Ketamine Wellness Centers Houston Partners with Nami of Greater Houston to Discuss Mental Health and Self-Care Tips

Lisha Gandhi is the Clinical Administrator at Ketamine Wellness Centers-Houston

Mental health is defined as a person’s state of well-being. It can include our emotional, psychological, social well-being. Mental health helps us determine how to handle everyday stress, build relationships, and make healthy choices. Maintaining adequate mental health is considered as important as our physical health, in which one can greatly impact the other. There are several early signs that can help to determine concerns over mental health. 

Are you experiencing one or more of the following behaviors:

• Eating or sleeping too much or too little.
• Pulling away from people and usual activities.
• Having low or no energy.
• Feeling helpless or hopeless.
• Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared.
• Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships.
• Thinking of harming yourself or others.
• Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school.

What is Self-care?

The concept of self-care can vary from one person to another, but the basis of self-care is taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Overall taking time to acknowledge and improve self-care can provide benefits to mental health. In a most recent webinar hosted by NAMI Greater Houston, Clinical Administrator Lisha Gandhi at KWC Houston highlights a few useful tips to help focus more on self-care.

Eat Healthy and Balanced Foods

According to the American Dietetic Association, people tend to either eat too much or too little when depressed or under stress. Eat too much and you find yourself dealing with sluggishness and weight gain. Eat too little and the resulting exhaustion makes this a hard habit to break.  Some foods that maintain mental health are:

• Complex carbohydrates — such as brown rice and starchy vegetables can give you energy. Quinoa, millet, beets, and sweet potatoes have more nutritional value and will keep you satisfied longer than the simple carbohydrates found in sugar and candy.
• Lean proteins — also lend energy that allows your body to think and react quickly. Good sources of protein include chicken, meat, fish, eggs, soybeans, nuts, and seeds.
• Fatty acids — are crucial for the proper function of your brain and nervous system. You can find them in fish, meat, eggs, nuts, and flaxseeds.

Exercise & Meditation

Exercise and Meditation are powerful sources of activity that help to combat mental health illness. It promotes changes in the brain, including neural growth, reducing inflammation, releases endorphins, and other chemicals in the brain that give you the boost that makes you feel good. Recently with the pandemic, there are many gyms and outsources that have been closed off or limited. Whether you like to do Yoga, Pilates, Kickboxing, Strength training, Dancing, or other types of workout, now there are chances you will find a service or videos online.  Another great source of exercise is walking, cycling, jogging, and hiking. This is a great way to get out and get fresh air while keeping a safe distance from others,

Get Enough Rest

This is probably the number one area where you can improve your health and well-being. Sleeping is a very important aspect of self-care. Lack of sleep can create fatigue and decrease one’s concentration/clarity of thinking. Many times, the problem lies in falling asleep. One tip to unwind before bedtime, give your body a heads up. A relaxing routine might include reading a book, taking a bubble bath, listening to soothing music, using lavender scents, or journaling.  

Stay Connected

Staying connected with your friends and families has been a challenge during the time of the COVID pandemic with social distancing.  Spend time together as a family every day doing something everyone enjoys, such as cooking or listening to music. You can also connect with other family members, friends, and neighbors with phone calls, text messages, and video chats. Another fun idea is to set update nights or event parties with your friends and family through ZOOM/video chats. When you engage in meaningful activities with others it brings a positive effect that boosts your mood, lowers stress, and overall improves your health.

Reach Out

Take time to reach out to your family and friends to see how they are doing. All it takes is a phone call to ask how they are doing. On the other hand, if you are struggling, reach out and share your thoughts and emotions with others. It is okay to need help. Reach out for support in your community, like Ketamine Wellness Centers and NAMI. Take educational classes on mental health to learn more and help others.

Ketamine Wellness Centers is always here to help you or your loved one in your time of need. Since 2011, we have been here to give people hope and help. Feel free to visit our webpage at ketaminewellnesscenters.com or give us a call at (855) KET-WELL and speak to a Patient Liaison today!