Well-being

Over the past several years the concept of “mindfulness” has earned increased attention, no pun intended. Boston University offers mindfulness classes in order to increase employee productivity and efficiency, in addition to supporting stress management and positive health practices.

Mindfulness involves focusing one’s attention and awareness on the here-and-now. A growing body of research has found mindfulness practices to decrease stress, as well as to relieve chronic pain, reduce anxiety, prevent depression relapse, and to support recovery from disordered eating and substance abuse.

Stress, loneliness, inactivity, and/or lack of sleep all negatively affect our mental well-being. At other times, there may be no clear reason for why you feel the way you do.

Factors that may make you more vulnerable to periods of poor mental well-being include:

grief and loss
loneliness
relationship issues
work conflicts
abuse, trauma, violence, or neglect, either current or past
discrimination
a long-term physical health condition
poverty or financial stress
unemployment
being a caregiver to a family member or friend
significant trauma or exposure to violence

No matter the reason, it can be helpful to remember that you deserve to feel good. There are steps you can take to improve and maintain your mental well-being. PAS can help you address the issues that may be affecting your well-being.

Source: mind.org

Breathing & Relaxation

Take a deep breath in. Now let it out. You may notice a difference in how you feel already. Your breath is a powerful tool to ease stress and make you feel less anxious. Some simple breathing exercises can make a big difference in your well-being if you make them part of your regular routine.

Resilience

When traumatic life events occur many people react with a flood of strong emotions. Your resilience will guide your emotional and behavioral reactions to life-changing situations.

Self-Care Tips

Self-care is essential. The truth is that many of us are so busy caring for others that taking care of ourselves is the last order of business. How do we take care of ourselves and avoid burnout? There are different ways to approach this — find what works best for you.

Work/Life Balance

The pursuit of a healthy work/life balance seems like an impossible goal. With so many people torn between juggling heavy workloads, managing relationships and family responsibilities, and squeezing in outside interests, it’s no surprise that more than one in four Americans describe themselves as “super stressed.”