Small Ways You Can Keep Your Mental Health In Check
Poor mental health can affect every part of your life, including your self-esteem, relationships, and productivity.
Many of us have struggled with the likes of anxiety and depression, as well as a plethora of other disorders that can weigh heavily on the mind.
While you should always seek help from a professional if you find yourself getting lost in a negative mind frame or struggling, there are a few ways you can keep your mental health in check from the comfort of your home. Here are a few activities and lifestyle changes you can make to help your mind.
Keep active
While getting out of bed and exercising can be a difficult task at the best of times, it’s known that physical activity reduces anxiety, depression, and stress. Not only that, but it can boost self-esteem and ease loneliness. While it may take some getting used to, scheduling regular exercise into your everyday routine is a sure-fire way to keep your mental health in check.
Don’t worry if you don’t feel comfortable pumping iron at the gym. Simply find an exercise that works for you, whether it’s at-home HIIT workouts, running, or team sports such as tennis.
Reach out to others
The saying goes ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’, and it certainly rings true when it comes to mental health problems. Bottling up your issues will likely cause them to worsen, especially in cases of depression and anxiety when the negative feelings fester. Reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or colleague about any issues you may have, no matter how big or small. If you aren’t quite ready to open up to those close to you, consider getting in touch with a helpline, charity, or therapist to get help.
Pin-point stresses
Being aware and even tracking your mood can help you pinpoint everyday stresses that are having a negative impact on your mental health. By being aware of what is triggering stress and anxiety, you can make moves to solve the underlying issues. If, for example, you get a spike of anxiety going to work, you may want to speak to your manager about reducing your workload. You can track your mood using a journal, app, or just simply taking moments to reflect throughout the day.
Practice CBT techniques
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most popular and common means of therapy available. Even if you don’t want to make the step to undergo therapy, using these techniques can help you rationalize your negative, unhelpful, or anxious thoughts. Techniques that fall under the CBT umbrella include breaking down cognitive distortions such as catastrophizing and polarized thinking, as well as restructuring these thoughts.
You can print off a variety of CBT worksheets straight from the internet and these are great for carrying around with you to combat any spikes in negative thoughts or feelings throughout the day. Take some time out of your day to fill in these worksheets until these techniques become more of a second nature to you. Want to ensure you always have access to these sheets? Make time to maintain your printer and buy ink online for ease.
Get more sleep and eat well
Let’s be honest – how many of us have gone to bed very late, tumbled out of bed, eaten junk food, and then complained about feeling rubbish? We can guarantee everyone has done it at one point or another.
Both the food you eat and the amount of sleep you get to have a significant effect on your mental health, with sleep deprivation causing irritability while exacerbating symptoms of mental health disorders. Craft a nighttime routine then helps you drift off easily, including putting your phone away at least half an hour to an hour before you try to sleep.
Putting your mental health above all else is vital, even if that means cutting off people who are toxic or changing your career. These tips are a great way of keeping your mental health in check every day, but do contact your doctor should you need help.
