One of my favorite new words is multifactorial. When it comes to the various issues and symptoms that we face in life, the cause is usually multifactorial. Multiple different factors can be affecting your present-day experience. Assessing and addressing some of these various factors is not only beneficial in and of itself but can make the process of therapy much more efficient and effective because we can more clearly delineate what is causing your issues and spend our time focused in the right places. Here are some of the common issues that can cause negative mental health symptoms:
Sleep
Sleep is typically one of those areas that we all know we should be prioritizing, but the execution of actually getting to bed and waking up when we need to can be a huge challenge for many of us. The emotional barriers that come up in getting proper sleep is a great topic for therapy, but doing your best to prioritize a proper amount of sleep for your age is a necessary component for both our physical health and mental health.
Check out this article to see if you’re getting enough sleep.
Nutrition & Hydration
Here’s another basic category that is easy to overlook. Nourishing our bodies properly is an essential building block to thriving in every other area. Each body is different and has different needs. If this area is a challenge for you, start by prioritizing eating whole, unprocessed foods, cooking your meals at home, and paying attention to how your body feels after eating particular foods. Hydration is also a simple way to ensure our body is able to function as it is meant to function. One good rule of thumb is to aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces (140 pounds = 70 ounces of water) per day. If this area is a struggle for you, consider talking with your primary care physician about your current nutrition and ask about his or her recommendations. Consult with a nutritionist for extra support.
Movement
For me personally, consistently moving my body has made one of the biggest positive impacts on my mental health throughout my life. Our bodies were made to move and be active. Incorporating some form of exercise into your life can be a game changer. If this isn’t yet part of your practice, I encourage you to start small by finding some form of movement that you enjoy and is easily accessible to you, and begin building in this habit at least weekly.
Hormones
Our physical, emotional, and spiritual faculties are all intertwined; we cannot separate them. Hormones can have a huge impact on our emotional and physical health for both men and women. If you suspect that your hormones may be out of balance, it may be worth talking to your doctor about checking your hormone levels. The typical hormones that cause mental health symptoms when out of balance are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and thyroid hormones. Imbalances in these areas can sometimes cause symptoms of depression and anxiety, so being aware of these issues prior to starting counseling can be immensely helpful.
Airway Issues
Did you know that our body was made to inhale through our nose, not our mouth? Airway issues that cause you to frequently inhale through your mouth can cause a multitude of issues, including ADD, anxiety, and depression.1 If you notice yourself often breathing through your mouth and struggle to shift to inhaling through your nose, you may want to consult with your doctor or an airway centered dentist.
Screen Time
Too much time on our screens is truly the epidemic of our times. I often think about how people can save themselves so much time and money in therapy by severely limiting access to their phones. Again, the barriers that come up to putting down our phones is a great topic for therapy, but you can do yourself so many favors now by limiting your screen time. One small place to start is by simply noticing what you are desiring when you pick up your phone. Am I bored? Am I seeking connection? Am I running away from stress? And then notice how you feel when you get off of your phone. Did I get what I need? Do I feel more connected? These observations can be very insightful.
Repressed Emotions
This one might take a little more fancy footwork to explore, but the concept here is that any time we are avoiding feeling a feeling, it will have some kind of effect in our internal system–physical, emotional, or otherwise. A good question to ask yourself is, “Are there any feelings I am avoiding thinking about or acknowledging right now?” You might not be ready to face those feelings yet, but being aware that they exist and need some attention is a great place to start.
Connected Relationships
More and more research tells us that the key to a fulfilling life is deep and connected relationships.2 Are you connecting with people that you care about on a regular basis? One or two people is plenty, as long as you are able to share your inner world and feel seen and understood.
Stress Management
Stress is one of the biggest culprits for issues in our mental and physical health. Stress management is a very common goal in counseling. Before beginning counseling, it can be helpful to assess the areas of stress in your life and determine which stressors you can decrease or eliminate and which stressors you may need some help managing.
A few more ways to get a jumpstart on your success in therapy:
I commonly recommend to clients at the end of their first session to build space in their day to reflect. Henri Nowen wrote, “Half of life should be lived, the other reflecting on the living.”3 Reflection allows us to slow down and become aware. Daily prayer time is a great time to reflect. Try spending a few minutes playing your day back through your head, noticing what went well, what didn’t go well, and how you felt and reacted at various points in the day, and talk to Jesus about this. You can take this a step further and practice a daily Examen to discern the movements of your heart and the movements of the Spirit on a daily basis.4
As you take time to reflect, identify the pain points. One of the first steps in counseling is identifying goals. Usually, our goals start with identifying what’s not working well. Put some words to the emotional, behavioral, physical, and spiritual issues you are facing.
Next, think about the positive treatment goal. Flip those pain points around and ask yourself, “What would it look like when I successfully complete therapy?” What do you want to be feeling, thinking, and doing once these issues are resolved and healed?
As I’ve mentioned previously, our emotional, physical, and spiritual life are all interconnected. I find time and time again that the people making the most lasting and significant changes in therapy are the ones who are frequenting the Sacraments, spending time in prayer, and taking seriously their walk with the Lord. If you need another reason to make this a priority, here you go.
St. John Paul II famously once said, “Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity.” We are made for greatness. We are made to thrive and to live in joy, even here and now in this fallen world. My hope and prayer for you is that you have the courage to pay attention to what your symptoms might be telling you and begin the healing work that God has in store for you.
Sources:
1https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34329858/
2Harvard Study of Adult Development. (n.d.) Harvard Second Generation Study. Harvard Medical School. https://adultdevelopmentstudy.org/
3 Nouwen, H.J.M. (1996). Can you drink the cup? Ave Maria Press.
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