Dear Readers, 

Happy New Year!

As we all transition from the rush of the holiday season into the new year of 2025, we can choose to turn our attention inward to consciously reflect on what matters most to us. For me, this pivot includes prioritizing my own mental health and wellness. And what a month to make this pivot, as January is recognized as Mental Wellness Month. Part of this leaning inwards includes establishing (or for some, re-establishing) healthy behavioral habits and strengthening our mental health for the year ahead. Mental Wellness Month involves integrating emotional and physical health and growing more in tune with the link between your mind’s health and your body’s state.

5 Tips to Enhance Your Mental Wellness in 2025

Below you will find a few tips to help you incorporate mental wellness into your new year:

1. 1. Practice Self-Care: Regular physical exercise, Staying hydrated, Gentle yoga/stretching, Eating whole foods and reducing processed foods, Reducing or eliminating both chemical toxins and social toxins, Getting enough sleep each night
   2. Practice Mindfulness: The practice of choosing to bring your attention to the present, fully immersed in the current moment, making space between yourself and your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and urges through practices such as: Focused rhythmic breathing (4x4x8), Mindful walking, Body scan meditation, Tai chi or qi gong, Self-compassion meditation, Journaling 
   3. Balancing Stress & Rest: Chronically high levels of stress can lead to an overactive nervous system, causing an influx of the hormone cortisol to be released throughout the body which can result in: Generalized anxiety, Difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep, Increased blood pressure, Systemic inflammation, Weight gain, Compromised immune system. Periods of rest & relaxation allow the nervous system to recover, fostering an increase of hormone oxytocin to be released in the body: Listening to music, Getting a massage with aromatherapy, Progressive muscle relaxation, Giving and/or receiving a hug, Laughing with friends and loved ones, Yoga Nidra. Stress is a natural and normative part of life and is not meant to be inherently harmful. Rather, it is one’s response to stress that influences its negative effects on overall mental wellness. Cultivating a mindful approach towards life’s stressors & recognizing it as a transient, passing state can be helpful.
   4. Seek Mental Health Education is integral to understanding mental wellness: NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness provides in-depth knowledge of mental health conditions & promotes awareness through events+programs; APA – American Psychological Association offers comprehensive list of resources from understanding mental health disorders through ways to see help; NIMH – National Institute of Mental Health provides scientifically rooted and evidence based research and articles on mental health
   5. Talk to a therapist! You don’t need to have a diagnosable mental illness to do so. Therapy offers a safe, nonjudgemental space to express one’s thoughts and feelings freely. It offers you the opportunity to connect with a non-biased objective third party to sort out the function of our behaviors, or the “why” behind why we do what we do, and decide together if it is working to help live the life you value, or getting in the way.

Guided Mindfulness Exercise to Help Start The New Year on the Right Foot!

January 2025, Mental Wellness Month, is a perfect starting point to begin reflecting and taking action on your own mental health. To end this month’s important newsletter, I would like to guide you through a brief mindfulness of the breath exercise. As you read through, whenever you see “….”, this is an opportunity to create space and pause.

And now … if you are willing … I invite you to get into a comfortable seated position … taking a stance that is both comfortable yet also energized … Sitting with your two feet planted firmly against the ground beneath you … Noticing your sit bones connect with the seat of your chair or cushion .. Noticing your lumber area and shoulders connect with the back of the chair or cushion … Resting your hands gently in a way that feels right on your lap … palms up .. palms down … perhaps holding your hands together … And perhaps  now making the decision to gently close your eyes … and if that doesn’t feel right … simply choosing a spot to rest your gaze on the ground beneath you… and I invite you now to simply notice your breath and where it feels most alive … perhaps you feel it most in the space between your nostrils and upper lip … perhaps you feel the breath most in your chest area … perhaps you feel the breath most alive by your abdomen or lower belly… there is no right or wrong way to notice the breath …. Simply noticing and observing its ebbing and flowing nature … nothing more … nothing less … and when that mind of yours begins to wander off … I invite you to gently notice where it’s gone … and with kind intention … bringing your attention back to the breath … again …. And again … and again…and now … when you’re ready … I invite you to pivot your attention to the sense of your body as a whole … sitting here … on this chair or cushion … on this day … at this time … and to notice what it is like to be sitting here now … being held firmly … not only by the ground beneath you … but also by the steady grounded earth beneath us all … and when you are ready … slowly beginning to wiggle your toes … wiggly your fingers … gently rolling your neck from side to side … and gently and slowly opening your eyes and returning your focus to the task at hand.

“The secret of health for both mind and body is to not mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” – Buddha

Dear Readers, 

Why Do I Feel Like This is More Than Just the Stress of Winter?

As many of us know all too well, the winter season can be particularly challenging. Many of us can relate to the experience of “winter stress” – the stress that comes from external pressures and challenges that increase during the winter season that are influenced heavily by holiday expectations, financial strain, and difficulty and dysfunctional family dynamics. Symptoms of winter stress can manifest as anxiety and overwhelm, and often dissipate once the holiday season wraps up.

However, while winter stress and winter blues are related, they are two distinct concepts. The symptoms of winter blues are more closely aligned with the experience of depression, and can become severe enough to warrant the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder with a Season Pattern (formally known as Seasonal Affective Disorder). Not too shockingly, the mental health community labels the month of December as “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Awareness Month.”

What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and How Does It Affect Us?

This diagnosis is characterized by a cluster of symptoms, most notably, recurrent episodes of depression in late fall and winter (where there is less sunlight and colder weather), with alternating periods of typical moods during the rest of the year. During a seasonal depressive episode, some hallmark symptoms can include oversleeping (hypersomnia), overeating, weight gain (fueled by an increased craving for carbohydrates), extreme daytime fatigue, lethargy, hopelessness, lack of interest in usual activities such as socialization and sex, isolation (think hibernation), and suicidal thoughts.

Effective Treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder and Proactive Strategies to Reduce Winter Blues

As with most depressive disorders, the gold standard of treatment includes a healthy combination of antidepressant medication, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapies, and consistent exercise. However, unlike other depressive disorders, this condition can include light therapy as a treatment modality. This type of therapy consists of regular, daily exposure to a “light box” which artificially simulates high-intensity sunlight.

If you or someone you know has a predictable seasonal pattern of altered depressed mood, there are behaviors one can engage that are within your control to plan ahead and reduce the severity, intensity, duration, and functional impact of the winter blues. Because this disorder has a specific pattern to it, those who suffer from it can prepare for it’s predictable arrival by:

1. 1. Exercising more towards the end of summer
   2. Beginning and/or re-engaging in individual therapy at the beginning of September
   3. Starting light box therapy in early October
   4. Plan a vacation to a sunny spot sometime in January
   5. Add a Vitamin D supplement to their daily regimen

Moving Forward with Hope and Compassion

I hope this brief snippet of signs, symptoms, and treatment options of Major Depressive Disorder with a Season Pattern (formally known as Seasonal Affective Disorder) has proven to be useful and helpful. At the very least, I hope to be able, through this newsletter, to spread the awareness that this experience is a real, clinically recognized condition that can significantly impact health and well being.

May we continue moving forward this winter season by choosing to be kind and compassionate with ourselves, towards ourselves, and towards others.

Dear Readers, 

Reflecting on Recent Mental Health Awareness Initiatives

Last month there was a strong focus on world mental health. In line with my values as a psychologist, and also as a mother, a daughter, a partner, a colleague, a consumer, and a friend, I participated in two important walks in an effort to spread awareness of the mental health resources that are available, to reduce to stigma that is placed on those who suffer with their own mental health, and to hold space and remember all those who have lost their life in their battle with mental health through substance abuse or suicide. Namely, on October 26th, 2024, my family and I walked in the 7th Opioid/Fentanyl Awareness Walk hosted by Essex Health & Wellness Recovery Center on Bloomfield Avenue from Newark to Caldwell, and on October 27th, 2024, we participated in the Out of the Darkness Community Walk at Verona Park hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The Duality of the Holiday Season

To piggyback off the crucial mental health initiatives engaged in last month, I thought I would use this newsletter as a forum to begin the discussion of grief & grieving during the holiday season, which is just around the corner. For many of us, the holiday season can be a bittersweet one, as we both cherish the special time and memories made with friends and family that are here and present with us now, and as we mourn the loss of loved ones that are no longer with us at our holiday dinner table. 

Honoring Loved Ones Through Traditions

Many of us find healing and strength when we continue to honor our loved ones lost through storytelling, creating a memory book, visiting their final resting place, cooking their favorite dishes, playing their favorite music, and perhaps even dedicating a special ornament to represent their memory. It’s important that you find and develop new traditions that work for you and your family as it pertains to celebrating the holiday season when it is met with grief and sadness over the death of a loved one. One tradition that many have found to be valuable was to incorporate a holiday memorial by lighting five candles on a wreath to commemorate and honor their loved one.

The Five-Candle Holiday Memorial

If you are interested in trying out this tradition, I would invite you to use the phrases below (of course using your own language that works best for you) as you engage in this holiday memorial:

“As we light these five candles in honor of you, we light one for our grief, one for our courage, one for our memories, one for our love, and one for our hope”.

Candle 1: “This candle represents our grief. The pain of losing you is intense. It reminds of the depth of our love for you.”

Candle 2: “This candle represents our courage – to confront our sorrow, to comfort each other, and to change our lives.”

Candle 3: “This candle is in your memory – the times we laughed, the times we cried, the times we were angry with each other, the silly things you did, and the caring and joy you gave us.”

Candle 4: “This candle is the light of love. As we enter into this holiday season, day by day, we cherish the special place in our hearts that will always be reserved for you. We thank you for the gift of your living brought to each of us.”

Candle 5: “And this candle is the light of hope. It reminds us of love and memories of you that are ours forever. May the glow of the flame be our source of hopefulness now and forever. We love you and we miss you.”

Finding Meaning and Compassion During Difficult Times

As we all enter into this holiday season, I would invite you to connect with your heart’s deepest values; to connect with whom and what matters most to you; to connect with the moments that are truly meaningful and sweet; all while holding a compassionate space for the more difficult feelings that can arise through grief and loss.

Please remember to be kind towards yourself and others, and to allow yourself grace during painful moments.

Dear Readers, 

As some of you may know, on Thursday, October 10th, 2024, we celebrated World Mental Health Day. This is a day for us as a community to take action and make mental well-being a global priority for all.

Mental illness affects everyone

Both directly and indirectly, through our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and strangers that we see crossing the street, everyone is affected by mental illness in some capacity. However, no one has to experience mental illness alone.  We are doing an amazing job at spreading awareness of mental illness, decreasing the stigma of reaching out for help, and promoting the notion that mental illness is real, help is available, and recovery is possible, and, there is still work that needs to be done!

This is where our greater community can chime in:

1. What is one meaningful action that you can take today in an effort to decrease the stigma of mental illness and spread awareness?
   • Might you be willing to talk openly with a friend about your own mental health struggles? Or ask curiously and nonjudgmentally about theirs?
   • Might you show compassion for those struggling with mental illness? Perhaps through maintaining eye contact as they share, and offering your gentle presence while resisting the urge to problem solve?
   • Might you choose empowerment over shame? Meaning, could you choose to own your own story, as unique and beautifully imperfect as it is, and refuse to let others’ negative/skewed perspective of mental illness impact your own narrative?
2. What might be one meaningful action that you can take today to increase your own mental health?
   • Could it be getting to sleep one hour earlier?
   • Could it be choosing to take the stairs vs. the elevator?
   • Could it be choosing to make amends with an estranged relative/friend?

Upcoming Mental Health Awareness Events in New Jersey

There are a few very important events coming up this month that I want to share with you, with the aim of continuing to raise awareness for these important causes, in addition to gently inviting those who are willing to participate in acting on them!

1. The 7th Opioid/Fentanyl Awareness Walk hosted by Essex Health & Wellness Recovery Center will be taking place Saturday, October 26th, 2024 at 9:00AM. The important event is intended to spread awareness of the dangers of opioids & fentanyl; to remember those who have lost their lives to substance use disorder; to support the loved ones left behind; to thank those who help those struggling with addiction; and congratulate those who have given themselves the gift of recovery and a second chance at life! 
   • Check in begins at 8:00AM at Newark School Stadium, and the walk begins at 9:00AM. The other start/stop locations are Bloomfield Fire House, Glen Ridge Town Hall, Montclair Police Department, Verona Town Hall, and BLR at 80 Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell, NJ. There is no fee to walk and free tee-shirts are included! Following the awareness walk, there will be lunch and a presentation at the First Baptist Church at 259 Bloomfield Ave, Caldwell.
   • For more information, to register, to sponsor, or to volunteer, contact Robin Lavorato (862-485-8811) or [email protected].
2. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Out of the Darkness Community Walk is taking place in Essex County at Verona Park on Sunday, October 27th, 2024 at 11:30AM. This community walk offers an opportunity to remember those that we have lost; provide hope to those who are suffering; and support the community in the shared effort to #StopSuicide.
   • For more information, to register, to sponsor, or to volunteer, contact Marissa Vargas (862-395-1650) or [email protected].

Stay tuned!

Together, we as a community can work together to spread the news that mental illness is real, treatment is available, and recovery is possible! Stay tuned into my Instagram handle @dr.amandaastermckenna for real time footage of both of these awareness walks where my family and I will be participating!

Thanks so much for your time today, and I cannot wait to connect again next month as I share some tips & tricks to tolerate the Holiday season!

Dear Readers, 

Before we being…

I’m excited to share some special news before diving into this month’s focus. My practice has officially rebranded, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to The Montclair Therapist! This rebrand includes a refreshed website and expanded social media presence. Moving forward, you’ll find all of my content, including newsletters, on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok under the handle @TheMontclairTherapist.

My new website, www.themontclairtherapist.com, offers in-depth information about my services, a curated selection of mental health resources, and step-by-step guidance for coordinating care with your insurance provider. This rebrand is close to my heart, and I look forward to connecting with you in new, engaging ways to continue supporting your mental health journey.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month

For my newsletter this month, I would like to draw your attention to September’s mental health awareness initiative: National Suicide Prevention Month. This awareness campaign runs all month long, with September 8th through 14th being National Suicide Prevention Week, and September 10th being World Suicide Prevention Day. Let’s take a deep dive into some important facts about suicide, warning signs of someone who is thinking about suicide, and what we as a community can do to help. 

Suicide by the Numbers

Did you know that …

1. 1. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, being the 2nd leading cause of death amongst people ages 15-24
   2. In 2020, 46,000 Americans died by suicide
   3. In 2020, 12.2 million adults had serious thoughts of suicide, 3.2 million made a suicide plan, and 1.2 million attempted to take their own life
   4. 40% of those who complete suicide have a history of a previous attempt 
   5. 9 out of 10 people who attempt suicide and survive do not go on to complete suicide at a later date
   6. Suicide rates are highest among adults ages 45-64 at 19.6 per 100,000. The second highest rate is 19.4 per 100,000 among those 85 years or older
   7. Compared with middle-aged older adults, younger populations have consistently lower suicide rates
   8. Males are four times more likely to do die by suicide; Females are three times more likely to attempt suicide
   9. Those with substance abuse disorders are six times more likely to complete suicide than those without
   10. 8 out of 10 people who are considering suicide give some sign of their intentions. Talking about suicide is not a typical response to stress. All talk of suicide should be taken seriously and be addressed immediately.

Warning Signs

Please note that any of the below listed warning signs do not necessarily mean that a person is considering suicide, but several of these symptoms together may signal a need for help:

• • Verbal statements such as, “you’d be better off without me” or “maybe I won’t be around.”
  • Expressions of hopelessness and helplessness
  • Previous suicide attempts
  • Daring or risk-taking behavior
  • Personality changes
  • Depression
  • Giving away valued and important possessions
  • Lack of interest in future plans

What We Can Do to Help

• • We Can All Take Action: Evidence shows that providing support services, talking about suicide, reducing access to means of self-harm, and following up with loved ones are just some of the actions we can all take to help others.
  • Hope can happen: Suicide is not inevitable for anyone. By starting the conversation, providing support, and directing help to those who need it, we can prevent suicides and save lives.
  • Refer to Crisis Centers: By offering immediate counseling to everyone who may need it, local crisis centers provide invaluable support at critical times and connect individuals to local services.

Crisis Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

• • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
  • The TrevorLifeline for LGBTQIA+ Youth : 1-866-488-7386⠀
  • Crisis Text Line : Text ‘MHA’ to 741741
  • Disaster Distress Helpline: Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
  • Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988 and Press 1
  • Warmlines (For those who aren’t in crisis, but still want to talk to someone): http://www.warmline.org 

Interested in helping to reduce the stigma and raise public awareness about suicide prevention? Consider participating in your local “Out of the Darkness Community Walk”. As a community, lets come walk together, take strides in saving lives, and bring hope, one step at a time, to those affected by suicide. Find your local supporting event here: https://supporting.afsp.org/. This year, I plan in walking in the Essex County Community Walk in Verona, NJ on October 27th, 2024!

Together, we as a community can work together to spread the news that mental illness is real, treatment is available, and recovery is possible!