The word health encompasses both physical and mental health. However, people often tend to confuse mental health with mental health disorders like anxiety or depression. And while making such comparisons, they don’t realize that mental health is an individual’s psychological well-being that defines the way one feels, manages such feelings and other difficulties that occur.
No doubt, daily structure and mental health go hand-in-hand. The level of stress that one endures on a daily basis impacts one’s mental health. Therefore, it is important for one to understand and incorporate good mental health habits in his/her day-to-day life so that he/she is able to stay fit as well as enjoy a good mental health. Preparing a mental health daily maintenance plan can also benefit if one incorporates some healthy habits in his/her mental health routines. Mentioned below are some of the ways and tips for improving your mental health:
Exercise regularly
Make sure that you include exercise in your daily schedule for mental health. It is not necessary to include intense workout in the routine, but opting for simple moves and exercises like taking the stairs instead of elevators, going on a short walk, etc. are some of the recommended tips. Exercise enables the release of stress-relieving and mood-boosting chemicals called endorphins which help one fight against mental health problems like anxiety and depression.
Eat a healthy diet
Eating a healthy diet is one of the easiest ways to improve mental health. Feeding the body with the right kind of nutrients helps ensure not only a healthy body but also a healthy mind.
For instance, including the right amount of carbohydrates in one’s diet helps increase the serotonin level in the brain, Serotonin is a chemical that helps calm down one’s mood. Protein-rich food also helps one stay alert by increasing the level of chemicals like norepinephrine, dopamine and tyrosine. Foods rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids like fish, nuts, and flaxseed help boost mood and improve cognitive functioning.
Think positive
The way one perceives things can have a powerful impact on one’s mental health. Therefore, it is always better to take things positively so as to promote the feelings of self-esteem and positive self-image. Also, trying and seeing things in a positive light can motivate you and boost your morale.
Express gratitude
Being grateful can benefit an individual in a number of ways, such as in strengthening relationships, improving mental health, etc. Sharing one’s feelings and letting the other person know that you care for or are thankful for something is a great way to bring in positive energy in one’s life that eventually helps maintain good mental health.
Learn to accept things as they are
Learning to accept things as they are is one of the most important tips to maintain a healthy mind. This does not imply that one should continue to live in a relationship that’s killing or a situation that’s intolerable, but that one should stay positive and accept the situation as it is while he/she continues to work toward a happier tomorrow.
Stay focused
A wandering mind invites a lot of stress and anxiety. Therefore, it is extremely important for an individual to keep his/her focused on one thing at a time and avoid any sort of distractions. Staying in the present moment can help suppress negative thoughts in the brain.
Be nice to yourself
Everyone deserves respect. Therefore, in order to be admired or treated well by others, it is important for an individual to first learn to respect himself/herself. This is because people respect an individual only on the basis of the treatment given by an individual to oneself.
Be accountable
One must learn to stay responsible for his/her goals or targets. It is true that keeping a tab on one’s own activity might lead to a laidback attitude, but it is always possible to seek help from a friend who can support him/her to be more accountable as well as push him/her to continue working toward his/her goals.
Follow a routine
Setting up a routine for the entire day can benefit an individual’s physical as well as mental health as it makes things organized and wards off stress. While it allows one to utilize the time available to its best, setting up the day’s structure helps in clarifying the things that can be done within a day. Having a structure is also helpful in pulling oneself out of the bed when energy is low and utilizing the energy to its best when it’s overflowing.
Maintain a to-do list
Maintaining a detailed to-do list can help in sorting out things and avoid any last minute hurry that would put stress on the brain. Doing so will not only help in reducing the mental pressure of remembering all the tasks to be completed, but will also enable a better time and work management. Along with a to-do list, one can also maintain a fear list that can be updated from time-to-time and allow one to find some effective ways to tackle those fears.
Offer help
Helping someone in need can be a great way to boost one’s mental health. Being helpful and kind to someone else not only benefits another individual but also enhances one’s own self-esteem, which, in turn, makes one feel more positive and valued.
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Sleep regularly
Sleep is known to impact one’s mental health directly. Therefore, it is important for an individual to practice and follow regular sleeping patterns. One must try and ensure that he/she hits the bed at a particular time regularly. This would only be possible by following a particular routine on a daily basis as well as avoiding certain activities at night, such as intake of caffeinated drinks, use of devices like mobile phones, etc.
Establish connections
Staying aloof from friends and social circles can be damaging because it can make one feel left out and alone. This can further bring in negative thoughts. Therefore, it is important for one to stay connected with his/her old friends as well as try to make new friends. Meeting and interacting with a new set of people can help one enhance his/her outlook and mindset, which, in turn, can benefit mental health.
Spend some ‘me’ time
In order to ensure a good state of mind, it is important for an individual to spend some time with oneself. This is not to be done by sitting alone or idle, but by engaging oneself in activities that he/she enjoys like gardening, reading a book or learning a new language. Such activities bring in some action in his/her dull life or bring some sort of distraction from negative thoughts and memories.
Stay organized
Having messy surroundings is upsetting for one’s mood as well as health. It can also lead to the development of anxious feelings. Thus, it is important that one keeps his/her things organized and avoid any stress that can affect the mental health.
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Do tasks in unfamiliar ways
Routine can be boring. Therefore, one must try and do something creative, even in performing routine tasks. For instance, reading a book sitting in the garden instead of lying on the bed, watering plants using a jar in place of water pipe, etc. This will not only help in bringing out one’s creative side but will also make him/her feel positive and confident.
Stay calm
It is important for one to learn to stay calm and patient even when things don’t work out according to the plan. If things do not happen as planned, people usually begin to lose their cool and react in unexpected ways that can hamper their mental health. Therefore, the best way to deal with such situations is to chalk out a strategy to deal with such situations in future, if need arises.
Have a good laugh
Laughter is the best medicine. A good laugh not only boosts one’s mood but also lifts up the spirits, benefits the immune system as well as decreases the level of stress hormones in the body. This, in turn, supports a good and positive mental health.
Do not multitask
It is believed by many that multitasking saves a lot of time. This might be true up to a certain extent, but doing so is also dangerous to one’s mental health. Multitasking in ways like eating while sending messages or email can actually cause a lot of stress and in turn, deteriorate one’s mental health.
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Limit the use of digital devices
mental health and daily routine
Technology is an inseparable part of our daily lives. Whether it is in the form of smartphones, tablets or laptops, life seems to be incomplete without technology. But it is important to understand that using these devices can actually overstimulate the human brains, which, in turn does more harm than any good. Therefore, one must understand the need to limit the use of these devices and in turn, ensure a better mental health.
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Conclusion
An old proverb that reads, “Health is wealth” holds true even today. It is important to understand that the power to ensure an individual’s good mental health lies in one’s own hands. Therefore, one must understand that incorporating even the minutest of changes can benefit their mental health in some or the other way. Moreover, these tips must have helped you understand how to improve mental health with daily life. So begin by incorporating these tips into your daily life from today and be ready to see a bigger change tomorrow.