What do you do to maintain or improve your mental health?

I am writing for my father who has had several strokes, leaving him with a host of medical issues including vascular dementia. He had to learn to walk, talk, swallow, almost anything you do daily all over again. While, his speech started getting better, he continued for several years to struggle with putting sentences together. It's like knowing, in your head, what you want to say, but your mouth won't say it. While he is one of the very lucky ones, he regained roughly 70% of what he lost. He takes medications of course, but he has an excellent aide that helps him, encourages me, reminds me, and is constantly coming up with new ways to stimulate the brain. (Me) We play cards, color, do math problems, write song lyrics (because his handwriting is still terrible), and play dominos. We go for drives, and write down things we see, then alphabetize them. This is the hardest task for him. We count fake money that we made. She

I encourage him to read and do word searches, but he don't really. He's never liked either one. He no longer gets to cook by himself, but once a week or so, with my help he does. He has always loved to cook, so we always try to let him do things that dont involve knives or the stove. I know it is truly frustrating, to no longer be able to do things for yourself anymore, but I try to compromise and make thing simplified, so he is able to think things out for himself. We will watch game shows, that's his favorite thing to do. We talk about anything and everything. We do chair exercises, not just because he is physically limited to what he can do, but he hates exercising too. We kill flies, and count. I randomly come up with all sorts of stuff to make him think without realizing thats what we are doing. Then, there are days when we just need a break from everything, because he get anxious and angry sometimes. That's when we go fishing, (his absolute favorite past time.) or go visiting people. Sometimes we go to a movie or take my mom out to eat. With all the technology and information that is accessible these days, there's no telling what tomorrow will bring for us.

I spent two years driving the DAV van over 500 miles per trip delivering disable Veterans from rural Arizona to the VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Tending to needy Vets and sharing their stories was a major boost to my mental health. Unfortunately, my health no longer allow me to serve as a van driver but, I still meet with a group of my veteran friends for a weekly breakfast where we share uplifting conversation.

Family and friends are my most helpful when I need them. The best help for my mental health.

I keep my mind busy by reading. I also keep myself busy by doing things I need to do , ie, cutting grass, weeding flower bed, trimming weeds, etc

I maintain or improve my mental health by attending a class called Moving Beyond Trama.

For me, it is a combination of things I take vitamins D and B and make sure to spend time with my boy clancy during the winter and gloomy days and when the weather is nice I make it a point to walk
him almost every day and go for car rides also my wife helps too

I host monthly "Girlz Day In" events in my home for women (vets & non-vets) to have a safe space to discuss whatever they want. Family, work, personal lives, trauma--whatever they want. We discuss topics while journaling, planning (think paper planner like Happy Planner), utilizing vision boards, budgeting, entrepreneurship, etc. We bond over food & drinks and offer each other encouraging advice & support. The women look forward to this event each month & it's growing. Soon, I may have to move it to a local community center when my home (a small cottage style TH) gets too small. Growth is great and I am so happy that women trust me & feel safe in my home to confide in our group.

I use CYCLING as my mental health stabilizer as well as my physical benefactor. I see things that I miss while driving and I get the benefit of relaxation with cardio benefits. And at 81 that is what I need.

I attend a special program at the south east Louisiana veterans hospital called PRRC. Additinally I regularly attend yoga, tai chi and other welness related services on campus. I seekout and soundbaths, yoga,reiki exerise programs in the area and while traveling. I attend services and classes at Unity of New Orleans where I also I receive pastoral council with our lead minister I travel to attend retreats and conferences throughout the year based on spiritualexperienceand seeing friends from aroundthe world. I especially enjoy cooking my own food with prayer and meditation which helps me connect to the greater world of farm to table mentality. By utilizing mindfulness skills while eating it helps me not over eat. I learned these skills at DBT training in mental health clinic as well. I enjoy gardening, spend times outdoors and spend time with my close friends. I seek out activities on Facebook to get in the community especially art focused and the many parade celebrations in New Orleans. I work on art on my own in my time to express what cannot be expressed in words. Finally I live in an apartment that helps me with self care such as a large soaking tub, fireplace, dishwasher and walking trails with ponds, swimming pools that attract a lot of wildlife.

I try to find something good in everything. Look forward to what is to come and make plans instead of looking back.