“Mental health is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going.” (quote by Noam Sphancer) To remain on your journey, today I would like to share with you some mental health helpful tips.
Useful Tips
- Do exercise
- Do yoga
- Avoid alcohol, smoking, and drugs
- Eat healthy
- Stay active
- Ask for help when it is needed. Don’t keep things inside.
- Take a break
- Talk about your feelings
- Do something you’re good at
- Accept who you are
- Care for others too
Working out keeps you in great physical shape, but it is also an excellent mood booster. Although I don’t do a lot of exercise, I do a few exercises every day and every time I finish, I feel wonderful. It is uplifting. Yoga is also highly recommended, since it has been proven to reduce the impact of high stress responses and it may also relieve anxiety and depression.
Many of us tend to grab that wine bottle to have one relaxing drink at the end of a stressful day. One glass is sensible, and alcohol can have that mood changing effect, but remember that it doesn’t last … And after the drink has worn off you may feel worse than you did before … So, this is not really a solution.
You’re not Superman. When you need help, ask for it! There’s no shame in asking for assistance. There are certain things we just cannot handle alone. If you can’t cope, family and friends will be happy to lend a helping hand, and it feels good to be helped, doesn’t it?
Take a break when it’s called for. It could be a little walk in between work assignments, a small break after a household chore, a spontaneous road trip, or even a weekend trip to a new destination. Giving yourself some time for yourself will work miracles.
Talking about your feelings can provide some relief, sharing what upsets, bothers, or frightens you with a close friend. There is no need for them to come with a solution, providing a listening ear is already a great help.
Doing something you’re good at can fill you with a sense of pride. When I do something I’m good at or I enjoy I feel happy. It’s that simple sometimes.
What are you good at? Dedicate some time to those activities for 30 minutes or maybe even an hour a day. I sometimes forget to do it, but I often spend some time on something I’m good at and it fulfills me every time. When possible you can even combine it with your daily chores or goals.
Accept who you are. Kurt Cobain had a point when he said “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” Accept what you consider your imperfections and do not compare yourself to others. The only one you should be comparing yourself to is the person you were yesterday.
Don’t worry about what people may think. They are not living your life, you are. It isn’t your job to please the neighbors or anyone else. People need to accept you for who you are. It’s your job to look after yourself.
Care for others too. By helping others you somehow also help yourself, although that should not be the main motivation for it, of course 😉 Caring for others allows you to feel empathy, and empathy makes way for love and compassion for people around you.
Final Thoughts
We are still in lockdown and for many of us it has not gotten easier. Now, more than ever, we should implement those healthy practices to maintain good mental health. It is an ongoing process. Like working out at the gym is also a continuous process and not an end result, so is taking care of your mental health.
How often do you make time for something you’re good at? Do you give yourself a break sometimes? Do you do exercise? What practices help you stay balanced during lockdown? Let me know in the comments below.
I love that you included physical health. I think that physical health is often on your mind and thrown under the rug when it comes to mental health. I feel like often people neglect the correlation between mental health and physical health. I think that a lot more people would find use in this article overall. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us today
Hi Misael,
True. Physical health and mental health are very much connected. One cannot be without the other.
Thank you for your comment!
Hi,
This has been a very interesting read. This new years’ resolutions involved focusing on my mental health. And one of my firstgoals is to get plenty of sleep. Sleep is really important for our physical and mental health. And I am happy that so far, I am doing well! So happy about it!
Christine,
You are so right, except only in one part – I like my glass of wine! 🙂 Haha! Nah, actually I’ve been drinking a vodka seltzer instead since I’m trying to be healthier. Wine isn’t bad for me, just higher in calories, so I’m making a seltzer that only has 32 calories, no sugars, etc.
But you are right for those that are depressed or stressed that drink in excess. I have to admit, most people that I know that are depressed and end up getting drunk usually cry or spill everything out. But, sometimes maybe they need that drink to even talk about it? Just is lame when they don’t recall the conversation the next day. Especially when they end up feeling better after talking to them and calming them down. Then the next day when you try to bring it up and ask if they’re okay, they always forget and say, “Forget anything that I said last night, I was just drunk.”
I always feel bad when that happens. But, not much you can do about it except just ask, “Are you okay?”
I’m glad you shared this. I know a lot of people will need some encouraging words, especially in times like this year so far and last year.
Katrina
Hi Katrina,
I get that, wine loosens up a little and sometimes it helps to spill what’s on your mind, but if some people can’t remember it the next day, then I guess that isn’t much help either 😉 But I totally understand 😉 And I like my occasional glass of wine too, in all honesty 🙂
Thanks for your comment!
In general I would say that mental health is a way of life and if you want to improve upon it you have to rethink all parts of your everyday activities. From what you eat, how you think, how you talk to people, what planning you are doing in your everyday activities, positive thinking even in difficult situations and how you react to everything around you. It’s not easy to change all that and most people never manage to go beyond the initial stages but there is so much to gain if you walk down that path that it is worth it to try.
Very true, Stratos! Thank you for your thoughts 🙂
Hi Christine, it’s strange that when we feel ill we go to the doctor but when something mentally doesn’t feel right we tend to keep to ourselves. I think it’s probably because of the “stigma” that still lingers there. I like the fact that you are so open about this and that you provided all the useful tips. Exercise and healthy eating definitely plays a big role and sometimes we forget that we should look after ourselves first and to do something that you good at can boost that confidence that we need to feel that we matter as well.
I do exercise and I have this rule that I only drink when I have a partner in crime :). After all it’s suppose to be fun and drinking alone is not fun at all.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Cornelia,
Yes, having a few drinks with a partner in crime is definitely much more enjoyable, I agree 😉 . Exercise is great. I do some exercise too and it always fills me with new energy.
Thank you for your comment!
The mental health tips that you have provided us is helpful with staying active and avoiding lots of harmful things that hurt your health. We take walks and exercise most of the time we do a lot, need to stay more active. With Covid, we stay our distance we live in a big city, so it’s hard to avoid people.
Being hard on ourselves with eating right is not a challenge at all we love to eat the right things we enjoy them. And with these other tips to add on to the ones that we do already will help our mental stage and health.
Cheers,
Mathew&Deloris
Hi Matthew and Deloris,
Trying to keep your distance in a big city must be a challenge, but it seems to me that you’re taking your precautions 🙂 Walks and exercise are a great way to keep your mood boosted, and healthy food makes such a big difference.
Thank you for your comment!
Hi Christine
Thanks for a very helpful article.
Recently I lost my little brother. I have not been feeling well.
I stopped doing my regular gyming workouts. Just like me, my brother was a keen fitness person, but a heart attack claimed his life. After having read your take article, you reminded me of Yoga, and it’s time that I pick myself myself.
Something else that I am grateful for, as a result of reading your article, is that Kurt Cobain quote. I must admit that have neglected myself and let others take charge.
Your article helped me in many ways to get on the path of being mentally strong.
Thanks so much for all the help.
Regards
Roopesh
Hi Roopesh,
I’m sorry to hear about your brother … It must be hard …
Sometimes we find hope or positive messages in simple quotes or anything else, like a beautiful sunrise, lyrics for a song, an excerpt in a book. When we most need them, those little inspirations come popping in and inspire us to continue and be strong.
Hey Christine,
During these tough times of covid and the pandemic, these kind of articles are so important and I am really pleased I cam across yours. Eating healthy and staying fit is something I started to do at the beginning of the year, but over the last week or so I have dropped off. There was an issue with work that pushed me a bit and I decided to stop exercising because I couldn’t be bothered.
But, I need to change that now and get back to it and back to eating healthy again. It’s times like this where our mental health needs to be stronger than ever and you can certainly help us with that.
I will stay in touch and let you know how I am getting on with my own mental health and if I have any issues then I will let you know.
Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work.
All the best,
Tom
Hi Tom,
We all fall off the wagon sometimes, it happens 😉 You’re getting back on track now and that’s what matters 🙂
Thanks for your comment!
Hi Christine,
I love when I come across articles about mental health. It needs to be talked about more for sure. I exercise first thing in the mornings now and that has helped me tremendously. I go on a walk and listen to a podcast or, when the weather isn’t so great, I like to do yoga and get back in-tune with myself.
I did have a few too many glasses of wine last week and I’m cutting that back out, ASAP.
I also luckily have a partner who is really calm and understanding and helps me break down my walls and get my thoughts out so that we can have conversations about what we’re experiencing.
One thing I am recently working on is coming to terms that my thoughts are just thoughts. We are in our head so much and half the time, we listen to thoughts that aren’t real. To that voice inside our head that is our inner saboteur. So whenever I find myself listening to those thoughts and thinking they’re in charge, I whisper to myself little mantras to help myself snap out of it!
That little saboteur that gets us down sometimes and whispers things we shouldn’t listen to, right? I know that saboteur as well 😉 Mantras sounds like a good way to take care of it.
These are awesome tips for anyone wishing to break themselves free of the everyday routine. Becoming or finding yourself is what it’s all about and a great way to do that is by reaching out to others for guidance and help. Doing something your good at is great however I also like taking something I don’t know anything about and give it a spin. I get so much out of new experiences. I loved your tips, thanks for sharing.
Hi Rick,
True, you also get so much out of new experiences. It’s definitely a good idea to start new things as well, new hobbies, sports, etc 🙂
Thanks for your comment!
Hi Christine,
A much needed article, after the mental trauma lockdown, has imposed on every individual. Mental health is been affected the most in recent times, an important part of keeping fit and healthy is to take care of one’s own mental health.
I totally agree with you for seeking help when we need it the most and I feel everyone goes through patches in life where they don’t feel good and feel stressed so its okay to share the pain instead of dealing with it alone.
When one practices good mental health, it will be easier to deal with, handle stress and problems.
Thanks
Cheers!