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Tag: mental health

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Mindset/Strenghts

5 Ways To Boost Your mental Health

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Scientists tell us there are certain things we can do to improve our mental wellbeing. These techniques will help you feel more positive about yourself.

They teach you how to ride the lows and wait out the lows. Once you know that, nothing can stop you from getting what you want out of life.

Today, we’re going to share with you five ways to boost your mental health. Keep reading for more.

Connect With Others

Good relationships don’t need years to build. They can form in a matter of months, or weeks even. Plus, they don’t have to be an all-in, best-friends-for-life type of relationship.

Just talking to a neighbor or members of your church can have a great impact on your mental health. You learn to listen, empathize, and build a strong sense of self-worth and value.

Have you and a friend not seen each other in a while? Then, reach out and try to arrange a coffee date so you can get together and catch up.

How about your children or other family members? Why not try to set an hour during the day where you talk or play games?

We all know how social media has become an important part of our lives. And it’s made it easier to stay in touch with important people in our lives, especially if they live far away.

It’s good to text and chat on a regular basis. Just make sure technology isn’t replacing your face-to-face communications with people.

Learn New Skills

Learning a new skill or hobby can have a significant boost on your mental health. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and improve your self-esteem.

It’s nice to have a sense of purpose, other than your work. It means you have something to look forward to each day.

The problem, however, is many people complain they don’t have enough hours in the day. Luckily, though, technology has made learning more accessible.

Here are some of the ways you can use those high-tech gadgets you have to good use:

  • Sign up for an online course, like learning a new language or a practical skill like programming
  • Look for free video tutorials online to help you out with a DIY project
  • If you enjoy cooking, find healthy recipes and learn how to make them
  • Try a new hobby that challenges and entertains you, like painting, writing, or gardening
  • Learn to play a new sport or physical activity

Pay More Attention

We’re all guilty of not paying attention to people and things going on around us. We’re always busy with work or scrolling through our social media feed.

Learning to focus all your senses on the present moment can improve your mental well-being. It also boosts your mood and lowers stress levels. Experts call this type of focus ‘mindfulness.’

When you practice mindfulness, you enjoy the little things in life. Things like watching a bird soar overhead or taking in the nuances of nature are just two small examples.

When you’re in tune with the small details, you feel more relaxed and at peace. Plus, you start to get a better understanding of what makes you happy or anxious, which is a healthy way to approach life’s challenges.

Get Physically Active

When you do any type of physical activity, you boost your physical fitness, as well as your mental wellness. It could be a short 15-minute walk, an hour of cycling each week, or 30 minutes at the gym. You pick the activities that you enjoy and that make you feel good.

Then, once you start noticing the difference, you start to feel good about your looks. That’s when your confidence will soar through the roof.

In addition, your brain signals the nervous central system to release ‘feel-good’ hormones known as endorphins. These wonder chemicals trigger a positive response, which boosts your mood. They also reduce feelings of pain and anxiety.

Check out the following tips on how to get moving to boost your mental health:

  • Look online for free activities catered to your fitness level
  • Find local centers where you can dance, swim, or cycle
  • Try running with a ‘couch to 5K’ app or podcast
  • If you have a chronic health condition or a disability, there are many exercises and physical activities that can be customized to meet your needs

Give to Others

According to research, acts of kindness and giving are great ways to improve your mental well-being. The reason is that when we help others, our brains trigger the release of another ‘feel-good’ hormone called oxytocin.

This chemical promotes feelings of empathy and trust. It also makes us calmer, happier, and more inspired to do more.

Giving to others could be volunteering at a local shelter or helping out someone on a personal level. The point is to offer your time and energy doing something for other people. In return, you’ll feel good about yourself, knowing that you’re valued and appreciated.

Categories
Anxiety/Stress Mindset/Strenghts

Ways to Rest When You Deal with Burnout and Overwhelm

woman walking on pathway during daytime

When people talk about mental health, you might assume it is only about severe stress or mental illnesses like anxiety and depression, but it can also be about your general mental state at any given time. This includes if you are overwhelmed in your life and facing burnout. 

It is just as important to rest when you have burnout as if you are dealing with a diagnosed mental health condition. Here are some tips for figuring out how to rest your mind and body.

Find Your Stressors

Before you can figure out how to get more rest when dealing with burnout, you need to first understand what is causing the overwhelm or burnout in the first place. This is in the form of your stressors or triggers.

A stressor or trigger is something that is causing you to feel more overwhelmed or anxious throughout the day. 

Is something in your life different right now?

Maybe your loved ones have been more demanding, you aren’t taking enough breaks, or work has gotten chaotic.

It can be anything from your job to your home life to the people you are around. Something as simple as falling behind on your daily journal can trigger burnout because you don’t have those few minutes to unleash all the thoughts in your head and stop obsessing over them.

Take a Break From Work if You Can

While this is not always an option, try to take a break from work in whatever form you are able to. This is of course a privilege not everyone has, but if you do, take advantage of it.

Take a mental health day where you don’t even think about work and might even get out of your house for a day. Take a long weekend or go on a short trip. 

If this isn’t an option, then try to lighten your work load. Figure out if you have any work tasks that can be delegated to other people, or if you can move your schedule around to have a few days a week that aren’t quite as hectic.

Learn How to Say No

Learning how to say no is a beautiful thing, and can benefit you in so many ways, beginning with helping you to rest from burnout. This might be personal obligations or people in your life who are always asking you for help, or work being more demanding. Burnout can happen in such subtle ways, where you think you’re just helping out a friend and don’t realize how much it is impacting your own life.

Find Ways to Practice Daily Self-Care

Self-care doesn’t need to be overly complicated or cost any money. It can be as simple as going for a walk after dinner, sitting in your office with the door closed during your lunch break, or reading a book in the evenings instead of watching TV. 

Categories
Mindset/Strenghts

Why Do You Need a Mental Health Routine?

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A daily mental health routine is one where you are able to focus on yourself, practice some self-care, and reduce stress while also working on that work-life balance.

It might sound like a lot and it is, but if you stick to a routine, it will turn into daily healthy habits you don’t even have to think twice about.

Here are some of the top reasons you should consider creating a mental health routine. 

It Helps Keep Your Anxiety Low

If you have an anxiety disorder, your routine is not going to cure it, but it can definitely help with those feelings of anxiety that pop up from your own bad habits. The routine you have each day can either help or hurt you, but often it does both.

You might think that jumping on social media first thing in the morning is helping you get it out of the way before work, but this is probably increasing your anxiety and stress.

With a mental health routine, you can create a healthier morning routine that gives your mind a break and lets you wake up slowly without all that social media noise. 

Manage Your Daily Stress

In addition to helping with anxiety, having a mental health routine can also reduce your stress. Just think of how much stress you add to your day simply by not getting everything done, not being aware of what you need to do, or having a poor work-life balance.

This is even more important if you work from home, but any profession needs some structure.

With your daily routine, it is not just about your morning routine, but the different habits you have throughout the day.

From choosing to eat lunch outside instead of in your office to fitting in some exercise, you can add these little habits that are good for your mental health and reduce stress at the same time.

Build Strong, Healthy Habits

With a mental health routine you commit to every day, it includes healthy habits that aren’t just good for your mind, but your body as well. It is not uncommon to add healthy habits that are amazing for your overall wellness.

For example, many people have started adding yoga or morning stretching to their wakeup routine. This reduces stress and anxiety, helps you get a healthy start to the day without too much intensity, and also helps improve your physical health as well.

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