Counselors share holistic approaches to mental health management
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s a time to raise awareness about the topic and celebrate the many ways it can be managed.
One is the holistic approach.
It’s the most personal approach to your wellness, according to Kasey Van Norman. She’s a counselor and the executive director of the Made Well House in Bryan. It’s a holistic counseling and wellness practice.
“Holistic care is taking the whole person into account for their wellness,” Van Norman said. “It’s saying, hey, your mind matters but so does your body.”
Van Norman said holistic methods can guide to a better overall lifestyle because it’s not a quick fix.
Below, she and counselor Whitney Nicholson shared ways people can incorporate holistic practices into their daily routines.
Spend time outside
Time outside can bring internal peace and soothe the central nervous system, according to Nicholson.
“It totally allows us to get in touch with the playful, more creative side of us and just lowers our cortisol,” Nicholson said.
She recommends going outside daily. It can be walking around the parking lot at work or walking in your neighborhood or a park.
Take a yoga class
Mobility work and simply moving the body is important to wellness and holistic care, according to Van Norman.
The Made Well House executive director said breathing and participating in activities like yoga can help relieve stress and help process hormones.
Be creative
Nicholson utilizes art therapy with both adult and younger clients.
They start with breathing and connecting to their inner thoughts. That’s followed by using paint to freely express the emotions they feel.
“Art is just a form of self-expression,” Nicholson said. “It has no confines, and it allows us to process and externalize thoughts and experiences and feelings that might be otherwise hard to articulate verbally.”
To learn more about the Made Well House and its services and resources, click here.
It’s located at 107 South Preston Avenue in Bryan.
