How's your mental health?

We are entering month 9 of the pandemic, and to be honest, it’s hard to see an end in sight. With the virus came added stressors like lost income, school closings, and all of the unknowns about the virus, how it spread, its long term effects, etc. I think it would be safe to say that there’s not a single American, heck, probably not a single human being, that hasn’t in some way been impacted mentally by this pandemic.

This past summer the CDC released a mental health report, and they found that a whopping 41% of those surveyed were experiencing adverse mental or behavioral health effects due to the pandemic. Reports of anxiety were 3 times higher than in the same time frame in 2019, and depression was reported at 4 times the rate of the same time period in 2019. These are shockingly high numbers to me, given that there are many people who either are not aware of how they are being impacted mentally, or don’t report the impact for fear of being stigmatized. Needless to say, this pandemic isn’t only causing physical illness, it’s taking a toll mentally.

Studies have shown that yoga and meditation practices help to inhibit the stress response, reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Developing a regular and consistent yoga and/or meditation practice can be an instrumental part of your self-care routine moving into the darker, colder days ahead. Managing stress and its related symptoms with yoga has also been shown to improve immune function and reduce inflammation in the body.

With the end of daylight savings time, comes more darkness, colder weather, and more time indoors. Make a plan to manage both your mental and physical health, boost your immunity, and reduce your stress and stress related conditions by adding yoga to your daily routine.