For Those Who Struggle With Mental Illness
By Rachel Shouse
There have been a number of studies done on mental illness in recent years. Many of them are done to bring awareness to how common these struggles are and how important it is to tackle this problem. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide every day. Mental illness is more common than cardiovascular disease, stroke, and lung cancer. This may be helpful in terms of statistics and numbers; however, it doesn't usually make those who suffer feel better. It can help you see how you are far from alone. There are also a couple of things you can do within your own home in order to help combat some of these issues.
How Many People Suffer?
A study published in an advanced online edition of Molecular Psychiatry reported that, out of 34,000 participants, nearly 4,420 of them were diagnosed with a mental illness or alcohol abuse within a year. That's 7.7 percent of the participants.
Expanding that to the population of our country, being 328 million, that means that approximately 42,600,000 people suffer from mental illness in the United States. After some googling, there are actually 51 million people in the U.S. who suffer from one or more mental health problems.
Using Music to Improve Mental Illness Symptoms
Most people listen to music that is linked to their mood. I like listening to country music when I'm cleaning. I also like alternative rock and tend to blast that when I'm in a poor mood. Getting stuck in angry music isn't a great idea so be sure to switch it up.
Studies have shown that listening to music that has a 60-beat count per minute encourages alpha brain waves, which signal your brain to relax. You can put that description into YouTube's search bar and find something you like.
Declutter Your Home, Declutter Your Mind
Life gets messy, literally and figuratively. Sometimes getting rid of the literal junk can help relieve some of the metaphorical junk. This can sometimes seem counterproductive. Looking at a big mess and trying to evaluate where to start can be overwhelming to say the least.
I recommend that you start with decluttering your home. That means getting rid of things you don't need and/or use. If you're teetering on some items, put them in a bin or bag and take some time to think it over.
Don't get rid of things that mean something to you in order to save space. Think outside the box. Are you utilizing vertical space? I'm sure you have some sort of furniture up against a wall. You could install some shelves above those furniture pieces and keep your special items up.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Clearwater, Fla.