Need some practical advice for improving your mental health?
Start with these simple mental health tips.
Are you feeling depressed
lately and wondering how to improve your mood? Are you in the midst of getting
over a significant loss in your life and wondering how to keep your mind
healthy as you grieve? Are you interested in how you can maintain a healthy mind
to keep your body healthy?
Mental health is a complex
subject-- it's hard to define and difficult to grasp all of the different
aspects of mental health. Still, however, there are simple steps that you can
take in your life to keep your mind healthy.
Check out these practical tips
for maintaining a healthy mind! Employ just a few of these ideas and you'll
likely feel the difference in your mental health.
1) Make sure you’re
getting enough rest. Sleep is the body’s way of recharging, meaning that sleep doesn’t
only increase your energy—it actually boosts your mental health.
2) Feel what you
feel! Don't worry about controlling or changing your
feelings. For now, focus on expressing the feelings that you have rather than
trying to feel a certain way.
3) Forgive yourself
for past mistakes. Messing up is a part of life, and mental
health requires understanding that and moving past mistakes in our lives. Is
there a mistake or regret that eats at you? Let. It. Go.
4) Throw a
mini-party for yourself! Celebrate a recent
accomplishment in your life by patting yourself on the back and rewarding
yourself with a small gift you've been looking forward to. It's important to
acknowledge successes-- not just failures.
5) Find a good
support system. Whether family, friends, a church, or
something else, find a group of people who are willing to love you for who you
are. This boosts resilience and helps to provide perspective in the midst of
stress and pain.
6) Eat healthy. Invest time in learning which kinds of foods bring you “up” and
which kinds bring you “down.” Committing to a diet can make you feel good about
yourself, give you a sense of self-improvement, and boost your sense of
accomplishment.
7) Exercise. Regularly exercising can help to cut back stress in your life, releasing
pent up energy as you work your body. Exercise releases endorphins, chemicals
in the brain that energize us.
8) Get some sun. Sunlight can lift one’s spirits, boosting mental health and
preventing depression.
9) Leave some time
for leisure. Make sure you allow time in your schedule for
whatever causes you to relax. Maybe it's watching movies or completing
crossword puzzles or walking outside. Make time for the things you know relax
you.
10) Stay away from
drugs and alcohol. When you consume cigarettes, illegal drugs,
and alcohol, these drugs tamper with your mental health, decreasing mental
stability and giving you “false positive” emotions.
11) Commit to
helping others. You can build self-esteem and self-worth by
regularly pouring out your energy and talents to help others. Volunteering is
another activity that releases endorphins, boosting your mood.
12) Do things that
require discipline. Self-control increases self-worth, as you feel
like you can control aspects of your life.
13) Learn something
new! Part of what makes us human is our tendency to
challenge ourselves. Challenge yourself to learn something new-- maybe a new
skill, sport, or game.
14) Spend time
enjoying art. Studying artwork exercises our minds and
encourages us to think creatively. Take some time to visit a gallery or an art
show-- you may return with a new perspective on your situation.
15) Find a good
listener, and return the favor. Find one person who is willing
to listen to you vent and talk freely. It can also relieve stress to form a
listening partnership, where the two of you share on a regular basis.
16) Stick to your
friends! Do what you can to intentionally keep in touch
with a circle of friends. Schedule lunches, dates, or get-togethers with your
friends more often. Deep friendships remind us of a sense of belonging.
17) Make the
decision not to worry. Worry will consume your mind if
you let it, but you can also train yourself to avoid worry, to choose a life
without anxiety. Ask God to help you not to worry.
18) Do things that
engage your senses. Each day, perform one task that engages each
of your senses: sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste. Engaging your senses
helps you to live in the moment and focus on the present.
19) Leave time to
build and create! Even if it's just LEGOs or a can of Play-doh,
it's important to engage our creative sides frequently. When the mind gets into
a rut of the same sort of thinking, it gets sick. Keep it well by staying
creative.
20) Consider
getting a pet. This is a big decision, but having a pet can
really help mental health. Pets love us unconditionally, keep us active, and
provide us a way to care for something.
21) Leave time for
nothing. Make sure your schedule has a little room for
free time: time that is unbudgeted. Use that time for meditation, prayer, or
relaxation exercises.
22) Cut out
late-night TV and computer use. Studies have shown that
watching TV and using a computer late at night can cause depressive symptoms.
23) Spend time with
people every day. Find people who are like you and who like you.
This one seems pretty obvious, but it's easy to forget when you're depressed or
down. Interacting with people is likely part of the solution, not the problem.
24) Work to
understand what stresses you. Understand your stressors and
be able to recognize how you need to react. Be informed about what is happening
in your mind and body.
25) Give and
receive compliments. Find reasons to praise people, and be willing
to accept people's praises of you. This will help you to appreciate the good in
those around you and recognize it in yourself.
26) Join a club or
social group that meets regularly. This will help to create a
community in your life, fueling purpose and camaraderie.
27) Leave time to
laugh. Try to laugh hysterically every day. Feed
yourself funny things, allowing your mind to decompress from time to time.
28) Accept that
there are some things you cannot change. A lot of anxiety stems from
trying to change things beyond our control. Recognizing that some things are
beyond our control is a key to a healthy, anxiety-free mind.
29) Engage in
spirituality on a regular basis. Make sure you're exercising not
just your mind and your body but also your spirit. Interact regularly with a
spiritual community. Putting faith in God relieves stress on ourselves.
30) Talk to God
about where you’re at. Interact with God in prayer on
a daily basis and allow God to be a part of your stress-reduction strategy.
He’s been doing it for thousands of years—He’s got a little more practice than
you do.
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