Do you find yourself in the rat race of success where you often forget to take proper care of your physical and mental health? Just like you have to consciously take care of your physical body to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you also need to pay attention to your mental health, else your psychological wellbeing will suffer major setbacks that will negatively impact all your activities whether work, domestic or social activities.
Our minds need the right nourishment in order to stay active. Our brains are made of billions of nerve cells and to keep them stimulated, we need to constantly challenge them with innumerable mind exercises and out-of-the-box ideas. As we age physically, so do our minds age. After reaching a peak of about 30 years of active cognitive activities, our cognition begins to take a downward turn and that is what eventually leads to the multitudes of mental disorders we see happening ranging from Alzheimer’s to Dementia.
There are several ways to improve our mental health. Examples include engaging in daily physical and mental exercise that helps to improve the brain’s dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine levels, eating of well-balanced diet in order to gain the essential nutrients our bodies need in their right quantities, and also engaging in positive psychological and self-care activities that improve our mental and physical health. The positive characteristics of enhanced mental health are numerous, from reduced stress levels to improved emotional wellbeing to help you maintain a balanced lifestyle between work, play and rest and so much more.
Did you even know that people with good mental or emotional health have better chances of bouncing back from adversity? This is because they are usually more resilient to changing circumstances. Joy, sorrow, success, failure, happiness, disappointment are all part of life. It is impossible to go through life without going through each of these phases several time however people with stronger emotional and mental health are better equipped to handle these situations effectively and can cope with changing circumstances productively.
Today, I’m going to share with you several emotional and mentally productive activities that you can practice to help you significantly improve your emotional and mental health in life.
- Eliminate negative self-talk
We all have those moments when our minds play tricks on us and try to tell us who we can or cannot be or what we can or cannot do. Sometimes this type of self-talk makes us feel like we cannot accomplish our goals and thereby leading to the development of an inferiority complex when we see others who are accomplishing similar goals. Here’s what you need to know about your negative self-talk; it’s all a lie and so you shouldn’t believe it for even a second. The key is awareness!
You have to, first of all, know that you are capable of whatever you set your mind to achieve and you also need to remind yourself constantly of this truth, especially at those times when it looks like your mind is trying to play the negative self-talk game on you. Reject it forcefully and reinforce the truth you know about yourself and your abilities whenever this lie tries to rear its head up.
- Practice Mindfulness
In this fast-moving world that we currently live in, it has become very critical that we take out time often too quiet our minds, get still, and connect with our innermost being. Finding about 10 minutes daily to practice meditation or some other form of mindfulness can have significant positive impacts on your level of happiness and overall mental health. People who are depressed are usually spending too much time in the past thinking about their regrets and mistakes, are not engaging their minds productively, and become mentally or emotionally stressed. Mindfulness allows you to just be in the present moment and develop an awareness and appreciation for what’s happening around you right now which helps to improve your mental wellbeing considerably.
- Forgive and let go
One of the best ways to begin afresh is to let go of old thoughts, feelings or emotions that we may be holding on to from our past. Hurt from a past relationship, resentment from people and happenings around you or a negative interaction with a close friend or family member can make us feel irritated and negatively impact our mental health. Learning to let go and forgive is one of the best ways to heal mentally or emotionally. Forgiveness is a process but a journey well worth the travel. Spend some time reflecting on whether you are holding on to any grudges or ill feelings towards anyone or any situation and start the process of releasing it, it will do your mental health a great deal of help.
- Practice Gratitude
We often underestimate the power of gratitude. Even though most of us know why it is important to be grateful, we have often found that most people find it hard to truly practice gratitude in our everyday lives by reciprocating little acts of kindness or simply by just saying the magic words “thank you” whenever necessary. Being deliberate and intentional about expressing your gratitude for what you have and the little things that happen in your life every day can make dramatic shifts in your emotional state.
You could also practice gratitude every morning by verbally expressing gratitude whenever you wake up or after your morning meditation. You could also decide to keep a gratitude journal or gratitude jar where you can write down everything you’re grateful for each day.
- Practice Self Care
Giving yourself some “Me time” every week can positively boost your positive mental health in ways you can’t imagine. Sometimes, we get caught up living our lives for other people than ourselves, whether it’s our spouse, our kids or our employees; we forget about ourselves and subconsciously live under the pressure of fulfilling our obligations to these people. However, once you’re aware that you can’t serve anyone from an empty bowl, you would see the need to take out time often to refill yourselves so that you can serve the people you care about better. You can’t be the best parent, spouse, friend or boss if you are overworked, tired and emotionally drained. Commit to making out time for yourself, at least once a week to do something for yourself just to show yourself some self-love.
Making these practices a constant habit in your life are excellent ways to improve your mental health and your wellbeing in general.
Remember, you can only give what you already have inside of you.
Your mental health matters a lot, get all the support you need to get things rolling for your mental and emotional health.
With Love and gratitude as always, Xo!
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Disclaimer: Please note that I am not your doctor while I am a health coach by profession. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice nor does it establish any kind of medical relationship between you and me. I will not be held liable for any damage resulting from or related to your use of this information.