Welcome.
My name is Brian Hyman.
Today we will talk about mental health awareness and do a meditation to quiet the mind and relax the body.
Let's begin.
What is mental health?
Mental health is a general term that describes quite a few different disorders and states of mind.
For example,
Anxiety is a mental health issue,
Emotional dysregulation,
Bipolar disorder,
Depression,
Disassociative disorder,
Eating disorders,
OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder,
Paranoia,
Which is related to fear,
PTSD,
Which is post-traumatic stress disorder,
Psychosis,
Schizophrenia.
These are just some of the things that we can talk about in relation to mental health.
Most of us have probably felt anxiety or depression.
Some of us have had issues with eating disorders,
Substance use disorders,
Stress.
As you're likely beginning to experience or feel,
Mental health affects all human beings in some way or another.
Mental health is human health.
It affects the human condition.
So today,
Let's celebrate mental health awareness by acknowledging that all of us,
Every human being,
Must look at our own personal mental health and emotional health,
And how these things affect our physical and spiritual health,
And that all of us are related.
Modern statistics tell us that one in three people suffer from a mental health condition.
Imagine being in an elevator with three people.
One of those three people has a mental health condition.
It touches all of us,
Our families,
Our friends,
Our communities.
As we bring awareness to mental health,
We can find compassion.
We can let go of shame and stigma and judgment,
And we can work towards solutions and healing and recovery together.
When mental health conditions are not addressed or rectified or taken care of,
They can worsen.
They can lead to co-occurring disorders.
For example,
Depression can lead to alcoholism or drug addiction.
Some people will take matters into their own hands.
They will self-soothe or self-medicate to try to control the mental health issue.
What we can do instead is talk to someone,
A friend,
A therapist.
We can get help.
We can ask for help.
So wherever you are today,
Mentally,
Welcome.
One thing we can all agree on is we can breathe together.
Let's do that as a solution today to calm our mental health or our mental state,
To quiet the mind.
Let's find a comfortable position in a chair,
On a couch.
You can even lie down.
Find a comfortable position and close your eyes.
Begin to breathe with awareness.
Notice the inhale.
Notice the exhale.
As you breathe consciously,
Continue to relax the body.
In the shoulders,
We carry the weight of the world,
All of our burdens and responsibilities.
This is where stress lives within the body,
Anxiety,
Tension.
See if you can relax the shoulders.
Relax the neck.
Relax the jaw.
Keep breathing consciously,
Deeply.
And remember,
Focusing on the breath.
This anchors the mind in the present moment.
The healing,
The transformation,
The recovery that we're looking for.
Mental health is available in the present moment.
Bring awareness to the chest,
The space across the heart.
This is where we store things like sadness,
Loss,
Grief,
Depression.
Relax this area.
Physically relax the chest,
Which will allow the mind to relax.
There's no separation between mind and body.
Many of our mental health issues are stored in the body.
Keep breathing consciously.
Know that you're healing.
Know that you're releasing something that no longer serves you.
Bring awareness to the hips.
In the hips,
We store issues related to trauma,
Abandonment,
Rejection,
Betrayal.
Relax this area.
Keep breathing.
Keep softening.
And continue to courageously do the work that you're doing.
Breathing with awareness.
Bringing awareness to mental health and emotional health and physical health.
And seeing how all these things go together.
For the next few moments,
Keep breathing with awareness.
And seeing how all these things go together.
For the next few moments,
Keep breathing with awareness.
This will quiet the mind.
This will affect how we speak,
How we act,
How we perceive the world.
And as you're breathing with awareness,
As you continue to relax your body,
Just know you're not alone.
There are other people around the world listening to this meditation right now with you.
I am here with you.
We do this work together.
Mental health awareness is a we thing.
A collective healing thing.
A human thing.
Keep breathing.
Keep relaxing.
Now begin to bring awareness back to the present moment.
Take an inhale.
Fill the body with breath.
And exhale.
Let it go.
If your eyes are closed,
Gently open the eyes.
Notice how you feel.
Hopefully,
The mind is a little more quiet now.
The body is a little more relaxed.
And hopefully,
You feel more connected.
Even if you're sitting alone right now,
Doing this meditation alone,
Hopefully,
You feel more connected to the world,
Knowing that other people are also doing their best to become aware of mental health issues.
Whether it's for personal reasons,
Or if they're trying to help people they love.
Or care about.
Now,
If you need extra help,
Please consult a physician,
A medical practitioner,
A therapist.
And if you need medication or some other form of healing,
Please do what you need to do to take care of yourself.
Thank you for being here.
Have a beautiful day.
