We interact with many of these people in our daily lives but fail to provide for them if we cannot empathize with what they may be going through or understand how they perceive their own struggles. Sutter Yuba Behavioral Health offers trainings such as Mental Health First Aide and ASIST to bridge the gap between those in crisis and appropriate was to respond.
These trainings are designed for anyone in the community that builds knowledge on appropriate ways to interact with someone in crisis. Our hope is to break down the stigma in our community and offer resources to those in need.
One of the ways to increase wellbeing is self-care. Self-care has been a huge buzz word in the past few decades relating to improvement and love for our own wellbeing. In previous generations self-care was deemed selfish especially in social structures where others were expected to be placed first. We have made strives in the past 40+ years to place value on individuals and creating happiness in their own lives. Self-care doesn’t need to be an extravagant celebration; little changes in our routine that bring us pleasure make a huge difference can help battle negativity in our lives. A few simple things to consider are rewarding yourself after you’ve reached a goal, choosing things that make you happy, creating time for activities you have a passion for, and so much more. Ever person is unique and not every self-care activity may look the same.
References *Mental Health and Mental Disorders - Healthy People 2030 | Health.gov. (2022). Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/mental-health-and-mental-disorders#cit1 All statistics may be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/data_documentation/index.htm