May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Since its inception in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been a cornerstone of addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions.                                                                                                                                                    

What is Mental Health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences what we feel, how we think, and how we behave. The state of cognitive and behavioral well-being is referred to as mental health. Some conditions may affect someone’s ability to relate to others and function each day. Each person may have different experiences, even with the same diagnosis. The term “mental health” is also used to refer to the absence of mental disease. Take a moment to destigmatize mental health by normalizing the practice of prioritizing mental health care without guilt or shame.

Mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children. Since children are still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral.

Statistics:

Mental illness affects a significant portion of the population in the United States. Approximately one in five adults grapple with mental health issues annually, with one in twenty experiencing severe conditions. Among youth aged 6-17, one in six encounter mental health disorders each year. Distressingly, half of all lifetime mental health challenges manifest by age 14, and a staggering 75% by age 24, underscoring the critical need for early intervention and support systems for mental well-being.

Mental Health and Exercise

When people are directly involved in designing their own treatment plan, including defining recovery and wellness goals, choosing services that support them and evaluating treatment decisions and progress, the experience of care and outcomes are improved.

Physical exercise can improve mental and physical health. Playing sports, walking, cycling, or doing any form of physical activity triggers the production of various hormones, sometimes including endorphins, which can elevate a person's mood.

Yoga can also be beneficial to your mental wellness. Both movement-based yoga therapies and breathing-based practices have been shown to significantly improve depressive symptoms.

Yoga is offered at both Creek Fit locations with Instructor, Marcia Rabinowitz:

North Class Schedule

South Class Schedule