We’re finally getting to that time of year – summertime, sweet summertime –the weather is beginning to warm up and spring has finally decided to actually hang around a bit. It’s not quite summer, and as the long workdays drag on, we find ourselves drifting off into a daydream, thinking of sipping frozen cocktails beachside on a warm and sunny day. It really makes you think… should I book that four-night stay in a tropical zone? Surprisingly enough, it may be just the ticket (no pun intended!) you need to help escape the stresses of everyday work and life.
Wellness can be summed up into a single mantra: Health is wealth. Health is something that may not offer financial benefits, but it is one that allows for making the most out of life. Health can literally be worth its weight in gold. It is also one of the single most important aspects of life that you can invest in for yourself. When most people think of wellness, they think of diet and exercise. Both are crucial to an individual’s health, but something that has been gaining a lot of attention lately, and rightfully so, is focusing on the intellectual side of things.
All too often we tend to push aside how we’re feeling, and instead, overwork and stress more. Over time, this wears on us, making our mental health less stable, and directly affecting our overall wellness. We may feel embarrassed to ask for help and worry about the stigmas that are related to those worries.
Luckily for us, society has been pushing for more ways to improve our mental health so our lives are much more fulfilling and enjoyable. One of the driving forces behind this newfound encouragement for better mental health is the celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month.
What is Mental Health Awareness?
Mental Health Awareness Month was first established in 1949 by the Mental Health America organization as a means to shed light on and bring awareness to the general public about mental illness. According to Wikipedia, 18% of Americans suffer from depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Through the use of different toolkits, screenings, local events, and media, different organizations educate those that are affected by mental illness and help to break negative misconceptions that accompany mental health.
More and more companies and organizations are now giving their employees the proper resources, personal time off, and wellness programs to help them be as healthy as possible. If you are still lacking the necessary resources to get started improving your mental health, here are a couple of options to get the ball rolling.
Exercise
There are numerous health benefits of exercising on a consistent basis. From improving overall health and reducing the risk of health concerns related to excessive weight gain (heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc.), to improving sleep, regular exercise should be a part of everyone’s routine.
One of the best benefits that exercise offers is its positive impact on overall mental health. From reducing stress to minimizing anxiety, to lowering the likelihood of depression, fitness is a great option to help improve your overall mental state.
Meditation
Meditation has been around for thousands of years and for good reason too. With the numerous benefits that it can provide an individual, there is a reason so many have been practicing this art for as long as they have.
Meditation has been proven to help heal physical issues, improve overall sleep quality, and most importantly, help improve mental health. From reducing anxiety and stress to easing depression and helping those overcome addictions, it also helps with conflict management and makes you slow down in life and truly enjoy the simple things.
Self-Care
While exercise, diet, and meditation all qualify as ways of prioritizing self-care, there definitely are other ways that you can use to show yourself some extra love and help maintain overall good mental health.
If you’re an extrovert, give yourself more time on a regular basis to visit and see those that mean the most in your life: family and friends. Getting into a habit of doing consistent activities with those types of people can have a significant impact on your mental state.
If you are an introvert, try spending more time on yourself. Set aside one day per week to spoil yourself. Develop a routine: read a good book, watch a movie, master your grooming routine, or take a long hot bath.
Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, try playing around with different concepts to see what works best and helps you. You could also try journaling, practicing positive affirmations, or using scent therapy, all of which have been shown to have a great psychological impact.
Plan the Ultimate Getaway
Sometimes the best way to help your mental state is to do a hard reset, and what better way to do so than by getting away. Remember those tropical drinks you were just dreaming of sipping on … here’s your answer.
W Fort Lauderdale
Planning a weekend trip somewhere where the sun is always shining, the temperatures are warm, and there’s always something to do, is the perfect mental reset. One of the best places that you can choose to escape to is the hotel and spa.
Gone are the days of old when hotels were merely used as a place to lie one’s head at night. Now, hotel chains are providing guests with amenities that prioritize the experience of staying at a hotel and W Fort Lauderdale has some of the best to offer!
Ready to plan your next stay? Here are some of the top amenities offered at W Fort Lauderdale and what you can expect:
Away Spa
Feeling a little tension from all the stress you’ve been under lately? Away Spa offers some of the best options like deep tissue massages, giving you and your body some of the best self-care available – all your worries just disappear and you can truly be in tune with your body.
There are plenty of benefits of massages too, from working out aches and pains from exercise or everyday living to relieving stress and anxiety by helping to manually remove toxins stored in the body. Before you know it, you’ll be relaxed into a state of euphoria.
Away Spa offers the perfect way to detox and retox starting off with an energizing elixir detox shot, then utilizing their Beauty Bar, or their amazingly perfect massage services. By the time you leave there, you’ll be fully rejuvenated and have a slight glow to you.
Dining and Socializing
If it’s one lesson we all learned the hard way from COVID, it’s that we as humans, truly are social creatures and long for comradery, companionship, and relationships. A good starting place is checking out The Living Room restaurant at the heart of the hotel where you can mix and mingle all while sipping on some decadent handcrafted cocktails and dinner bites. Once you get your fill of drinks, it’s time to move on to some of the best dining around.
One of the best ways to help you stress less is to occasionally relax on the diet and indulge in some good eats. W Fort Lauderdale has some of the best available.
Wet Decks
Check out the two different Wet Decks to take a break from stress. Wet Deck West is definitely for those who enjoy a more party vibe, Wet Deck East is more subtle and peaceful. The best part is, both can be enjoyed poolside.
Steak 954
Get ready to have the best steak in town as you indulge and dine in the dimly lit, steakhouse of old with the classic charm appeal experience.
El Vez
If Mexican cuisine is your go-to, be sure to check out El Vez for breakfast, lunch, or dinner all while taking in the view as it faces the oceanfront. They also feature over 100 varieties of tequila.
Sobe Vegan
Sobe Vegan offers American classics with a vegan twist, from smoothies and bowls to salads, burgers, and sandwiches, they have it all.
Fitness
As we stated earlier, exercise is crucial to mental health. Making sure to offer the best, W Fort Lauderdale has a wide array of options to cover all your fitness needs.
Here are their offerings: Pure Barre, Sea Cycle spin classes, a gym 24/7, beach yoga, and beach boot camp.
Mental Health is Wealth
With numerous options available and at your disposal, prioritizing mental health is easier today now more so than ever. Hopefully, these options will help you get a jump start on taking action, and don’t forget if you need to talk to someone, don’t be afraid to reach out to your healthcare provider.
