I hope this blog post reaches out to those who have experienced or are currently experiencing difficulties with their mental health to any degree. Maybe you already struggled with mental illness before the pandemic, or maybe this is all new to you and increased screen time has got you diagnosing yourself with ADHD, depression, anxiety, etc. Wherever you are in your relationship with your mental health, it is safe to say that a year of chronic self-isolation and inactivity can put a strain on your very ♥ human ♥ body and mind.
Stress isn’t a psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-5, but it should be. When experienced chronically, stress will cause the onset of mental health problems and worsen pre-existing conditions. Then, upon realizing that you have a debilitating mental illness, it’ll stress you out even more. It's a terrible, vicious cycle. You can try to think your way out and make excuses, but the reality is that this only makes matters worse.
Each and every day, we have the power to show up for ourselves, or not. Just because we are feeling like crap, doesn’t mean that we need to treat ourselves like crap, nor do our bodies deserve to. The physical body is a mere vessel for our consciousness, however if we neglect this vessel to a shipwreck, how can we expect our mental wellbeing to stay afloat when we experience turbulence in life? The mind and body work together. This is why, when you treat your body like a temple, it will act as a strong support system for the mind and spirit to thrive.
Here at NWF, we’ve implemented a brand new, 2-person Sunlighten Infrared Sauna that has been scientifically proven to produce myriad benefits that can take your self-care game to the next level. Here are a list of ways our sauna can benefit your mental health:
Heat - Using infrared heat to stimulate the skin activates serotonin-producing cells in the midbrain, producing a change in how the brain functions.
Meditation - Our sauna provides you with time and space for meditation and relaxation.
Sound - A combination of music and healing vibrations resonate throughout the body, which helps calm and balance the mind and body.
Chromotherapy - With built-in chromotherapy lighting, Sunlighten saunas provide a variety of carefully selected colors (especially blue and violet) to alleviate anxiety and calm the nervous system.
For more information about our sauna’s benefits, including physical health benefits, visit www.sunlighten.com, pick up a brochure at our front desk.
For those who use our gym as a form of self-care, we thank you for showing up for yourself. When we become mindful about our own mental health, we are able to understand others with greater compassion and empathy. Remember that your mental wellbeing always, always comes first and that when you invest in taking good care of your vessel, it will take you wherever you want to go, and even places you never would have imagined.