Welcome back to Consider Yourself Hugged! Click here to listen to Episode 135. OR click YouTube below to watch! (***Disclaimer: We provide these notes as a skeleton for the show - nothing fancy 😄) Be sure to read/watch/listen to Part I before this episode.
Join us today as we continue discussing this wonderful tool to assess your current mental well-being. The MHQ is: "a snapshot of your self-perception along various dimensions of mental function that determine your mental wellbeing. It is not a measure of happiness or life satisfaction. You could, for example, be experiencing very difficult or sad circumstances in your life but nonetheless have all the capabilities to cope as best as one could, and therefore have a high level of mental wellbeing."
Part I was an overview, so be sure to start there – here’s that link . Parts II and III will delve more deeply into the score and into each of 6 subcategories.
What is the Mental Health Quotient?
From Sapien Labs: Mental wellbeing is the ability to handle life and its various stresses and challenges. The MHQ is therefore a snapshot of your self-perception along various dimensions of mental function that determine your mental wellbeing. It is not a measure of happiness or life satisfaction. You could, for example, be experiencing very difficult or sad circumstances in your life but nonetheless have all the capabilities to cope as best as one could, and therefore have a high level of mental wellbeing.
Note: If your score is negative, please seek professional advice.
Today, we’ll cover 2 of the 6 categories: Mood & Outlook and Social Self. All the referenced articles will be below under resources.
1. What is Mood & Outlook? (Directly quoted from Your MHQ Results)
This represents your ability to manage and regulate your emotions effectively and your ability to have a constructive or optimistic outlook for the future.
Conversely it also encompasses feelings such as fear, anxiety, anger, irritability, guilt and sadness.
Severely distressed forms of emotional functioning include uncontrollable crying, night terrors, severe temper outbursts, extreme phobias, uncontrollable panic attacks, highly traumatic flashbacks, intense mania or suicidal intentions.
Tips from your gracious hosts 😊 (Listen for details)
Write down your past hurts on pieces of paper and burn them!
Medication used as a tool in your toolbox
Be vulnerable with your safe connections.
Develop deeper self-awareness
Therapy
Now visit the articles for more, including:
Try new activities.
Revive old interest & hobbies.
Change your physical setting.
Notice & label emotions.
Allow yourself to feel your emotions & then validate them.
Separate thoughts from feelings.
Think in grays rather than black & whites.
Be your own cheerleader rather than your own bully.
Look for the positive in difficult scenarios.
Practice gratitude.
2. What is Social Self? (Directly quoted from Your MHQ Results)
This represents how you interact with, relate to and see yourself with respect to others. It includes factors such as confidence, communication skills, self-worth, body image, empathy, and relationship building. Your social self underpins your ability to see yourself positively, successfully function in a social world and form meaningful social connections.
Distressed forms of social functioning include excessive unprovoked aggression, a strong sense of being detached from reality or suicidal intentions.
Tips from your gracious hosts 😊 (Listen for details)
Evaluate your connections.
Grow your circle of friends.
Find mentors.
Cultivate a mentally healthy workplace, even virtually.
Spend more time with family, friends, colleagues.
Make it a daily priority.
Now visit the articles for more, including:
Continue to learn about healthy connections.
Make a practice of reaching out to others.
Use tools like Zoom to connect.
Make use of self-help materials – classes, etc..
Seek counseling.
More next week!
Resources:
Additional Resources: National Alliance of Mental Illness
Thanks for joining today! As we’ve always asked in the past, please pass the show link along to your friends and subscribe, download, and review wherever you are listening. If you’re a woman and you haven’t joined our private FB group A Place for Women, please do that now! It’ll be your source of encouragement.
And until next time, Consider Yourself Hugged 😘🤗
Michelle Kixmiller, MSN, MAE, RN, APN, PMHNP-BC Michelle Kixmiller is a Board Certified
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Licensed Educator. She works with children and adults with mental health needs including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Michelle served as a public school teacher and science department chair for over a decade when a family tragedy pulled her in a different direction. The death of her younger brother after a multiple year battle with depression and alcoholism led her to pursue a career in the mental health field. She went back to school to become a registered nurse graduating and gaining experience as a critical care nurse at a level 1 regional burn center prior to completing a graduate degree to become a mental health nurse practitioner. Her vision is holistic care through teamwork to create a more peaceful school environment for students and staff alike. No one should have to struggle alone. Michelle currently works full time for a non-profit community mental health center at an outpatient clinic and works PRN for an inpatient crisis stabilization unit. When not at work she loves spending time with family, traveling, watching movies (not scary ones), running (slowly), and Crossfit. Contact Michelle at Silver Lining Psychiatric Solutions, 615-378-7713 or mkixmill@gmail.com.
Grace Lichtenstein, MS is award-winning international speaker/trainer, coach, and a huge fan of all things nap-related. For the last 20 years, I have been working with individuals and corporate teams to improve their health, become more productive, and reduce their stress. Through my training in both Western and Eastern wellness philosophies (including an MS in Counseling Psychology), I truly has a comprehensive view of "what works". In addition, my diverse experience working with thousands of people in 49 states and in 2 foreign countries (ranging from native New Yorkers to Native Alaskans and from the FBI to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), has allowed my to pinpoint some of the universal characteristics of successful individuals and teams. Contact Gracey at grace@graceandsuccess.com.
Through my signature online programs or with one of my live training topics, I have the tools to help almost every individual and team reach their true potential. In addition, I am skilled at providing an exceptional learning experience based on client needs whether it be live onsite, webinar, a customized learning management system, email tutorials, or individualized life or executive coaching.
Tami West, PhD Stress and Mental Health Expert Dr. Tami West uses her entertaining and
compelling style to shine a new light on how to transform your life and discover solutions to life’s challenges. Her passion stems from a lifelong battle with an anxiety disorder which has uniquely equipped her to teach, encourage, and motivate others.
Tami has worked in a variety of industries including healthcare, school nutrition, corporate sales, and 10 years as a public-school teacher. In 2013 she received her PhD in Human Development, studying the connections among stress, emotions, and identity. She is so passionate about removing the mental health stigma that she recently became a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor.
Dr. West has spoken in 48 states across the US, as well as the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In any given year, Tami speaks to groups with audiences consisting of anywhere from 100 to 3,000 people.
Her audiences are diverse and include Danbury Federal Prison inmates, teachers, administrative assistants, food service, and senior executives at Social Security Administration.
Dr. West is the author of several successful publications including two books: The Stress Club, Life Without the Monsters and Thrive. She is a mother of eight in a blended family and enjoys reading historical fiction, traveling with her husband Tim and family, and watching The Big Bang Theory.
Contact Tami at tamiwest@tamiwest.com or follow her at Tami West Seminars.