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Mental Health Corner

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“You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” – Chinese Proverb

Mental health is one of the most important things we need to take care of when it comes to personal health. Anxiety and depression are running rampant across the nation, causing increased levels of stress, suicidal thoughts and actions, outburst and destruction, isolation, the list goes on and on.

Being a paramedic, one of the most important things about my job is learning to have empathy or sympathy for people. In fact, close to 80% of my job is social work, listening to the issues that people are having and finding solutions or connections to solve that problem. A lesson I learned the hard way is that when my mental health is poor, I am burned out, or I am filled with anxiety and stress, I cannot perform my job effectively.

• NOTE: I highly recommend you seeking professional help from a licensed therapist. I am NOT a therapist and do not have the proper training in order to treat true anxiety and depressive disorders. What I am about to recommend are tools you can use at home to guide your mindset, but do no supplement therapy.
• Need a therapist recommendation? Try betterhelp.com

What can you do from home?

To help any of you who experience anxiety or depression, I would like to do a couple different things:

• First, I direct you to Dr. John Delony’s Book Building a Non-Anxious Life. This book will change your life if you read it from cover to cover, have an open mind and apply it to your life.

If you are an Amazon shopper, you can purchase the book online: https://amzn.to/3UiGDEq

• Second, in addition to your Bible Journal, create a space for your “Mind Space”. Mind space is a place where I will share positive quotes, a song of the day, and mental health journaling.

In your Mind Space, answer all or some of the following questions:

• What would make today great?
• What are two things you could do make your day great?
• What are three things you are grateful for today? (Make them more specific so you have to focus on them more)
• What is one positive affirmation you could focus on today?
• What is something you learned yesterday that you can apply to today?
• Complete the sentence: If I get ________ today….
• Words of advice you want tonight you to hear.
• What is one nice thing you will do for yourself today?
• Quote of the day: you can use the one I put below or your own

If you add anything else to your Mind Space page, or if you want to share, feel free to email me your Mind Space at [email protected]

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Scripture

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One of the best ways I sharpen, broaden and secure my mind is by doing Bible Study. Scripture contains everything God says about mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellness.

Check out my Bible Study on getting out of the storm of life: Picking ourselves up from the storm – Code 3 Revelation (codethreerevelation.net)

• This study focuses on staying encouraged, leaning on God and walking through the storm of challenges and trials life throws at you.

Brain Chemistry

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Understanding brain chemistry can be complex. I have studies tons about the brain and brain chemistry in order to teach my students but have only barely touched the surface.

What’s super important to understand when it comes to mental health is that neurotransmitters play a huge role. Let’s take a look at a few of the important neurotransmitters that relate to stress, well-being, sleep, anxiety, depression and joy.

Dopamine

Dopamine is what people refer to as our “pleasure” neurotransmitter. That is exactly what it does. When we have that dopamine released, it produces this sense of goodness and pleasure. This can be good or bad, when released doing something not very healthy (gambling, drinking alcohol, smoking, etc) it can lead us towards habits. But on the other side, when it is released, it also can give us a sense of motivation.

What are some ways we can induce dopamine release?

By doing things that you know you like! Definitely consider healthy options: running, exercising, meditation, listening to music, hanging out with good friends, reading a book, playing sports, taking a bath, etc. Even just being out in the sunlight can also help release dopamine!

Make a list of your top 5 things that you like doing. Commit to doing at least one of them a day!

There are some foods that are also said to increase or boost dopamine release. I do not know the clinical research behind this, this is just what some of my nutritionist friends have told me. Eggs, dairy products, certain types of nuts, fish, beans and lentils, avocado, bananas and certain types of beef. Please perform your own research though as I do not know the actual facts behind this.

Natural supplements to look into: probiotics and substances that contain L-tyrosine. Again, please do not quote me on this, I have only talked to holistic nutritionists so please be sure to do your own research.