I.CARE Mental Health Foundation

07/02/2022

Beginning in Mid-July, Dial 988 for the Mental Health Hotline
The three-digit code will be like 911, but for mental health emergencies only!

05/27/2022

01/26/2022

I Know This Much Is True

https://www.hulu.com/series/a9b87099-aabd-4c61-a720-b7b868d70b4b?utm_source=shared_link

This movie (series) is insightful on what mentally ill people and their caregivers often endure.

A family saga that follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness.

01/25/2022

Here are nine tips for maintaining or improving day-to-day good mental health.
Self-care. This plays a role in maintaining your mental health. Self-care means making time to do things that make life nice. For some, that may be treating yourself to a weekly movie night. Others enjoy time spent reading, talking with friends, soaking in a bubble bath, or going for a long (or short) walk.

A few small acts of self-kindness each week can make a big difference in how we feel.
Get enough sleep. Rest is crucial to good health, mental and physical. Stick to a schedule, waking and going to bed at the same time each day.

Create a wind-down routine. Put on your most comfortable sleepwear, brush and floss your teeth and settle in for a good, long snooze. Nix blue-light emitting devices before bed and avoid too much caffeine.

Learn how to deal with stress. Stress is a part of life. Developing coping skills can change how much stress affects you, and how resilient you are. Deep breaths are a great on-the-spot stress minimizer. Consciously relaxing your muscles can diffuse a stressful moment. So can listening to a favorite song or watching a funny video. In the long-term, the tools that help keep us mentally and physically healthy are the very same tools that help us deal with stress: good sleep and nutrition, exercise, self-care, connection with others and the other tips mentioned in this article.

Liven up your routine. Human beings love a good routine, and most of the time we enjoy the feelings of security and safety they offer. BUT…a little change of pace can liven up your day. Drive to work a new way or choose a different jogging route.

Rearrange the pictures on your walls or your living room furniture.

Make a new recipe.

Brush your teeth with the opposite hand. You get the idea!

Treat yourself with kindness. Watch out for self-criticism and negative self-talk. Your inner critic is doing you no favors. Perhaps you’re not even aware of your inner critic – start to listen to your inner monologue and when you hear the critic, tell it you don’t want to hear it. After you’ve practiced silencing the critic, work on replacing the critic with an inner ally who notices the good things about you.

Say no when you need to. Focus on your goal and priorities, and if you start to feel like you’re taking on too much, say ‘no’ or ‘not right now’ to new tasks. At the end of the day, be mindful of all you have accomplished, and try not to turn the narrative to what you didn’t get to.

Eat well and drink plenty of water. What you put into your body will affect how you feel. Junk in, junk out. Getting a good balance of nutrients, including fiber and water, can have a stabilizing effect on your mood. Sugary or over-processed foods spike your blood sugar levels, which then drop, leaving you feeling tired, cranky and even unstable. Too little of specific nutrients including vitamin B12, selenium, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc and calcium has been linked to depression.

Aim for meals that contain a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables, plenty of protein and moderate amounts of healthy fats.

Surround yourself with good people. Our friendships and relationships can sometimes help (or hurt) our mental health, so it’s important to seek out interactions with people who are supportive, kind and positive. Reaching out to new people can be hard but worthwhile.

Look for positive people you’d like to engage with wherever you go regularly: work, school, church or even the gym are great places to start.

Avoid drugs and alcohol. Say no to drugs and keep your alcohol use to a minimum. Recent studies show that for women, moderate drinking means no more than three drinks on any one day and seven or fewer drinks per week. For men, it’s no more than four drinks on any one day and no more than 14 drinks per week. As for other self-medicating or recreational drugs, avoid them.

Information provided by IHG.

01/25/2022

The National Institute of Mental Health says it’s time to seek professional help if you are experiencing severe or distressing symptoms that have lasted two weeks or more, such as the following.

Difficulty sleeping
Appetite changes that result in unwanted weight changes
Struggling to get out of bed in the morning because of mood
Difficulty concentrating
Loss of interest in things you usually find enjoyable
Inability to perform usual daily functions and responsibilities
Don’t wait until your symptoms are overwhelming. Talk about your concerns with your primary care provider, who can refer you to a mental health specialist if needed.

01/25/2022

How to Deal With Valentine’s Day Depression?

Whether you like it or not, Valentine’s Day is coming. Here’s some helpful Information shared from Boca mental health facility to beat Valentine’s Day depression and make the most of this Hallmark holiday.

Especially if you are suffering from heartbreak, avoid social media and the inevitable flood of couples’ photos that will fill up your feed for a few days.
Though romantic love may be absent from your life right now, focus on the other types of love in your life and take a moment to appreciate the people who care about you.

Misery loves company. Your single friends may be feeling down as well, so plan a fun Galentine’s Day activity. You will all forget about your Valentine’s Day woes.

Be your own Valentine and spend the day treating yourself with something you enjoy.

Give yourself words of affirmation instead of dwelling on any of the negativity you are feeling.

Avoid the temptation to drink your problems away; it will only leave you feeling worse in the end. Also, if this behavior becomes your norm, you could wind up needing dual diagnosis treatment.

Focus on healthy outlets like meditation, yoga, journaling, or going to the spa to cope with any poor feelings.

While it is natural to feel everyone is in a relationship, remember that you are not the only one who is single and that being single has its perks. ❤️❤️❤️

01/25/2022

Regina King's son, musician Ian Alexander Jr., dies at 26: 'A bright light who cared so deeply' Ian Alexander Jr., the only child of award-winning actor Regina King, died by su***de at the age of 26.
Many prayers of healing to the family!

***deawarness ***deprevention
National Su***de Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-(TALK) 8255.

01/25/2022

Su***de Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-(TALK) 8255

01/25/2022

What is post-COVID-19 psychosis and who’s at risk?
By: Jacqueline Sierzega, PsyD

Most of us can list the symptoms of COVID-19 without much thought now. Fever. Shortness of breath. Cough. Loss of taste or smell. Fatigue.
And many of us have heard about the potential long-term physical effects of COVID-19.
However, doctors now are researching new mental health side effects from the virus. Though reported in small numbers and considered rare, COVID-19 psychosis has affected patients around the world.
Psychosis is a mental disorder in which patients have an impaired sense of reality. Symptoms of psychosis can include hallucinations, delusions, talking incoherently and agitation.
A New York Times article outlines a handful of cases involving people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who had never been diagnosed with a mental health illness but developed psychosis within weeks after testing positive for COVID-19. Many of the patients had mild symptoms of COVID-19.

01/19/2022

Now it's easier to send I.CARE Mental Health Foundation a message.

Now it's easier to send I.CARE Mental Health Foundation a message.