How you feel, think, and behave in life is greatly influenced by your mental health. Your mental wellbeing also determines how well you can handle stress and overcome difficult times in your life. Unfortunately, however, not enough people take the steps to sustain good mental health. Some contribute it to limited time due to busy schedules while others are misguided by believing that their emotional health isn’t a factor unless they’ve been diagnosed with an illness.
When issues arise in life most people brush off their emotions and force themselves to make it through the storm somehow. They begin trying to distract themselves by suppressing their feelings, isolating themselves from others, and self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. They stop taking care of themselves and eventually the overwhelming emotions lead to mental illness.
Though there are many factors that can contribute to an individual developing a mental illness, some things are within your control to change. By taking these steps to be discussed below and applying them to your life, you can support your mental health and see positive change manifest.
Connect With Others
When you’re going through a difficult time emotionally it may seem like the best thing to do is be alone. While this may be the best advice for a little while, if you’ve started isolating yourself from others as a means of hiding your poor mental health this is a problem. As a human being, you need the social and personal connection of others to survive. Staying in isolation can exacerbate your feelings particularly if you’re feeling sad or depressed.
Get Moving
As much as you might prefer to sit on the couch and watch tv and gorge on comfort foods it’s not going to fix your health. Though it may seem more beneficial to the body, physical activity actually improves the mind as well. When you’re active, your body releases endorphins which help to boost mood while also reducing hormones like cortisol which cause stress. You don’t have to become a fitness expert but you should make physical activity a part of your routine.
Get Stress Under Control
Stress is your body’s natural response to a circumstance that requires change or adjustments. Though it is common to experience stress, when your body is constantly in fight or flight mode it becomes taxing on your mental and physical health. Learning how to best cope with especially stressful times can help keep your mental health intact. Think about things to calm you down and bring you joy. Do you like spending time with your kids? Reading a book? Getting a massage? Getting your hair and nails done? Or taking a tap? When you feel like you’re under a lot of pressure try using relaxation techniques to calm you down.
Switch Your Diet
Were you aware that the foods you eat can have an impact on how you feel? Unhealthy food options deprive your body of nutrients it needs to function properly. It also weakens your immune system and dampens your mood. It is recommended that you switch to a diet packed with nutrients and healthy fats. This means eating more beans, nuts, seeds, lean protein, fruits, and green leafy vegetables while staying away from genetically modified, processed, and fast foods.
Find Something Purposeful
Life can be filled with ups and downs, however, when you have something in your life that gives you purpose it helps you get through difficult times. If you feel like you’re at a dead-end job or your life doesn’t have much meaning, start looking into opportunities that fuel your passion. Maybe you’d like to start a business that helps new entrepreneurs volunteer to read at a nearby public school, donate to the soup kitchen, or start a program to support women and children.
Get Help When All Else Fails
Sometimes your mental health declines and self-help tips simply don’t do the trick. If that should happen, get help. There’s no weakness or anything to be ashamed of if you ask for help. Talk to your doctor about taking medications or going to therapy. You might also research natural solutions for treating mental health problems. You can lookup Pulse TMS treatment, massage therapy, yoga, meditation, and other methods you can try to overcome your mental illness.
Your mental health is nothing to ignore. When the mind doesn’t function properly the body will soon follow. Poor mental health can impact both your personal and professional life. Therefore, take the steps necessary to keep your mind intact. And don’t forget, if you’ve tried the above suggestions with little success, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out to a medical expert for assistance.
