Mindful Nutritional Habits for Your Mental Health

What if I told you that consuming fewer processed foods could lead to the betterment of your emotional and mental health? Would you consider making small changes to your diet? We definitely would!

Did you know that a lot of the processed food we eat on a day to day basis stimulate the dopamine centers in our brain? This area of our brain is associated with pleasure and reward.

Meaning that it becomes highly addictive to the point where we need these foods to feel good, but lets be honest, we only ever feel good for a quick moment. It never truly helps us in the longterm neither emotionally, mentally or even physically.

Here are a few healthy eating tips that can help you make small changes:

1. Create a healthy shopping list and stick to it.

2. Do not go shopping while hungry! When we are hungry we are more likely to grab everything that looks appetizing at the time. Typically causing us to make unhealthy choices and a lot of impulse purchases. Try to have a small meal or snack before your next trip to the grocery store.

3. Incorporate healthy fats such as avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil into your diet to help support brain function.

4. Do your best to limit processed snacks such as potato chips and soda. These can impair your ability to concentrate and tend to cause your energy levels to fluctuate. (It is perfectly okay to still enjoy these foods in moderation! Simply do your best to have them in moderation.)

5. When you’re hungry do your best to opt for a healthier option instead of the donuts or the chips sitting on your kitchen counter. Hard boiled eggs, fruits, or even nuts are all great options and will give you more energy than processed foods.

6. Try to be aware of when and where you eat. Do you usually eat in front of the television? Doing so can distract you and before you know it you’ve overeaten. Do your best to find a place where you can sit, relax and really acknowledge the food that you’re putting into your body. This will allow you to stop eating when you’re full because you will actually be aware of the food you’re intaking and listening to your body’s signals!

Although it may seem difficult to start changing your nutritional habits for the better, we promise you that taking small steps will ultimately help you jumpstart your journey to better nutrition and overall better emotional, mental and physical health.

How to Love Your Body - From Our Therapists

Poor body image can affect so many of us in so many different ways, including in many of our relationships, careers, and our overall quality of life. A lot of the time we tend to hyperfocus on specific parts of our bodies such as our stomachs, noses, thighs, and more. At the end of the day, we are the only ones that truly notice the “imperfections” that we think we have. If we were to ask anyone else they’d tell us we look great, amazing and lovely. Yet, we choose to not believe them.

Many people, even young children can express concern about body weight. Thankfully many children do outgrow these worries as time goes on. It usually happens most with children as young as 8 who are most likely reacting to peer pressure which in turn causes self-consciousness rather than a true disorder. A more distorted sense of self can definitely be more real for pre-teens all the way through adulthood, with more women suffering than men.

Most of the time these feelings are caused by children seeing their parent’s relationships with their own bodies. The way parent’s see themselves can definitely influence and molds a child’s ideas about their own bodies. Women are also more likely to suffer with distortions of body image due to the constant photoshopping that we see on social media and current beauty standards.

Thankfully, we are slowly branching away from the photoshopped images and people are beginning to appreciate themselves more for who they are which is allowing for many of us to truly feel more comfortable in our own skin.

Take these steps to start loving your body more:

1. Curb social media, and platforms where people are constantly pushing unrealistic beauty standards. We can even stay on social media but maybe unfollow all of those people who make you feel bad about yourself, and start following those that empower you instead. Take in media that shows you what real people and real bodies look like.

2. Do the things that make you feel good about yourself. Eat things that make you feel good and get your body moving to give you energy and flow.

3. Remind yourself every morning that you are beautiful, unique and deserving of love and good energy. Create an affirmation that you are happy to wake up to every morning. No one deserves to wake up daily and feel horrible about living in their own body.

4. Get out in the sun and absorb some rays. This will help you feel better, Vitamin D has been proven to boost positive moods.

5. Be realistic and grateful for your able body. Having gratitude for what your body can do is a great step towards loving yourself.

If you feel like you are currently dealing with poor body image, you can reach out to us and schedule an initial session with our counselors to set up a plan to help you overcome the emotions you may be feeling towards yourself. Growth isn’t linear, but we are always here to help.

Body Positivity Summer - A Mental Health Counselor Perspective

It is summer time and summers here in Florida is HOT. They often come with a few hurricanes or tropical storms sprinkled in, so we just want to check in and make sure you're staying safe. 

And as much as we care about your physical well-being, we care about your mental well-being, too. If you’ve been following up along on our instagram, you would see that we are focusing on body positivity and an optimistic mindset. Now, these topics seem great and easy in theory but are often difficult to navigate in our own lives. 

Social media is a huge proponent of social interaction within our generation and this makes the realistic beauty standard feel so high. There are also a variety of other reasons that teens and young adults may struggle with body image while bathing suit season is upon us. According to Mayo Clinic, the most common reasons for low self-esteem are...

• Natural or expected weight gain and other changes caused by puberty

• Peer pressure to look a certain way

• Social media and other media images that promote the ideal body as fit, thin or muscular and encourage users to aspire to unrealistic or unattainable body ideals

• Having a parent who's overly concerned about his or her own weight or his or her child's weight or appearance

• Seeing material in which a teen is seen as a thing for others' sexual use, rather than an independent, thinking person (sexual objectification)

Not only are our bodies supposed to change, mature, and grow, it is healthy for us to do so. Society and generational standards teach us that our bodies should stay the same as it does in high school, forever. This is simply untrue and unrealistic. Men and women alike go through huge changes in their teens and twenties that affect their hormones, their body fat composition, and the obvious appearance changes due to the addition of a baby, in some cases (yes, this affects men’s bodies, too).  

Parental influence also plays a large role in self-confidence and body image. Making sure that the message that is sent to your teens is realistic, accepting, and attainable is so important in creating well-rounded adults with the confidence to make healthy choices on their own. 

These risk factors can create many problems in teens and adolescents that can transpire in their adult lives. Some common effects of poor body image are: 

• Low self-esteem

• Depression

• Nutrition and growth issues

• Eating disorders

• Having a body mass index of 30 or higher (obesity)

It is important to be building the skills necessary to create a body positive environment for yourself, and those around you, to avoid the potentially harmful effects of poor body image. According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the best ways to provide a healthy and safe environment for your child or teen, or even for yourself, is to…

• Set a good example.

  How you accept your body and talk about others' bodies can have a major impact on you and those around you. Remind yourself that you exercise and eat a balanced diet for your health, not just to look a certain way. Also think about what you read and watch as well as the products you buy and the message those choices send.

• Use positive language.

  Rather than talking about physical attributes of yourself or others, praise personal characteristics such as strength, persistence and kindness. Avoid pointing out negative physical attributes in others or yourself. Don't make or allow hurtful nicknames, comments or jokes based on a person's physical characteristics, weight or body shape. It’s just mean. 

• Talk about media messages.

  Social media, movies, television shows and magazines might send the message that only a certain body type or skin color is acceptable and that maintaining an attractive appearance is the most important goal. Even media that encourages being healthy, athletic or fit might depict a narrow body ideal — one that's toned and skinny. Social media and magazine images are also commonly altered. Pay attention to what you are reading, scrolling through or watching and question what you see or hear. Let’s be realistic. 

• Counter negative media messages.

  Expose yourself to individuals who are famous for their achievements — not their appearance. For example, read books or watch movies about inspiring people and their perseverance to overcome challenges.

• Praise achievements.

  Value what you do, rather than what you look like. Look for opportunities to praise effort, skills and achievements in those around you to continue maintaining an overall body positive environment.

• Encourage positive friendships.

  Friends who accept and support you can be a healthy influence. In particular, friends who have healthy relationships with their own bodies can be a positive influence on you too. Find those friends, and do your best to be that friend, for those around you. 

Remember that all bodies are summer bodies, you are allowed to be the person you want to be and love your body for what it is, and you can choose to feel comfortable, just the way you are.

For more information and tips on creating a safe body positive environments for teens, and check our sources, check out this link: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/healthy-body-image/art-20044668

The New Normal

Miss Indiana, Mekayla Diehl has been attracting positive recognition since the swimsuit competition during the Miss USA broadcast. Diehl revealed that she weighs 135 pounds and does not consider herself curvy. She attributes her great figure to working out and eating healthy.  

Although she has managed to attract positive reactions, the question remains: Is this the new normal? Well no, a female weighing 135 pounds or being curvy is not new. What is new, is females with different body types are gaining confidence and are not afraid to show off their bodies! 

Having confidence is important for all girls from a very young age. Many girls grow up looking at stick figure models and idealize this body figure. The majority of the girls idolizing these models are also experiencing insecurities. They begin to formulate the idea that looking thin and being secure are the same thing. This idea grows and can become dangerous, to the point of starvation and eating disorders!

Prevention and early intervention when it comes to teaching girls about body image and feeling secure about their bodies is one way to stop the "I want to be thin" craze. Now that America has responded in a positive manner to Miss Indiana let us keep spreading the confidence. Females have to learn that by the way we think, act and feel about our bodies we can continue to teach others that loving ourselves is most important!