May is Mental Health Month

May is Mental Health Month. Experts will argue that a healthy mental state is directionally proportional to a healthy physical state - and vice versa. The better people feel on the inside, the more it's going to show on the inside. The times in our lives when we are the happiest and most content are often the times when we feel we are in the best physical shape. Our outward appearance reflects this because we pay attention to our looks more when we feel the best on the inside. However, when the inner feelings of happiness and contentment make way for worry, stress, and anxiety - our outward appearance begins to reflect that change in mood.

Stress, worry, and anxiety are all parts of our daily lives. If they rise to uncontrolled levels, other mental issues, such as depression, begin to take root. Once the seed is planted, it's very difficult to stunt its growth. The key is to ward off the icky feelings before they start. Here are some ways of doing just that:

Surround yourself with people

Friends, family members, the people down the street, the lady from the grocery store or church - it doesn't matter whom. Just associate and interact with someone on a regular basis. The benefits of this are twofold. You have the opportunity to talk to someone about what's going on in your life that's stressing you out and you get to hear how many other people may be in the same boat as you are - and know that you aren't alone.

Get enough rest

Everything is compounded when you're tired. Be kind to yourself and relax every minute that you can.

Eat well

Keeping a balanced, healthy diet can ward off all kinds of uglies, not just the mental ones.

Find your joy

Be mindful of the small things in life that bring you joy and partake in them often. Maybe it's playing with a puppy, singing in the shower, blowing bubbles with your kids, or painting your toenails a bright shade of green. Whatever it is - if it's pleasing to you on any level , do it. And do it often.

Take the good with the bad..but take more of the good

Make time for good times. Good times are imperative to our well-being. Dance, laugh, sing, jump, hop, skip, hula hoop - whatever you have to do to create good memories. By doing this, you can pull them out every time the bad ones start to creep in.