May is Mental Health Awareness Month. One in five, the equivalent of 4.6 million, adults in the United States experience a mental health condition in a given year and suicide is the tenth leading cause of death according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Like physical fitness, mental wellness is something we can work on every day. With busy work lives, it can be difficult to carve out time for yourself, but the benefits are worthwhile. It can be as simple as taking fifteen minutes to do something for yourself, such as meditation, a gratitude walk, or just taking time to sit with yourself in silence and listen to your thoughts.
A body scan is a quick meditation that can help you get in touch with your body and mind. Find a quiet place and a comfortable seat or even a place to lie down. Begin to deepen your breath, finding the deepest breaths of your day as you expand the lungs fully and completely, and then allow them to deflate as much as they are able. Check in with the sensations in or around your body starting with your toes and moving to the crown of the head. Notice those places where you’re holding tension and see if it’s able to be released. You might scan through toes, feet, calves, shins, upper legs, abdominals, lower and middle back, upper back, chest, shoulders, upper and lower arms, hands, fingers, neck and throat, jaw, forehead, and brow line.
If you or someone you know is suffering from mental illness, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org for more information, resources, and support. MUIH students, faculty, and staff also have access to free, confidential counseling services through the following resources:
For MUIH Students:
Danielle LaSure-Bryant
Counselor/Social Worker and Referral Counselor
Grassroots Crisis Intervention
24-Hour Hotline: 410.531.6677
http://www.grassrootscrisis.org/
For MUIH Staff and Faculty:
Higher Ed EAP
24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-535-4841
www.higheredEAP.com
#4Mind4Body #MentalHealthMonth #MHM2019 #mentalhealth