Mental health is a vital part of overall health and wellbeing. According to the World Health Organization, health is a condition of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, not just the absence of sickness or disability. Mental health encompasses much more than the absence of mental disorders or disabilities; it is mainly about quality of life and wellbeing.
Psychological wellbeing refers to a state in which people are aware of their abilities, can cope with the regular stressors of life, can work productively, and are capable of making positive contributions to their community.
Mental health is essential to our ability to think, feel, express ourselves, engage with others, earn a living, and enjoy life as a whole. As a result, the improvement, preservation, and restoration of mental health should be considered a top priority for individuals, groups, and societies around the world.
10 Ways to Improve Mental Health
1. Talk with Others
Mental health is improved by having close, meaningful relationships. Expand and diversify your social network by improving your communication skills. Genuine listening and sincerely sharing your thoughts and feelings with others are encouraged. Your connections don’t need to be based solely on sharing problems. With friends, you can share in the joy of ordinary accomplishments. Enjoying time with others and making positive feelings stay longer improves wellbeing.
2. Positive Habits
Proponents of positive psychology first proposed the concept of ‘flourishing.’ During a period of flourishing, individuals will have happy emotions, healthy relationships, a sense of meaning and purpose in life, and feelings of accomplishment. According to research, being kind, generous, forgiving, and compassionate toward others, building a sense of gratitude and appreciation, savoring what you enjoy, knowing and employing your particular abilities, being creative, and feeling optimistic are all recommended.
3. Keep your perspective
It is detrimental to one’s health and wellbeing to avoid difficult emotions, keep feelings to oneself, or stew over difficulties. Those who handle their emotions effectively tend to have higher mental health overall. When it comes to processing emotions, it’s important to be open to new experiences and accept all your sensations and thoughts, including the challenging ones. Finding constructive solutions, thinking flexibly, and viewing circumstances from different viewpoints are all beneficial ways of dealing with the issues of everyday living.
4. Learn to Deal with Stress
Stress is an unavoidable aspect of everyday life, whether we like it or not. Try one-minute stress strategies, Tai Chi, exercise, a nature walk, playing with your pet, or journal writing as stress relievers to help you cope with your emotions better. Also, wear a smile on your face and look for humor in everyday situations. According to research, laughter can help strengthen your immune system, relieve pain, relax your body, and reduce stress.
5. Set Realistic Goals
Identify your academic, professional, and personal objectives and write down the steps you will take to attain your goals in each of these categories. Aim high, but keep your expectations in check, and don’t overschedule yourself. As you progress toward your objective, you’ll experience a terrific sense of pride and self-worth.
6. Avoid Drugs & Alcohol
Keep your alcohol consumption to a minimum and stay away from other drugs. Some people turn to alcohol and other drugs to “self-medicate.” However, using substances this way merely exacerbates existing problems. Try using natural remedies, such as ashwagandha, ginseng, or saffron, to improve your wellbeing
7. Get Enough Sleep
In today’s fast-paced world, many people find it difficult to get a good night’s rest.
Getting enough good quality sleep cannot be overemphasized for both physical and mental wellbeing. Your definition of a good night’s sleep may differ from that of another individual. Some people require more than eight hours of sleep to feel rested, while others require less sleep. As you become older, your sleep patterns may change.
Stress, concerns, major life events, shift work or daily routine changes, and changes in our personal lives can all impact our sleep. Caffeinated beverages, cigarettes, alcohol, and various medications and narcotics, as well as using electronic gadgets such as tablets, mobile phones, or even television before bed, can cause sleep disruption. Sleep can be affected by your bedroom’s environment, as temperature, light, and noise can all be disruptive.
8. Try Meditating
Try meditating, practicing mindfulness, or praying. Stress-relieving exercises and prayer might help you feel better about yourself and your attitude on life. Evidence suggests that meditation might help you feel more relaxed and may even boost therapy results.
9. Work-Life Balance
We all have many different roles in life. It’s natural to feel that you’re forced to choose between crucial aspects of your life and responsibilities. Reducing your happiness increases your stress. Researchers say that living a more balanced life can make you happier.
What do you like about your relationships, work, and recreation? How healthy are you? How much exercise do you do? How much self-improvement do you want to do? Are you giving each area of your life the attention it deserves? Making more time for some people and setting limits for others might help.
Taking time to relax and do things that make you happy is essential to living a balanced life. Doing this also helps you to feel less stressed. If you want to relax, try doing things such as reading books, going for walks, listening to music, or singing. Build these activities into your daily routine.
10. Get Some Laughs
There is no better medicine than laughter. You can improve your mental health by using humor that conveys positive feelings rather than humor that disparages yourself or others. Laughter has been shown to release “feel good” hormones and increase optimism over time, and to improve relationships by increasing connection and intimacy.
Final Thoughts
Always keep in mind that postponing mental health treatment or ending it too soon can make recovery more difficult. Other challenges, such as interpersonal difficulties, work troubles, and financial pressures, can also arise. If you feel your mental health and wellbeing aren’t improving, don’t put it off any longer—seek help from a professional!
About the Author: I am Nakshatra Nair, with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and an inquisitive person who loves writing. I’m working in digital marketing and everything that has to do with laptops and screens. I am someone who believes that one person can make a change, and that’s precisely why I took up writing, which is the best tool to communicate these days. I have a decade of experience in content writing and marketing, and I still find myself learning new things about it, which I want to share with my readers. Nakshatra writes content for nidranutrition.com, supplements for anxiety and stress.
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month
Observed each July and formerly recognized as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, BIPOC Mental Health Month highlights the unique mental health challenges and needs of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC). Please join us in recognizing the struggles of BIPOC and bringing awareness to the need for adequate, accessible, culturally relevant mental health treatment, care, and services.
www.rtor.org and its sponsor Laurel House are committed to the advancement of racial equity and social justice and to making mental health services available to all.
Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash
The opinions and views expressed in any guest blog post do not necessarily reflect those of www.rtor.org or its sponsor, Laurel House, Inc. The author and www.rtor.org have no affiliations with any products or services mentioned in the article or linked to therein. Guest Authors may have affiliations to products mentioned or linked to in their author bios.
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