There is a big upswing in folks seeking therapy at this time of year. The weather is dreary, the holiday cheer has been packed away, new year's resolutions are waning and the reality of our financial situations hits like a brick in these months. It's no surprise that January and February are amongst the busiest months of the year for therapists and counsellors of all sorts.

We see doctors and healthcare providers of all sorts when we’re ill or feeling unwell. But there does seem to still linger a deep stigma around seeking help for our emotional and mental health needs. Too often we equate mental health with mental illness and they're not exactly the same thing. 

To really keep it simple, mental health is an umbrella term that encapsulates both mental wellness and mental illness. Mental illness captures those diagnosable disorders like depression, anxiety, personality disorders, other mood disorders and more. Mental wellness captures the processes we engage in and resources we draw upon to bolster our growth, resilience and sense of flourishing. 

Often the extent to which our nagging mental or emotional woes (worry, stress, loneliness, sadness) affect our daily lives can be determined by our engagement with our protective mental wellness activities, mindsets and environments.  

As an example, if you think about stress and those times of year when it piles up more heavily, then these are the times that engaging with our wellness activities could help protect against the ravaging effects of this stress and possibly keep us from spiraling into something deeper and more chronic. This could be things like caring for ourselves, seeking social connections, seeking spiritual guidance (if applicable), getting our bodies moving, amongst others.

It can feel like our energy needs to go elsewhere, to neglect our needs somewhat so that we can put out those fires as they come up. As you can imagine, these needs don’t simply vanish; they can find new and less helpful ways of making themselves heard. If we follow the stress example, chronic stress can cause mood dysregulation, a racing heart, chest pain, fatigue, hopelessness, loss of appetite, etc.

The good news is that you have the building blocks of wellness within yourself already.

It’s just that life sometimes forces us to change our strategies and adopt new ways of coping. The things that worked just aren’t as effective anymore and this is where people get lost, overwhelmed and find themselves seeking external support. Your support can come in the form of therapy, but it’s not the only way. You might find your healing comes best in community, through art and movement, or with different kinds of practitioners. Whatever the case might be, seeking support as you find your groove within mental wellness is ok, actually it’s better than ok, it’s necessary. We often do our best healing in relationship with others, encouraging us to get out of our own heads and see new perspectives.

So, how is your mental wellness? Is it time to switch things up?

If therapy is something you are considering, we’re here to walk with you along that journey. Contact us with questions or book a FREE consultation and let’s talk about your needs. 

A special note 

Let’s get something straight though, it’s not always that simple. There are systemic problems that no amount of personal mental wellness will undo, but it’s these protective activities that are all the more necessary in situations that are (or feel) insurmountable and out of our control. So especially for folks that live in marginalized identities or occupy oppressed social locations, the work of balancing the daily, unrelenting effects of this pressure would benefit from being managed actively.

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