Talk Your Way to a Healthier You

Written by Bakersfield Magazine

No one is immune to crummy days; those days when nothing seems to go your way—you’re behind on a work deadline, realize you forgot to pay the cable bill, spill coffee on your new shirt. It’s easy to feel stressed.

These are the days we complain about to others, as a way of venting. They’re also the days that are easily forgotten the moment things start to look up. But when you combine a few crummy days in a row with a family tragedy, or maybe when that one bad day turns into a bad month, it’s harder for us to bounce back.

Daily stressors are a part of life...it’s how we handle them that really matters. That’s because stress greatly affects our mental well-being, and national studies have shown that our mental states significantly impact our physical health, both positively and negatively. Medical tests have even shown that if we’re in a good state-of-mind, we heal from injury faster.

So why is it that so many people who are focused on their overall health, consistently overlook their mental well-being? They go to the gym, they eat right, they see a physician regularly. That’s not all there is to think about. Even if they’re feeling blue, they tell themselves that feeling will pass on its own.

“There is a stigma surrounding mental health conditions,” explained James Waterman, PhD.

Waterman is the director for the Kern County Mental Health Department. He’s held that post for a little over a year and a half and was quick to point out that the stigma is not only attached to serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bi-polar disorders, but also with something as common as depression.

“Mental health has a huge impact on our lives and depression is the most pervasive mental health issue in Kern County. People shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it.”

Depression affects everyone from children to the elderly and the range can be mild to severe. And because the range is so broad, some people don’t recognize they, themselves, are suffering from depression, or that someone in their life is currently depressed.

“Some people will struggle with depression and they can pull themselves out of it, but there is a point where depression snowballs and it takes on a life of its own,” Waterman explained.

It’s the point where those daily stressors aren’t so easily brushed aside and those bad days aren’t easily shrugged off.

“People will isolate themselves,” he said. “They’ll sleep a great deal more and they’ll have a change in appetite, whether it be overeating or not eating at all.”

That’s when it’s time to find help.

The important thing to realize is that admitting you need help does not mean you’re weak; it’s not a character flaw. We’re not living in a Utopian society—our lives are filled with mortgage payments, long days at the office, active children, and extended family dramas. That adds up to a lot of stress.

So just what can you do to ensure you’re taking positive steps in your mental health and dealing with the stresses of your daily life in a healthy way?

“Believe it or not, sometimes we just need to vocalize the problem,” said Sandy Sierra, Chair of the Bakersfield College Counseling Department.

“There are so many outside stressors in this day and age,” she explained. “Being a single parent, working more than one job, keeping up with the home, and going to school; these can all affect our stress level in a negative way. If we don’t have someone to talk to, just to get our thoughts out, they can build up.”

That’s exactly why counseling centers exist.

“It’s important to find that person who you can share your feelings with, especially if you don’t have that person at home,” Sierra explained.

“It’s an especially stressful time in life when you’re going to school,” said Janet Millar, LMFT, and counselor at Cal State Bakersfield (CSUB). “Many mental health issues spring up during that time.”

And because now is a very pivotal time, not just for our national economy, but our local economy as well, more and more students are feeling the pressure.”

“We’re seeing an increase in the utilization of counseling centers [at universities] across the nation,” elaborated Gia Marks, LMFT. Marks is also a counselor with CSUB and was adamant that there is no shame in admitting you need help because everyone feels pressures at different times in our lives, and some of us handle that stress in different ways.

Just know that no matter what brings you down in life, or the course of treatment you wind up on, there is no shame in admitting you need a little help to get back in a good frame of mind. Paying attention to your mental health is just as important as making sure you get enough exercise, or sacrificing those French fries for a salad. It adds up to a happier, healthier you, so next time a crummy day comes along, you know what steps to take to keep from getting hung up on the crumbs...you know exactly where you put the Dustbuster.

Article appeared in our 26-5 Issue - December 2009