By Scott Mitchell, President and CEO 

 A Series on Upgrading Your Mental Health!

Our expert therapists and leadership have shared some of their most effective tips on how to upgrade and prioritize your general well-being. Integrating any of these tips into your daily life will take intentionality, practice and patience. Creating a new habit or routine begins by making a commitment and then persevering. Often, it’s one step forward and one step back. Focus on progress and not perfection. The benefit is worth the effort!

Scott Mitchell is SamaraCare’s President and CEO. He is an experienced executive and has achieved success in administration, leadership, financial analysis, strategic planning and visioning in the nonprofit healthcare sector. Scott has been a Clinical Psychologist for over 30 years, specializing in anxiety disorders, grief reactions, and PTSD.

Self-care is all about making time to do things that help you live well. These tips will help you take the first steps towards integrating self-care into your daily life. When we take care of ourselves we have improved our internal resources and can better help our family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors.

1. Break Up the Monotony: Routines make us more efficient and enhance our feelings of security and safety, but a change of pace can perk up a tedious schedule. Alter your jogging route, plan a road trip, take a walk in a different park, hang some new pictures, or try a new restaurant.
2. Give of Yourself: Volunteer your time and energy to help someone else. You’ll feel good about doing something tangible to help someone in need — and it’s a great way to meet new people.
3. Enhance Your Support Networks: Those with solid family or social connections are generally healthier. Make plans with supportive family members and friends, or seek activities where you can meet new people, such as a club, class, or support group.
4. Seek to Forgive: Forgiveness is never easy but holding on to hurtful events and reliving them can fill your mind with resentment and anger. Practicing forgiveness can lead to healthier relationships as well as lower levels of depression, anxiety, and hostility; reduced substance abuse; higher self-esteem; and greater life satisfaction.
5. Value Yourself: Avoid self-criticism. Treat yourself with kindness and respect. Make time for your interests and favorite projects or broaden your horizons. Do a crossword puzzle, plant a garden, take dance lessons, learn to play an instrument or become fluent in another language.

Learn more about Scott Mitchell here.