For so long mental health wasn’t something people spoke about. Those who suffered from mental health issues often suffered in silence.
Taking care of our minds and being aware of how vital good mental health contributes to our overall well-being can be life-changing.
Why is Mental Health Important?
Mental health should have as much importance placed on it as physical health, and we need to work on our mental health with the same amount of attention and care that we do to our physical health.
Our mental health affects all aspects of our lives and our physical health as well. Heart disease is related to a high level of stress, so before you get to a point where your mental health affects your heart and other areas of your life, you must take it seriously.
Nurturing your mental health can help you develop more constructive behaviors, positive thoughts, and emotional well-being.
Focusing on your mental health can also help you increase your feelings of worthiness, boost your self-esteem, become more productive, and improve the quality of your relationships with yourself and those around you.
Some other benefits you will experience from taking care of your mental health.
- Less anxiety
- Clearer thinking
- Cultivate a sense of peace within yourself
- Improvement in moods/fewer mood swings
- Better sleep
- Easier to create and stick with a routine
Mental Health Awareness
Taking back your mental health is a great place to start when improving your life, and it’s also essential to help spread mental health awareness.
Most people are affected by a mental health issue in their lifetime. According to the WHO, around 44.3 million people in Europe suffer from depression and anxiety, closely followed by 37.3 million people affected.
A few ways you can help to bring more awareness to mental health are:
- Talk about your struggles. This is a big one; a lot of people feel alone when it comes to mental health. Opening the conversation with your own struggles may make someone else feel comfortable enough to open up, or at the very least let them know they are not alone with their struggle. Knowing that others are experiencing the same types of issues as you offer a certain comfort level. Mental Health problems still carry such a stigma that starting a conversation about your own struggles and keeping that conversation going might be the life raft needed in someone else’s life.
- Learn what the signs are that someone is struggling with their mental health. Learning to identify signs and symptoms of someone struggling with a mental health issue may be a lifesaver. Mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and addiction to name a few, can present themselves in various forms, but understanding the warning signs will give you the chance to help a loved one who may not be able to help themselves. Advocating for someone in their time of need is an excellent way to bring awareness to mental health issues and let that person know they don’t have to go through this struggle alone.
Mental Health Tips
“Practicing good mental health habits before you feel distressed is like putting money in the bank for bad times.” – Jude Miller Burke, Ph.D. Business psychologist and the author of The Adversity Advantage.
Learning to care for your mental health when life is calm and peaceful is a great way to maintain a positive mindset and not have your mental health slip when life gets tough. Let’s face it; life gets tough for everyone at some point. It’s inevitable, but having routines and good habits that support your mental health will make it easier to deal with these challenging times.
Here are a few tips for implementing mental health care into your lifestyle.
- Make an appointment to see an expert. Working with an expert, like a coach or therapist is a wonderful way to help you work through any trauma or toxic situations in your life that may be contributing to your mental health. You can also seek help from an expert to assist you in creating a plan to develop more clarity in your mind and hold yourself accountable for creating and sustaining new habits.
- Meditation. Neuroscience has shown that the most effective way to build new mind capabilities is through a meditation routine. It doesn’t have to be for a long time, just a few minutes will do, but you will notice that you feel calmer, your ruminating thoughts are reduced, you feel less stressed, and you are more mindful of your thoughts and actions. Adding daily gratitude practice is an excellent way to start or end your day and see your mental health get a positive boost.
- Exercise. Moving your body helps to get the stagnant energy moving and will do wonders for your mental health. Physical activity, especially if you break a sweat, signals your body to release those feel-good hormones. Moving your body daily will help you feel more relaxed and deal with stress in a much healthier way.
- Diet. Being aware of what you eat and ensuring you are eating a balanced diet can help improve your mental health. What you drink is also important, and staying well hydrated is essential to feel your best. Being slightly dehydrated can leave you feeling like you have low energy, brain fog and can cause mood swings.
- Find something you enjoy doing. Scheduling something into your everyday life that you enjoy doing will do wonders for your mental health. We are all so busy doing things we don’t really want but need to be done that life can easily become miserable. Even if it’s something small every day, like singing, painting, writing or mindful walking will help to get your feel-good hormones pumping. It’s also very helpful to laugh regularly. So find a funny movie or check out a comedy club, but make sure you have regularly a good laugh.
- Challenge your negative thoughts. We all have negative thoughts, it’s hard to get away from them completely, but that doesn’t mean you have to take their abuse. When you catch yourself thinking something negative. Ask yourself, is this thought true? Is it a fair thought? Is it even logical?
Once you start catching those negative thoughts, you can transform them over time into thoughts and questions in your mind which can help you to find solutions for your challenges.
Conclusion
Mental health issues are becoming more prevalent these days and might be thought of as the new pandemic. Providing people with support, knowledge, and somewhere safe to seek help is crucial at this time. And thanks to mental training your can train your mental health and find your way to thrive in life.
