8 Daily Habits to Boost Mental Health — and Signs It May Be Time to Get Support
1. Get restful sleep · 2. Cut back on social media · 3. Strengthen your relationships · 4. Move your body on your own terms · 5. Savor nutrient-rich
Mindlor
These days, there is a lot of discussion around mental health. You might hear people talking about their mental health in conversations, on your favourite show, online, or in a variety of other settings.
However, repeated, broad use of any term can cause the meaning to become muddled, if not completely misunderstood. Therefore, if you frequently encounter the word yet are unsure of what "mental health" actually means, you are most certainly not alone.
The author of "Self-Care for Black Women," Oludara Adeeyo, a psychiatric social worker, asserts that "mental health is about the functionality of your brain and all that impacts it."
In a nutshell, your psychological and social well-being are both parts of your mental health. It also includes your emotional well-being, or your capacity to recognise, manage, and control your emotions.
Mental health is influenced by a variety of variables, some of which are beyond your control, such as genetics, past experiences, and family history.
However, a significant percentage of your mental health is under your control, according to KC Davis, a licenced professional counsellor and the author of "How To Keep House While Drowning."
The capacity to control your mental state is crucial because it affects a number of things.
What makes mental health so important?
According to Alison Seponara, a licenced professional counsellor and the author of "The Anxiety Healer's Guide," mental health influences how you manage stress, interact with others, and make decisions.
Seponara continues, "Taking care of your mental health can result in:
increased happiness decreased anxiety
better thinking, deeper connections
increased confidence and self-esteem
According to Seponara, taking care of your mental health can also help you manage medical illnesses like heart disease that are made worse by stress.
According to Adeeyo, your mental health has an impact on every aspect of your life, including the way you see and interact with the environment and your capacity for dealing with challenges.
Building healthy mental habits might therefore significantly improve your day-to-day existence.
Sleep is important for more than just physical wellness. In terms of mental health, it is also crucial.
one study in 2021273,695 American individuals' data were included in the Trusted Source study. Researchers discovered that individuals with an average sleep duration of 6 hours or less per night were around 2.5 times more likely to report frequent mental distress than individuals with an average sleep duration of more than 6 hours.
Additionally, the quality of your sleep is important because sleep disruptions can worsen the symptoms of mental illness.
Try beginning with these routines to get adequate good sleep:
After 3 p.m., avoid caffeine.
Try to maintain a consistent wake-up and sleep schedule each day.
Organise your bedroom so that it is peaceful, calm, and clutter-free.
Try to maintain your bedroom's temperature at about 65°F (18.3°C).
If you have a sleep disturbance, it may be more difficult to develop healthy sleep patterns on your own.
A sleep specialist can provide further information about useful evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, if you suspect your sleep problems may be related to a sleep disorder.
Be aware that issues with mental health can also cause sleep problems. Therefore, altering your sleeping environment and bedtime pattern might not have a long-term impact. If you don't see many changes, speaking with a therapist would be a good next move.
According to Adeeyo, a person who constantly consumes knowledge about other people's life may compare themselves to others and foster sentiments of low self-worth, which heightens emotions of anxiety and despair.
Try the following to spend less time on social media:
Make a list of alternatives to your normal scrolling hobbies and store your phone in a drawer or outside your bedroom while you sleep.
Disable notifications or remove social media applications from your phone.
3. Strengthen your relationships
As social beings, humans benefit in different ways from healthy interpersonal connections.
For instance, friendships can:
reduce feelings of isolation, facilitate the development of meaningful relationships, and enrich one's sense of purpose.
Numerous opportunities exist for you to make and keep good friends:
Maintain contact by checking in on a regular basis, even if it's simply to exchange a quick text or meme.
Get together early in the day.
Get in touch with me for a quick chat while you're at lunch.
Have supper together once every two weeks or once a month.
It can help if you make it an effort to talk when you do see each other again. New data from 2018 reveals that in-person catch-ups and lighthearted banter are better predictors of stronger ties than total time spent together.
4. Move your body on your own terms
Several aspects of mental health can benefit from exercise.
reducing anxiety and depression by easing stress and improving mood, inducing rapid and sustained slumber, and facilitating the management of related problems
Getting your body moving doesn't necessarily include hitting the gym unless that's what you want to do. Choose physical activities that complement your physique and lifestyle to make exercise more pleasurable.
To begin started, try out a variety of physical activities and stick with the ones that you enjoy.
Some examples of fun motion are:
becoming a member of a jogging or walking club
doing some gentle stretching on a chair at a restorative yoga session
having a dance party Taking a walk on the beach on the weekend Having a garden party Gardening or other work in your backyard
That is to say, promoting psychological health doesn't necessitate a marathon training session.
Taking a break to stretch can do wonders for your state of mind. Christopher S. Taylor, PhD, LPC-S, founder of Taylor Counselling Group, author of "My Digital Practise," and host of the "For Self-Examination" podcast, believes that stretching will aid with blood flow and get more oxygen through your body, making you feel more calm and cheerful.
