When talking about health, most people focus on one’s physical health and the benefits that exercising or eating healthy can give them. People tend to neglect the importance of mental health in their lives. According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in six people around the world can experience common mental health problems. Mental health doesn't mean disorders like depression or anxiety, taking care of your mind and your overall psychological well-being is just as much a part of it.
Taking steps to take care of your mental health will help you be happier and more resilient; you will get more enjoyment out of life. Doing things for your mental health doesn’t take a lot of time or work, contrary to what many may think—even the small, everyday acts can make a world of difference. If you are struggling with your own mental health, try out some tips from the list below:
Get Enough Sleep
Getting a healthy amount of sleep is a great way to improve your mental health. The Mind Organization explains that lack of sleep might lead you to feel irritable and anxious and have a hard time concentrating. Having enough sleep boosts your energy and helps you prepare for the day. It is best to have six to eight hours of sleep for you to feel better.
Be Mindful of Your Thoughts
Sometimes, we tend to let our thoughts tear us to pieces. As Dr. Caroline Leaf, author of Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking, points out, our mental mess is frequently aggravated by a chaotic world — and sustained by our inability to manage our runaway thoughts. She highlights how it’s important to eliminate toxic ideas from our heads and then replace them with healthier ones for a happy life. Having a positive mindset can have a powerful effect on how you view things.
Get Physical
Taking care of your mental health also means taking care of your physical health. Exercise improves your mood, lessens anxiety, and enhances your mental health. When you get moving, your body releases stress-relieving chemicals called endorphins. These are the same hormones that are responsible for feelings of happiness and euphoria. Incorporating a few minutes to move and exercise every day will help you have a more positive outlook and make you more resilient to stressors. It also benefits your physical health which makes it a great activity.
Put Yourself First
How you view yourself can have an impact on your mental health. In a post from The Productive Couple, they read through Loving Bravely: 20 Lessons of Self-Discovery to Help You Get the Love You Want by Alexandra H. Solomon and share how it is important to make peace with yourself to have healthy and sustainable relationships with others. Although a book about relationships, it urges you to invest in yourself first to have a better mindset. After all, a good relationship with your mind and thoughts is the foundation of healthy relationships with others.
Take a Break
It is important to know when to step back and hit pause. Likewise, taking a break is essential. Often, life feels so overwhelming that you can’t help but need that space to relax. You can read through our previous blog post Relaxing Your Mind & Body to help you find ways to relax your mind and body. But simply taking slow, deep breaths, putting on calming music or relaxing your body are great ways to take a break.
For Further Support
For further mental wellbeing support including various relaxation courses, therapeutic activities and emotional resilience classes, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Darlington Mind also has a variety of other services which may be of interest to you and to assist with your needs, please contact us via the following options: Email: contactus@darlingtonmind.com or Tel: 01325 283169 Mobile: 07572 888084
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Article intended only for the use of darlingtonmind.com
Article by: JBastock