Mental health is a crucial part of our overall health. Our brains control everything we do, and therefore we cannot have health without mental health; it is truly the most important part of our overall health! Caring for our mental health should be as customary as getting our yearly physical checkup—and some!

There are many ways we can take care of ourselves mentally with or without the help of a specialist. A holistic approach is generally best for best long-term success: take care of your mind, body, and soul.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to talk with Julius Jefferies, a mental care professional who shared his thoughts on the subject.

Julius Melvin Jefferies, Founder of Simply Healing in Knoxville TN, is a licensed mental health therapist and clinical specialist, providing mental health care for almost two decades. In addition to providing psychiatric help and autism assessments, he is a grief therapy specialist, life coach, and public speaker.

Even if much progress has been made, mental health still carries a certain amount of stigma. Focusing on prevention, making mental health care a mainstream practice can help.

Growing up, Jefferies remembers that conversations about mental health care were not seen as positive and usually addressed illness not prevention or self-care. Also, the go-to approach was talk therapy. Fortunately, nowadays there are many different ways to approach mental health. “What we’ve learned is that mental health care is an integrative process that goes beyond talk therapy. In my private practice and everyday interactions, I try to have an unconditional, unbiased, safe place to help people heal and do better for themselves or just process things. I use anything from play therapy to movement to taking my sessions outdoors. I don’t do cookie-cutter mental health. I really individualize it. And that’s a big game changer,” Jefferies shared.

A lot of emphasis is being put on physical health and there is a plethora of apps available to help us get in shape. However, as Jefferies and many other professionals pointed out, you cannot have health without mental health. “If you are depressed or stressed, you are less likely to get up and exercise or to get good nutrition.” Jefferies has always been a supporter of holistic care. “I’m really big on the nutritionist’s threefold: mind, body, heart. What kind of books are you reading? What kind of TV shows are you watching? What kind of food are you eating? What are you doing to calm your heart; are you meditating, praying, going for mindful walks? What social connections and interactions do you have? This is a big piece that it’s a bit of a lost art: going out and just being with your friends face to face instead of nonstop texting or being on social media.

Often, when thinking about mental health care, people think the answer is medication. However, there are many other therapy tools that can help. “If you need medication, you should have it but if you feel sad, lonely, or stressed, try something like a support animal,” Jefferies suggested. His own fur baby, and American Boxer Cat named Bean provides him with loving attention after a long day and sometimes even lends a helping paw at the office.

Beyond talk therapy, Jefferies often teaches mindful movement to his clients. “This works well especially with people who are neurodivergent or anxious or who have trauma because moving their bodies in a gentle way helps release built up energy.” Other times he uses play therapy, especially when working with younger clients. “I play checkers, Connect Four, Uno; I always love to play with my kids in class. It makes it fun and gets them engaged. They relax and leave happier. So, at the end of my class, if someone leaves the room super happy, skipping and my next client waiting in the lobby sees them, they’re like WOW, I like that energy. I hope my session goes like that, too. It builds trust, making the healing process more interesting and appealing.”

“All these other types of therapy tools work well, and it’s been a real game changer to be able to highlight that therapy is so much more than just medication or talking about depressing stuff and trauma.”

It’s OK to take care of yourself. Fill your cup!

When it comes to one’s health, it’s always best to be proactive and seek to create sustainable good habits. For Jefferies, a holistic care approach works best: he gets up in the morning and meditates or does light yoga, then reads his devotional. He then hits the gym. Then it’s time to read a little before he meets with the first client of the day. “That really fills my cup!” confessed Jefferies. “It gives me strength and resilience to go through the day. If I’m consistent in practicing this self-care, I feel less frustrated or overwhelmed at the end of the day.”

Other providers have moved to that approach in their own lives and when working with clients. “We ask questions about the clients’ immediate concerns, but we also make sure we ask how they are you living their lives every day: do they have too much on their plate, what do they do for your self-care, how do they fill their cup?”

Often, we are focused on getting things done, whether it’s job-related or fulfilling family obligations, or we have personal goals. These are necessary. However, Jefferies emphasized the importance of doing something just for fun. “We are meant to experience life not just go through it,” he points out. So, exercise for fun, go dancing, take a hike, travel, play music, read for fun, or bake, practice activities that give you joy. These activities fill your cup, so you can be better equipped to deal with life’s demands.

“I just recently went to Canada with my girlfriend to a rave concert just because; I just want to fill my cup. And it came at the best moment, because I was dealing with particularly distressing times. I fill my cup all the time and it makes me a better advocate for my clients,” shared Jefferies.

Focus on a Now List instead of a Bucket List

“I was talking with someone who wanted to run a marathon but didn’t think they could do it. Well, why not? Many times, people feel like they must get permission or that they can’t do something like that,” said Jefferies. “I’ve traveled so much in the last three years because I had that epiphany for myself. Life is too short to not do things. I actually took my Bucket List and made it a Now List.”

If you are you telling yourself you can’t do something, ask yourself “why not?” Why can’t you travel now? Why can’t you try your hand at painting? “Your brain tells you that you can’t do something because it’s hard. But you are already doing many things that are hard, you have skills that can help you do something new. I call it task reassignment. If you want to do something, think that you can and do it!”

Focus on what makes YOU fulfilled

There is a lot of pressure from society toward achieving certain goals by a certain time in life. Our society’s mindset is still that we need to achieve and accumulate things. And that can lead to burnout and depression because we are not being ourselves. Instead, we need to focus on what fulfills us, what provides a safe and healthy environment for us to live and be happy.

Jefferies shared a client story: “I was recently talking with a client who was completely content working at a grocery store. Life was good. He was paying his bills, and he had time to take his dog to the park. Some of his friends kept asking him if he didn’t want to find a job where he could make more money or maybe move up in rank. This upset him and made him consider pursuing a different job, which gave him much anxiety. I asked him: do you like the job you have? He answered yes. Does it make you happy? Once again, he said yes. Are you paying your bills, can you save for your retirement? Yes, yes. You’re well known in that store. It’s a healing environment for you. If you chase money and accolades, but that’s not what fills your cup, you’re not gonna be happy. He thought about it and decided to stay, and he’s thriving. That was the right decision for him and I’m glad he didn’t make the move. Most people spend the majority of their time at their job, which is why I say make sure your job is a healing space.”

Create Glimmers of Joy

Bad things happen. We can’t always avoid them, but we can find ways to make the best of our existence. We can seek and create joyful moments, no matter how small. “You have to create glimmers—these are positive things that exist in the world that may not change bad things but still instill hope and allow you to have good experiences. For me, it could be anything! I like cake. So, I go to the bakery, get a slice of cake, eat it and read a book. And that’s a glimmer. I like to put bow ties on my cat, Bean. It makes me smile every time he comes around the corner and the kids in my class love it too—they’ll often talk to him before they talk to me. Those are glimmers. You’ve got to create them!”

Mental health care professionals also need to take care of themselves

Being a mental health care professional can be a taxing responsibility. It takes a lot of energy and strength to continue providing the best care no matter what happens in one’s personal life.

“We believe in the work we do. It’s not a job for us. We don’t do it to be seen. We do it because we know it’s important and we care,” said Jefferies. “One thing I learned from the pandemic is that there many individuals who truly care, who keep doing the hard work even when times are tough; I call them the golden heart people.” Jefferies cautioned that we are all susceptible to burn out, so practicing self-care proactively is imperative. “We best serve others when we take care of ourselves and are at our best,” he concluded.

Over the past couple of decades, Jefferies has seen the community of mental health care professionals grow. There is more connection and shared community than in the past when counselors operated in silos. This is especially true for private practice professionals who find information, support, and referrals through their network. “We are better able to serve our clients because of knowing each other and our specialties. For example, one of my colleagues does yoga for children and I have several clients who can benefit from this. Or if my docket is full, I can recommend another colleague who might have openings, to ensure that clients always have someone who can help them.”

“It’s also nice to know that I have someone who looks out for me. I am neurodivergent and it’s nice to have other professionals in my circle who are the same. If one of us is struggling, we can meet for coffee and know that we will be understood. The sense of community is great!” Having therapists help each other also helps diminish the stigma: getting help is normal.

“I see a therapist because I do so much death and dying work and it helps my clients a lot, just knowing that I can stay sane,” confessed Jefferies. “I go twice a week because life is heavy right now. I have a lot of heavy emotions. It’s been my practice for the past 20 years; it gives me a place to process so I can continue to serve others well.”

The future of mental health: prioritizing and normalizing mental health care for all.

The good news is that mental health has gained more steam lately, and it is generally accepted and embraced by the younger generations. There is also more access to mental health via technology like telehealth. Holistic health is also gaining traction and qualified providers now have a wider range of tools available to customize care. For the best quality of life for all, we must continue to emphasize proactive care, as well as to prioritize and normalize mental health care for all.

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Julius M. Jefferies is a Licensed Professional Counselor, DR, ASDCS, ELD, C-GC, LPC and Founder of Simply Healing serving Knox County, Tennessee. With 25 years of experience, he specializes in individual, couple, and group therapy for autism, crisis, psychological disorders, trauma, and grief. He is also a specialist in NPD, sex offender and abuse survivor therapy, and sex therapy. He provides therapeutic life coaching via integrative therapy. Julius holds a Masters of Mental Health Counseling from Freed-Hardeman University and certifications in Grief Counseling, Autism Disorder Specialist intervention, End of Life Doula, and Clinical Pastoral Thanatology. Jefferies also enjoys speaking at industry conferences and events.

Phone: (731) 327-4781

More about Jefferies: Psychology Today Profile