You say your mental health is a priority, but do your actions actually match your claim?
If that sentence hit you in your chest, don’t worry, it hit me too.
Sometimes life can be so hectic and overwhelming that you forget to take time to take care of yourself.
Well, this is a reminder that you need to really make your mental health a priority. Don’t let yourself reach breaking point, before you realise you should’ve done more for yourself.
To help you out, I thought I’d share a few things I do to help my mental health. I hope you find it helpful!
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Identify your triggers
It’s so important to identify the things that may be triggering your anxiety or depression. When you identify your triggers, you are then able to either find ways to prevent them or to develop healthier ways to deal with them.
For example, social media can be quite triggering for me at times. Everyone seems to have their lives together and be achieving so much (a false reality of course), while I sometimes feel like I am going nowhere. When I start to feel like this, I sometimes mute people who cause me to feel anxious or sad and I also take regular breaks from social media.
Pray or listen to gospel music
Being a Christian, for me praying and having a conversation with God is so powerful. It’s so freeing to just give all your problems to God, knowing that he’s got you and all will be well.
When I am down, gospel music is my go-to. It really helps to lift my spirits and it leaves me feeling closer to God
Get out of the house
The introvert in me loves staying at home, but even introverts need to get out of the house.
Sometimes, I go days without stepping foot out of my house. But when I finally take that step out, I can feel the difference that being out has on my mental health.
It’s not healthy to always stay indoors. Sometimes you just need to go out for a walk.
Talk to friends and family
This is something that I have struggled with for so long. I’ve always been the kind of person that would never tell anyone when I am struggling. But in the last year, I have really started to open up more to a few people that I trust.
It’s so important to have people that you can trust and confide in. You don’t have to do it alone! There are people who care for you and want to be there for you!
Take a break
Don’t come and kill yourself, please.
If you need a break take it.
Self-care is so essential!
Develop routines
Life can be so chaotic at times, so having a routine can really help you know exactly what you need to do, so feel less lost.
I think it’s so useful to have a morning and/or night routine. You want to start and end your day well.
What you decide to include in your routine, depends on your own personal needs. A few things that you could consider are:
- Saying daily affirmations
- Praying or reading the bible
- Meditating, yoga or exercising
- A skincare or beauty routine
- Listening to music or a podcast
- Journalling
- Going for a walk
Dance and sing
Don’t underestimate the power of music. Sometimes when I feel down, I just put on some tunes and just sing and dance. I try not to think about anything and just live in that moment.
Ask for help
There is no shame at all in asking for help! We are all going to at one time or another, require someone’s help. No one should ever have to go through things alone.
If you need help, please do ask for it. Speak to your family and friends. And if you think you need professional help, speak to your doctor.
Surround yourself in nature
Even though I’m scared of pretty much everything, I’m becoming obsessed with nature lately. There is something so calming and beautiful about being surrounded by nature.
You don’t have to find a mountain or a nature park (unless it’s local, then why not?). Just a visit to your local park can really help to lift your spirits.
Take things one step at a time
This is adulting thing is mad stressful, so sometimes you just have to take things one day at a time.
Things can sometimes get very overwhelming, so it’s important to just take small steps towards achieving your goals. Take things at your own pace.
Surround yourself with positivity
Sometimes we can be so focused on the negatives that we don’t even realise all the positives. That’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with positivity.
It’s so important to surround yourself with positive people who inspire and motivate you.
Another way to surround yourself with positivity is visually. Make yourself a vision board, put affirmations on your wall or even write little positive messages to yourself and hide them around your room.
There’s so many way to bring more positivity into your life, find what works for you.
Journal
There’s just something about taking pen to paper and getting out all your emotions. Journalling is so damn therapeutic!
When I journal, I try to get all the negative emotions out, but then I always end on a positive note.
For my Christians, you can get yourself a prayer journal. You can use this to have a conversation with God, write your prayers and write about when God answers your prayers.
Work on your mindset
Your mindset is everything!
When you have a negative mindset, it is very difficult to progress. If you don’t believe in yourself, and you are putting in the work halfheartedly, you will get halfhearted results.
It’s essential to have a positive, grateful and confident mindset.
I wrote a post, sharing some tips on how you can have a positive mindset, have a read!
Live a healthy lifestyle
Eat well, drink water, exercise and get enough sleep.
Having a healthy lifestyle has a good effect on your mental health.
Declutter your life and surroundings
When your surroundings are messy and cluttered, it can make your mind feel the same way. Have a good clear out of everything that you no longer use or need.
This can also be done for the people in your life. Unfortunately, not everyone in your life is really here for you. Sometimes you have to cut people off because really, they bring no value to your life.
Well, that’s it guys! I hope you found this helpful! Please leave do leave your own tips in the comments!
This is filled with excellent advice. Sleep is a big one for me — when I find myself sliding into too many late nights it always affects my mood. Changing my diet has made a remarkable difference in my mental health, too. I’ve cut out red meat and pork and eat very little turkey/chicken. It’s mostly fish and vegetables, and I use almost entirely fresh ingredients. That and exercise have made a huge difference for me.
Thanks for reading and sharing what works for you! I’ve recently started to work harder on eating better and exercising for both my mental and physical health. We have to do what’s best for our health after all.
Great Tips!
Thank you for reading! ?
Sure! Hope you get a chance to check out my blog too!