5 Tips for Promoting Women's Mental Health

Gabriela D. Acosta is the community manager for the University of Southern California online MSW programs, which offers a mental health social work concentration. She is also passionate about social justice, diversity workshops, and community development.

5 Tips for Promoting Women's Mental Health

Women face stressful situations every day, but how they handle them depends on the state of their mental health. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, emotionally healthy people have control of their thoughts, feelings and actions; they have positive self-esteem and good relationships, and can keep problems in perspective.

"Good mental health isn't just the absence of mental health problems. It's about having a sense of balance in your life time alone and time with friends and family, work and play, rest and exercise. It's about taking care of yourself body and mind," advises Susan Kornstein, MD, in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publication "Women's Mental Health: What it Means to You."

To improve your own mental health, try following these five tips:

1. Learn to cope with stress.

Everyday stress can take its toll on women's bodies as well as on their coping skills. Stress can come from many sources, both positive and negative: losing a job, death of a loved one, getting married and being promoted. Your body produces stress hormones, which can lead to headaches, high blood pressure, sleep problems, sexual difficulties and other problems.

One way to cope with stress is to not take on too many commitments. An overloaded schedule can lead to anxiety and depression. Also, try learning relaxation techniques such as meditation, massage, muscle relaxation, yoga and Tai Chi. Additionally, recognize the impact of negative thinking, and try to turn negative thoughts ("I can't do this") into more positive ones ("This may be difficult, but I'll tackle it one step at a time").

2. Connect with others.

Make sure that most of the people in your life are positive and supportive; pessimists, critics and complainers can deplete you. Seek out friends and family members who affirm your worth and who support and listen to you. Look for friends at the gym, book club, women's organizations and spiritual community who may be able to help you. Positive relationships can increase your self-esteem, reduce your stress and help you cope with crises.

3. Eat the right foods.

What you eat may also affect your mood. Have you ever felt sleepy after eating greasy take-out burgers and fries? Do you feel refreshed after eating a green salad or sauteed vegetables? The right foods keep the central nervous system functioning. Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and seafood (if not vegetarian), and minimize processed, refined foods to boost your mental health.

4. Keep moving.

Exercise can create beneficial brain chemicals call neurotransmitters and endorphins, and lessen immune system chemicals, which can cause depression. Exercise can also boost your confidence as you meet your goals and feel better about how you look. Working out can help you cope with depression and anxiety in a positive way. Exercise also doesn't have to be restricted to going to the gym or running; it can be as simple as yard work, walking around the neighborhood or doing housework.

5. Get enough sleep.

If you don't get enough sleep, your immune system may decrease and your judgment may err. If you're tired, you may get more irritated over little things and have a hard time coping with larger problems. Most people need seven or eight hours of sleep each night. If you have trouble sleeping, you should train your body to stick to a consistent schedule, limit your caffeine, nicotine and alcohol consumption, and try not to go to bed too hungry or too full. Exercising and avoiding daytime naps will also help put you on a more regular sleep cycle.

What is Foot Reflexology

Foot Reflexology has become a well respected ADJUNCT to regular medical care.It is used in Hospitals, by Physical Therapists and Chiropractors to enhance MOST forms of medical treatments.

Foot reflexology can help ease the pain of achy joints and muscles, relieve headaches and toothaches, improve the functioning of major systems of the body.

Foot Reflexology works by applying pressure at specific points on the bottom of the foot. This is not the same as acupressure or acupuncture.
In fact, the only thing that is the same is that medical science can't prove how it works...they just know it does!!

There are over 7,200 nerve endings at the bottom of each foot. Nerves connectto every organ, every limb and region of the body through the brain and spinal column. It is thought that foot reflexology works in much the same way. Even though we don't actually work the nerve endings, the correlation of the bottom of the feet to every region of the body definitely exists. It was originally called "The Zone" therapy in the early 20th century and was successfully organized into a comprehensive therapy by a physical therapist, Eunice Ingham in the '40s. She coined the term "reflexes" when referring to this therapy.

Foot reflexology can increase the blood flow to the part of the body being worked, which in turn increases the oxygen going to that part.

The increased blood flow helps take away toxins that build up in each cell of the body each day.
This brings more health and vitality to the region plus adds a sense of over-all well-being. When our feet feel good, we feel good!

Learn to do foot reflexology to help your family and friends feel better! Get helpgetting your body back to its' natural state of health by teaching your family todo foot reflexology on you!

Please realize that foot reflexology is NOT a substitute for medical treatment, you are always encouraged to seek professional medical help when needed, however, this therapy can be used in conjunction with most treatments for most conditions.

Please, if being treated by a medical professional, get that professional's permission before doing foot reflexology for that medical condition

Hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes extreme sweating, which can be recurring or even non-stop. Areas commonly affected by this condition are the underarms, palms of hands, and soles of feet. Hyperhidrosis can cause those afflicted to be embarassed or uneasy in public, and can interrupt normal daily activities. Sometimes the condition can get aggravated, making for worse conditions than just the usual sweating. There are two types of Hyperhidrosis, Focal Hyperhidrosis and Generalized Hyperhidrosis, the cause having to do with the bodys sweat glands. There are various ways to treat Hyperhidrosis.

People normally sweat when they are in hot conditions, nervous or stressed. However, those suffering from Hyperhidrosis sweat an abnormally large amount, often to the point of soaking through clothing. Also, the palms of their hands and soles of their feet are often very clammy or literally dripping wet with sweat. These over-sweaty episodes normally happen at least once at week, and are unprovoked. It is hard to lead a normal life with this condition, as having wet hands or wearing a shirt with drenched armpits makes it hard to work and/or have a social life. Also, suffering from this condition always carries the threat of body odor, which makes it even harder to relax around others.

Focal Hyperhidrosis affects the underarms, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet, normally while awake. This type of Hyperhidrosis can occur for the first time before the age of twenty, and is not usually related to another condition. Generalized Hyperhidrosis affects much larger areas of the body and very well may be related to another condition, including, but not limited to: low blood sugar, leukemia, heart attack, infections disease, and lymphoma.

When Hyperhidrosis gets out of hand, complications can arise, such as warts, fungal infections in fingernails and toenails, bacterial infections, and other skin conditions. Eczema and other skin rashes tend to be more likely to be found on people with Hyperhidrosis. Also, those who suffer from Hyperhidrosis sometimes suffer severe psychologically and socially.

Hyperhidrosis can be treated several different ways. If your condition is light to moderate, your doctor may have you try aluminum chloride, which is a prescription antiperspirant. For more generalized sweating, anticholinergic drugs may need to be used. Iontophoresis is another treatment, in which a dermatologist gives a weak electric shock to the affected areas, while the patient is in water. Botox injections can be used to treat Hyperhidrosis, however, the results are temporary, only lasting a few months. If none of these treatments help, surgery to remove the sweat glands is an option.