11 Important Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health

The mind is the most complex part of your body. Good mental health keeps everything else in place. According to the WHO, one of the leading causes of disability is depression. What’s more, suicide is the second leading cause of death among the young generation aged between 15 to 29 years. Reports state that people with severe mental health problems tend to die prematurely, nearly two decades early. However, both of these issues can be addressed by focusing on mental health and actively taking strides to better it.

Speaking about mental health issues is becoming less of a taboo subject. Global awareness has proved effective in reducing the stigma around it. However, more people need to understand that the symptoms of mental illness can be reduced or controlled. Treating mental illness doesn’t require a lot of time or resources. Making some lifestyle and behavioral changes can go a long way. Read on for some effective tips for maintaining your mental health.

Minimize Technology Usage

Consider cutting back on the media and technology you use each day. You might not think of yourself as addicted to social media, smartphones, or other gadgets. Still, restricting or limiting media and technology usage is frequently much more challenging. Excessive and extended social media and other media usage can have negative consequences. Even excessive news consumption might have a detrimental effect on your mental health. There's no need to eliminate it from your life fully. But, consider restricting your usage. Below are a few specific pointers to help you limit media consumption:

• Keep the phone away from the bedroom, so it isn't the final thing you glance at before bed or the very first thing you check in the morning
• Avoid using your phone for the last half hour before sleeping and the first half hour after waking up
• Place your phone on another table where you can't reach it during mealtimes
• Take on a challenge and refrain from checking social media for an entire day

Get Some Natural Sunlight

This is a little more subtle. It's simple to go from house to vehicle to workplace to vehicle to house on repeat. Sunlight increases levels of serotonin, a hormone that can help raise your mood, enhance feelings of calm, and increase your focus. So spend some time outdoors on a daily basis to soak in the energizing sunlight to help alleviate feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety.

Keep in Touch With Friends

Interacting with other people is an essential component of maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Making true friends that you like spending time with will improve your mood by preventing negative feelings and loneliness. You can choose a fun activity, like puzzles or playing a board game, or you can just catch up and talk. Humans are social beings. Therefore value your friendships.

Be Nice to Yourself

When you're low, it's easy to be tough on yourself. Instead, try being sympathetic even if you're not in the mood to give yourself credit or compliments. And here's a bonus tip - if you're having trouble being nice to yourself, do something good to somebody else. And then congratulate yourself for doing it!

Take Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is one of the primary ways to stay mentally healthy. According to National Sleep Foundation, an adult should sleep between 7 to 9 hours every night. You can also take a 20–30-minute nap in the afternoon to recharge. Sleeping helps your mental health by allowing your brain to relax, lowering stress, and improving your mood.

Exercise Regularly

Physical health has a big impact on your mental health. Take up a sport, engage in outdoor activities like hiking or jogging or simply work out the way you like. Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day helps you to be physically and mentally healthy. It releases happy hormones that help you concentrate, sleep better, and feel better. 

Eat Healthy 

Although there is no specific food to lower stress, getting magnesium in your diet has proven to be effective against headaches and fatigue. Avoid consuming added sugar. Doing so will maintain your blood sugar levels and thereby help balance your energy levels. Quit unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking as they can affect your mood and thus, your mental health.

Meditate 

Meditating helps you improve your concentration, manage stress, increase self-awareness, and boost creativity and imagination. It can also help you overcome anxiety and depression. Stressing about the past or worrying about the future will only drain your energy and make you feel mentally tired. Practice meditation for just 2 to 15 minutes a day to experience its myriad benefits.  

Talk Your Heart Out 

Holding on to negative emotions like anger, frustration, and grudges has a bad impact on your mental health. Learn to let go of ill feelings. Replace negative thoughts with positivity and forgive people more often. Maintain good relations with people around you and express what you feel. Hiding or suppressing emotions can affect your health. If you have any problems, talk to or ask for help from people close to you. Surround yourself with people who encourage you, uplift your mood and make you feel comfortable.

Additional Read: Ways to Stay Emotionally Healthy 

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Prioritise Breaks and Hobbies 

Give yourself regular breaks from your daily routine for better mental health. Go for a walk to calm your mind and relieve strain on your eyes. You can also take a much-needed vacation or invest time and effort into a hobby – be it gardening or joining a book club. This will divert your attention to things you like doing and hence, help your mental health. Remember that your mental and emotional health, and wellbeing are all connected!

Talk to a Therapist 

We all go through tough times in life, and you can opt for counseling sessions to share your problems and get guidance. A therapist may have certain relaxation techniques that could benefit you or recommend cognitive behavioral therapy. This aims at improving your mental health by changing distortions in your thoughts, improving emotional and behavioral responses, and suggesting coping strategies for any stressors you may face.

Eating healthy, exercising, meditating, and prioritizing emotional health and wellbeing are key to maintaining mental health. Do not ignore or procrastinate if you have any symptoms of burnout, stress, anxiety, or depression. Get professional help no matter how small or big your mental health condition is. Book an appointment online consultation with doctor or therapist near you on Bajaj Finserv Health.

FAQs

How to maintain your mental health?

• Exercise frequently. Walking for just 30 minutes each day might enhance your health and mood
• Maintain hydration and consume regular and healthy meals
• Make sleep a top priority
• Consider a relaxing activity
• Establish priorities and goals
• Practice gratitude
• Concentrate on positivity
• Stay connected with loved ones

What is good mental health?

A person's mental wellness is more than the absence of a mental illness. It denotes a condition of well-being in which you feel well and operate well in society. The World Health Organization states that having good mental health means you can:

• Cope with life's regular stresses
• Work productively
• Realize your potential
• Bring something to the community

What causes mental health problems?

Research shows that many of these problems result from a mix of physiological, biological, and environmental variables, even if the exact origin of most mental illnesses is unclear. [1]

• Genetics, some infections, prenatal trauma, brain damage or defects, substance abuse, and other factors like inadequate nutrition and exposure to toxins are all biological contributors
• Psychological factors can include childhood trauma, neglect, an impactful early loss like the death of a parent, etc.
• Some environmental factors include a dysfunctional family, feelings of incompetence, low self-esteem, switching jobs or schools, social or cultural expectations, and parental or own substance misuse

What are the three benefits of mental health?

A few benefits of good mental health are as follows:

• We enjoy our lives, our surroundings, as well as the people in them when we are in good mental health
• We will have the capacity to think creatively, learn, explore, and take chances
• We will be better equipped to handle challenging situations in both our professional and personal lives.

Why is mental health important?

Our emotional, physical, and societal well-being are all parts of our mental health. It influences our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Also, it influences how we respond to stress, interacts with others, and make good decisions. Mental wellness is vital throughout life.