January 2023 is recognized as ‘Mental Wellness Month’

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - January 2023 is annually recognized as, ‘Mental Wellness Month.’

It serves as a reminder to maintain and sustain your mental health, despite the ups and downs that come with before, during, and after the holiday season.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults in the U.S. suffers from mental health issues.

“Let’s face it - there isn’t an individual on the planet who doesn’t have issues that they have to deal with that are stressful,” said Med Center psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Grau.

After the excitement surrounding Christmas and New Year, many can find themselves feeling the post-holiday blues.

A local psychiatrist says that one of the best things you can do to work through these feelings of anxiety and depression is to talk through it, whether that be with a family member or a licensed professional.

“Often times we have our own perspective and there’s relief in finding out that someone else has another way of thinking about it,” said Grau.

Besides taking a trip to your family doctor for a referral, there are many other natural and consistent ways you can combat the terrible feeling that mental unrest leaves behind like yoga.

“When we move our bodies with the yoga poses it really helps to send a message to our brain that we are calming down. With yoga we will show people different poses that they can do at home so we want them to take their yoga off the mat and into the world,” said Susan Polk, the owner of Be Happy Yoga and Salt Cave and yoga therapist.

The owner of the local yoga studio says that part of the magic behind yoga is the breathwork that is used throughout each session.

“We give them different tools to learn how to breathe, how to breathe better, and different breath-work practices that will help to calm you down. I know with my granddaughters; my daughter will say now let’s take a few breaths and calm down and it really does work,” said Polk.

The owner mentioned that other than yoga and breath work, regular massage therapy, the use of CBD, and time spent in their salt cave can also promote mental wellness.

If you ever feel like there is nowhere else to turn, the 988 National Suicide Prevention Hotline is now available 24/7.

To learn more about mental wellness month you can visit here.