Silver Oaks Behavioral Hospital: 5 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health Now 

Everyone feels anxious or sad at times, but when those feelings become chronic or overwhelming, it’s often time to get help from a professional. 

“We give ourselves permission to be physically ill, but when it comes to mental illness, we just throw our hands up,” said Dr. Imran Shakir, a psychiatrist and Medical Director of Silver Oaks Behavioral Hospital on the campus of Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. 

“When we break a leg, we don’t blame ourselves. If we have diabetes, we don’t say, ‘I’m not going to take insulin. I’m just going to think this away.’ But when it comes to mental health, we say, ‘I don’t want to take advantage of your services. I should be able to just stop thinking like this.” 

In a Silver Cross IMatter Health Podcast, “Improve Your Mental Health with Five Simple Actions,” Dr. Shakir also explained the difference between a clinical concern that needs treatment, and a mental health struggle that we all deal with at times in our lives. 

As we go through our day, he said, our mental health is something that routinely affects our function and well-being. The vast majority of people experience some sort of anxiety, and that can be a plus at times. For example, anxiety before a test can make us study harder. 

But anxiety can become detrimental when it interferes with our everyday functions, he explained. Clinical anxiety, often combined with depression, is an insidious disease that develops slowly over a long period of time, causing people to become more isolated and not feeling joy in the things they used to get from them. 

Dr. Shakir said there are ways to alleviate, and even help prevent, day-to-day anxieties. 

Measures to Relieve or Minimize Anxiety

“What’s an easy way I can improve my mental health right now? Exercise,” Dr. Shakir said. “That’s a physical activity. The very same endorphins we’re trying to activate with medication are being released naturally.” 

Then, there’s the gut-brain connection. What we eat can affect our mental and physical health, he explained. “Healthy eating is scientifically proven to affect your mental health; they are clearly connected in a very biological way.” 

Sleep is also very important, Dr. Shakir added. One of the most prevalent symptoms with mental health issues is how sleep is affected. 

“When you get into treatment, sleep is one of the top three things to address. I know when I don’t sleep well, the next day is that much harder for me.” 

If someone already has generalized anxiety disorder or clinical depression, Dr. Shakir said, sleep issues don’t just add to the problems; they increase them exponentially. 

Quality of sleep is most important: Some people can function well with four hours of sleep; others need eight. People have to gauge for themselves what the right amount is. 

People should also be aware of what effect screen time has on our sleep patterns, Dr. Shakir said. “We have to limit screen time. That blue light. That blue light to our brains means ‘blue sky.’ That chemically reverses the melatonin, the natural things our brain does to shut itself down.” 

Also critical to a good night’s sleep, he said, are making sure we’re not using caffeine, not answering emails or sending texts, because that sends a message to our brains that it’s not time for sleep. “Over time, it becomes harder and harder for you to sleep.” 

But what happens when you wake up? Dr. Shakir said those first few moments are key in setting the tone for the day. 

“Maybe we wake up anxious or sad; why is that? So often, we’re carrying emotions with us, and we’re not even aware why. Then, half-way through the day, we say, ‘I’m not having a good day.’” 

Dr. Shakir said if we explore the reasons, we may remember we had a bad exchange with a friend a few days before. Assessing our feelings first thing in the morning also is key to a good day. 

“Bringing it from the unconscious to the conscious mind, I can’t tell you how powerful that is to process that anxiety. 

“Taking an inventory of our emotions and processing those emotions, putting meaning to them, takes seconds. But it doesn’t come easy. It takes practice. But if we do it, I can’t tell you any other advice that can be more powerful. When you do it, it’ll help you not only in the morning, but your whole day.” 

Dr. Shakir appreciates the awareness of mental health, which he says is breaking down the stigma that has caused so many people to avoid treatment. 

“Mental health is biological. Hopefully, breaking down these walls will make it easier for people who need help to come forward. It has been costing our country more due to physical illnesses,” he added. 

To listen to Dr. Shakir’s full podcast or watch his video podcast, visit silvercross.org/imatter-health/ and select the Podcasts link.