The article highlights the importance of mental health and suggests 8 easy ways to strengthen your mental health abilities.
Mental health has become paramount in today’s fast and modern life. The hustle of technology-filled life has us busy all the time with little to no time for ourselves.
Life is moving at a rapid fast speed, and you are barely catching up. Getting up, traveling in the overcrowded trains, going to the office, coming back home, watching Netflix series till it is time for sleep.
This monotonous life is catching up with us. Problems related to stress, anxiety, fear, and sadness are becoming increasingly common, especially in the young generation.
This lifestyle is affecting both your mental and physical health. Hence, it becomes essential to strengthen your mental health and physical fitness. Mental health is all about managing your feelings, emotional stability, how you handle everyday conflicts, and how you feel about yourself.
Source: https://pixabay.com/vectors/brain-prison-break-trapped-7084574/
In other words, mental health pertains to a person’s overall psychological and emotional well-being. In this world filled with technology and gadgets, people have become lazy and detached.
Research conducted in 2011 has shown close relations between excess internet usage and mental health problems that include depression, OCD, anxiety, and poor family relations.
In the challenging and fast-moving tech world, tackling mental health problems becomes essential. This article demonstrates some easy tips that could be applied in your daily life to strengthen your mental health.
8 ways to make your mental health strong are as follows:
1. Power of positive affirmations
Have a solid morning routine where you get up early and start your day by doing necessary activities. Don’t fire up your social media first thing in the morning. Instead, practice some positive affirmations before getting ready for your work.
Research has proved that your thoughts strongly affect how you feel. In the fresh, clean, and stress-free morning environment, ensure you only say and think good positive thoughts.
If a negative thought starts troubling you, use the opposition thinking method to get rid of it. Opposition thinking says to immediately replace a negative sentiment with a positive one.
When we look at our lives positively, we will perceive each event positively. If we perceive our life negatively, we will encounter negative experiences.
Positivity will strengthen your mental health by keeping anxiety and stress away.
So next time you fail at your test or perform poorly in the official presentation, don’t say I did horribly in my test or failed badly in giving a presentation. Instead, say you will work hard and do better the next time.
2. Get a move on
Now everyone knows physical exercise and activities are essential for physical and mental health.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/PHIgYUGQPvU
Being physically engaged has impacted emotional health by reducing stress, improving the sleep cycle, and boosting brain memory. It also enhances our cognitive ability and improves our mood.
Our body releases endorphins while doing physical activities such as running, gyming, or even walking. These endorphins help us feel happy and cheerful.
Exercise also helps release cannabinoids and other natural chemicals such as dopamine, serotine, and adrenaline that amplify our sense of overall well-being.
Exercising is helpful to strengthen your mental health as well as physical health. Every day 30 minutes of exercise can help combat stress and extend additional years of your life.
3. Talk to friends
Talking to your friends helps calm your stress levels and nervous system. Most people have different preferences, but I like to have face-to-face interaction because that feels more personalized and intimate.
Technology has enabled access to friends in different time zones. You can quickly contact, talk and network with them using the internet.
Use video calls, phone calls, and chats to connect with your friends who stay far away from you. It will help you feel happy and strengthen your mental health.
Are you an introvert who likes to keep to yourself?
If you have no friends or find it difficult to connect to them, then maybe it is time for you to invest in getting one. I mean a pet animal.
According to research from 2019, only 10 minutes of hand petting the dog or cat provided momentary stress relief and decreased cortisol levels in students.
4. A good night’s sleep
A good laugh and long sleep are the best cures in the world.
-Irish Proverb
7-8 hours of good night’s sleep is essential for strengthening your mental health and energizing you for the next day. You may not give this thought much importance, but less sleep negatively impacts your cognitive ability, focus, energy levels, and physical health.
Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/baby-girl-sleep-sleeping-asleep-1151351/
The Sleep health foundation has pointed out that 60-90% of people having depression also suffer from insomnia and other sleep problems. Lack of sleep not only leaves you irritated and cranky, but it is also unhealthy for your emotional lobbying in the long run.
Also, many people nowadays are getting in the habit of working at night and sleeping during the day. The human body is not created that way, and pulling an all-nighter can put your health, mental as well as physical, at risk.
Stay away from all the digital devices that suppress your melatonin level 1 hour before sleep.
Check out the night routine suggested by Robin Sharma in the 5 am club to ensure peaceful sleep and energized early awakening.
5. Healthy eating
A healthy outside always starts from your inside.
Robert Urich
Feast your body with good and healthy food.
Eat your food as medicine. Even if you don’t like healthy food, eat it. Or in some time, you will be eating medication like it is your food.
A healthy diet full of nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins keeps your body fueled with energy and vigor.
Further, healthy food helps strengthen your mental health by promoting active cognitive functionality. Additionally, it also boosts mood and keeps you active.
Remember, healthy food includes fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein-rich food, legumes, etc.
Avoid processed food because they have high refined salt and sugar levels that are bad for brain functioning. Always keep your body hydrated throughout the day by drinking a lot of water.
6. Nature’s retreat
Nature is one of the most accessible and relaxing forms to help strengthen your mental health. Even a simple walk in nature is beneficial for mental, physical, phycological, and emotional well-being.
Nature refers to all the green spaces such as parks, woodlands, forests, and private gardens. You can also walk near the rivers, beaches, canals, etc.
Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/avenue-trees-path-sunbeams-sunrays-815297/
The green grass, the clean water, the burning sun, massive mountain ranges, and the white shining moon all help us relax.
Experts claim that a simple touch of nature improves your mood and self-esteem. It also enhances your health and emotional well-being.
During the pandemic, 45% of people in the UK visited parks and green areas because it helped them cope better.
7. Time for silence
Silence isn’t empty. Listen carefully, it has all the answers you need.
Silence is a very powerful tool to strengthen your mental health and abilities. Here silence refers to mental stillness and meditation.
Being silent in this noisy world even for some time enables us to analyze and reflect on our actions. It helps cultivate mindfulness, appreciation for the present movement, and relaxation.
Meditating enables the activation of multiple parts of your brain, which helps strengthen your mental health and abilities.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/a5EbQpl-IHw
If you don’t know how to begin, just take deep long breaths and be aware of your breathing for a few minutes every day. This is the easiest method of practicing meditation and silence. It is easy, uncomplicated, and can be done anywhere.
Some benefits of silence and meditation are:
- Healthy relations
- Deeper understanding and positive thoughts
- Creativity and focus
- Better problem-solving abilities
Introverts may be comfortable being silent, but extroverts may find it relatively challenging. While it may seem a challenge at first, once you get the hang of it, you will start to enjoy the tranquil process and experience its benefits.
8. Show your gratitude
Gratitude is the art of being thankful for whatever you have.
Today, people have become too busy to show their gratitude for what they have; rather, they are always seen complaining about what they don’t have.
In the quest of complaining, you are weakening your mental health. Being grateful for even the most minor things in your life can improve your mood, strengthen your mental health and make you happy.
Early in the morning, don’t waste your time on social media; instead, make it a habit of practicing gratitude and being thankful for what you have.
If you are confused about what to be grateful for, start by being thankful for your life, health, family, friends, etc.
Make a gratitude journal and list everything you are thankful for, no matter how big or small.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/M4lve6jR26E
Conclusion
Lastly, if you face problems and struggle to manage your emotions, don’t be ashamed to share them with your near and dear ones. There is no disgrace in confessing you are having difficulties.
It may be challenging, but sharing your struggles with others may help you better cope with the stress, sadness, and negative thoughts that drown you and put you in a bad mood.
If you are uncomfortable sharing your struggles with your close ones, seek professional help from your doctor, mental health professionals, and NGOs that will help strengthen your mental health.
Soul potion
Achieve goals and life purposes
Set goals for yourself that define your life purposes. It can be getting the promotion you so much desired, getting healthy, or buying the house of your dreams.
Achieving your goals can be a potent motivator that helps increase your self-esteem.
Use the Goldilocks principle while setting goals. Goals should not be too easy that you could easily achieve them or too complicated that it stresses you to achieve them. Goals should be realistic. Find the right amount of balance that challenges you but can be achievable through hard work.
Some additional tips to strengthen your mental health:
- Engage yourself in work that you love
- Spend quality time with your close ones
- Help whenever, wherever, and whoever you can (friends, community, family, acquaintances, etc.)
- Hug and cuddle someone (as it releases oxytocin hormone, which decreases stress and anxiety)
0 Comments