Here Are 10 Hard Things To Do For Your Mental Health
(But You SHOULD Do These!)
People often refer to things that require professional help, such as anxiety, depression, or mental disorders, when talking about mental health.
In fact, mental health is more than a mere medical diagnosis. Mental health is all about your overall psychological well-being, such as the steps to take to improve your emotional condition, the ways you feel about yourself, your abilities to manage your feelings, and many more.
Doing things for your mental health is no easy matter. Yet, taking care of your mental health is an important part of staying fit and healthy.
So, here are the 10 hard things to do for your mental health, but the ones that you should do:
1. Learn How To Deal With Stresses
Stresses are inevitable parts of daily lives, including in terms of improving your mental health. In learning how to deal with them, first, you need to know your stress triggers and the steps you need to take so you can cope with them.
From there on, write down your stress coping plans. Some examples of the stress-coping plans you can take are doing Tai Chi, taking a nature walk, and playing with your pets. Even making time to laugh every day can be a great stress-coping mechanism.
2. Be Positive And Grateful To Yourself
Researches have shown that how you think about yourself strongly influences how you feel. As a consequence, your experiences can mirror those of your reality perceptions.
So, start by telling yourself positive things. Treat yourself kindly and avoid excessive self-criticism. If necessary, keep a daily gratitude journal where you can write things you feel thankful for.
3. Do Something You Enjoy And Reward Yourself
Another one of the 10 hard things to do for your mental health, but you should do them, is by making time for the things that you enjoy the most, or have the passion for doing.
Let’s say you love learning to play instruments, doing crossword puzzles, painting, and the likes. Make times for those so you can improve your self-esteem. Don’t forget to give yourself some affordable but decent rewards afterward.
4. Set Realistic Goals For Yourself
Start by getting aware of your daily routines, such as showering, eating lunch, or walking home. At the same time, decide on what you want to achieve academically, personally, and professionally, along with the steps to realize those goals.
Then, write down your plans and progresses in your journals. Try to focus on one most important goal every day. These may be hard, but you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment when doing them.
5. Connect With Others And Be Sociable
Here, being sociable also means being kind, helpful, providing valuable services to other people, and making efforts to connect with people. Doing so may be hard, but you will be able to improve on your emotional well-being.
Additionally, researches have proved your memories and test scores will improve by being sociable with other people. So, if you haven’t got time to volunteer or greet your neighbors, for example, now is the time to do so.
6. Surround Yourself With Positive People
Connecting with other people is not enough on its own to achieve a decent state of mental health. You also need to surround yourself with positive people so you can be both physically and mentally healthier.
Strengthen your support networks by making quality times with them. For example, make plans with your closest friends or seek out activities where you can meet other people, such as in clubs, classes, or support groups.
7. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help
Being brave to ask for help is a sign of strength, especially when you’re feeling down or stressed. People who seek help have more opportunities to get appropriate care, and getting appropriate care means a higher chance of mental illness and addiction recoveries.
For a starting point, try to talk about your problems with your closest friends. Your campuses or communities may have the resources of mental health that you can use.
You can even pay therapists to encourage your mental health growth.
8. Break Up Your “Usual” Routines
A slight change of pace can be one of the 10 hard things to do for your mental health, but, they can perk up tedious schedules.
Trying a new restaurant is one of the most popular ways people break up their “usual” routines. Alternatively, you can alter your jogging routes, take a walk in a different park, and many more.
9. Take Care Of Your Body
Adopting a balanced diet and exercising are two of 10 hard things to do for your mental health. Yet, people do these to take care of one’s body, and consecutively, their mental health states.
Balance these two activities by avoiding alcohol, smoking, and drugs. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water every day. Using light therapy or exposing yourself to sunlight also helps in taking care of your body.
10. Have Some Rests And Quiet Your Mind
Many types of research have proved to get enough sleep contributes to lesser amounts of depression and anxiety.
If you have difficulties in having some rest, start by closing your eyes, taking deep breaths, paying attention to your inhales and exhales, and counting to the numbers you choose as you feel comfortable. Quieting your mind also helps in calming down your mental states.
For example, you can try meditation, Mindfulness, and/or prayers. Many kinds of research have proved that these spiritual practices enhance your therapy’s effects.
If you feel “working hard”, you can even try more active spiritual practices, such as some types of relaxation exercises before sleep.
These 10 hard things to do for your mental health might sound intimidating, especially if you’re not getting used to doing self-love or self-care, but you should do these so your mental health conditions will improve.
Don’t wait until you are in crisis to prioritize your mental health. You have the power to take positive steps to improve your mental and emotional health, starting from now.
Don’t forget to refer to this article or other information and advice on mental health when you need to.