Laura's note: While the author's example of rest includes watching television, in my opinion, true rest--the kind that is crucial to restoring us and that often is so hard to come by--does not involve screens of any kind. That is not to say that chilling in front of a screen can't be relaxing and fun--who doesn't need to zone out now and again?--but the deep rest we need to heal and fill our internal stores so we are equipped to handle stress on a bad mental health day or ANY day comes from a period of doing nothing, including taking in information, even passively. I also think the author's tips would be well-applied to any and every day--not just the most difficult days. Perhaps making it a point to incorporate all the elements of the author's RICE acronym daily (or as often as possible) would go far in reducing the number of "bad mental health days" we have.
Anyone else?
A few weeks ago, my stepdaughter had an awkward landing during a volleyball game and hurt her ankle. As we moved through the motions of caring for her injury, I realized most people had a basic understanding of how to care for a potential sprain. Unless there is an obvious bone-sticking-out-of-your-leg situation, you should “RICE” the affected body part. That’s Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
I think it would be great if there was an acronym for dealing with mental health conditions — something easy to remember so my husband, mom and coworkers could assess my situation and know what to do without much thought. Maybe having an acronym is the key to confidently helping others.
Since my Google search for a mental health treatment acronym came up empty, I guess I’ll just have to invent one. How about RUFF?
[To read the rest of this article by Ashley Sides Johnson and to find out what "RUFF" stands for, click here.]
[PHOTO: NATHAN DUMLAO ON UNSPLASH]
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