Human beings are unique creatures; in a sense, we emote and think. We have something called the mind, which makes us complex compared to the other living organisms. As complex we are, we are equally fragile. We get sick and catch fevers. Also, we mentally end up in a bad place. Most of us have felt low at different points in time with varying intensities. There were times we didn’t feel good about ourselves despite our education, job, and social status.
To help you, I will take you through some essential points on how to take care of your mental health.
1. Practice self-care
You. Yes, you are the most important person in the world. I remind you of this because most people are so invested in other people that they forget to take care of themselves. Keep in mind that you need to take care of yourself also. If you fail to take care of yourself, you will likely suffer from emotional burnout and mental exhaustion. Permit yourself to prioritize your needs.
Develop a good sleeping schedule and eat healthy food. Try doing things that make you happy. Make time for hobbies like cycling or gardening. Practising self-care will help you to focus on your well-being.
2. Practice self-awareness
Self-awareness is the art of recognizing your emotions and feelings as existing separately from others. As you separate your thoughts and feelings from other people, you discover who you are as a person. Self-awareness helps you to know your limits. For example, if you are self-aware, you can identify situations that induce stress in you.
For some people, too many plans can become burdensome and cause anxiety. For others, stress is due to the workload in the office. By practising self-awareness, you know that you should cut down on the number of plans or distribute the workload to tackle stress. Self-awareness helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses based on setting healthy limits for yourself.
3. Be honest and assertive
After identifying your limits, it is essential, to be honest about those limits with yourself and others. Protect your state of mind by being truthful to yourself about your feelings and thoughts. Say no to things you are not comfortable with. For example, if you are dealing with mental health issues and are not in the right frame of mind to attend a dinner outing planned by friends. Then, it would be best if you turned down the invitation to dinner in a respectable manner.
Even if they insist on you coming, be assertive about your decision. Gently communicate to them that you need to look after yourself. If you are not honest and firm about sharing your limits, it can lead to unnecessary compromises about who you are as an individual. Learn to say no to things and prioritize your mental health instead.
4. Set aside time for yourself
It is vital for better mental health to prevent mixing feelings and emotions with other people. However, please don’t go to extreme cutting off relationships as it is unrealistic and extremely dangerous. By setting aside time, you set limits on how much time you spend with your friends and family members. For example, if you feel like catching up with friends, allot a certain time for it. Don’t end up emotionally draining yourself by spending too much time.
5. Start exercising
One of the most simple and straightforward paths you can opt for to take care of your mental health is exercise. As you exercise, your body releases mood-boosting endorphins. Exercise helps you to manage mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Small changes to your lifestyle, like walking or cycling to work, can significantly improve how you spend the rest of the day.
Conclusion
In everyday life, your mental health affects how you think, feel, and act. It also affects your ability to deal with stress, resolve obstacles, establish relationships, and rebound from the setbacks and struggles of life.
Good mental health isn’t merely the lack of issues with mental health. It is much more than being free from depression, anxiety or other psychological disorders.
It is the presence of positivity.
