Usually, most of us spend most of our lives trying to improve a large part of the spheres of our lives. We want to feel better physically, improve our careers, or move up in our relationships and social circles.
But how many times do we stop to think about how we really feel on an emotional level? In psychological well-being we find the necessary strength to fulfill ourselves and improve in the rest of the aspects of our life. Therefore, throughout this article we will offer a series of tips to feel well psychologically
The concept of psychological well-being, as well as that of happiness, are very difficult notions to define or determine concisely. However, we can say that in both cases of dealing with abstract concepts that are characterized by being subjective states related to a feeling of well-being and general satisfaction
Of course, the reasons or causes that generate this satisfaction are different for each person and are limited to the individual beliefs that each individual has in relation to what he or she understands as psychological well-being or happiness.
However, although, as we have mentioned, each person is distinguished by having different conceptions of what it means to feel psychologically well, there are a series of common points without which this psychological well-being is much more difficult to achieve. These dimensions were developed by University of Pennsylvania psychologist Carol Ryff and are made up of the following aspects:
As we can see, all these aspects can be worked on and improved, so achieving psychological well-being is within our reach. It is necessary to specify that, obviously, this is not always going to be easy, since events or external agents may appear that disturb this well-being and that we cannot control.
However, although we do not have control over these agents, we can determine and decide how to deal with them and what degree of consideration to give them, this being what will make the difference when it comes to maintaining our psychological well-being or not.
10 tips to achieve psychological well-being
As we already mentioned at the beginning of the article, we are the only ones responsible for managing our happiness and our mental well-being, which makes us active agents capable of improving our psychological state.
Below we will see a series of tips or recommendations that we can practice to improve our psychological and emotional health This does not mean that to achieve this we must carry out each and every one of these indications, since this psychological well-being is a totally subjective concept, we can choose those with which we feel most comfortable or identify most.
1. Learn to control our thoughts and emotions
We could say that this first point is a universal recommendation valid for all types of people regardless of their character or personality
Usually, our thoughts tend to be accompanied by emotions that turn them into positive or negative experiences. If we learn to effectively control and manage our thoughts and emotions, we will achieve the necessary ability to improve our psychological well-being, this being the first step and the basis that facilitates the rest of our psychological work.
To do this, we can resort to traditional meditation exercises, as well as the practice of mindfulness exercises, which have proven to be effective in achieving control of our thoughts and emotional well-being.
2. Take a moment to feel grateful
Habitually, we tend to maintain an excessive fixation on problems and negative situations that we experience throughout the day. Therefore, it can be particularly useful for us to spend a few minutes a day reflecting on the things that have happened to us throughout the day for which we can give thanks.
Although this may be difficult at first, with practice it will become less and less difficult for us to identify small daily details for which we can feel grateful and satisfied. This habit will bring us a series of daily feelings of well-being that can be maintained throughout the week.
3. Put our lives in order
The excess stress we experience daily It is one of the great enemies of psychological well-being, since it gradually reduces our sense of well-being and tends to increase if we do nothing to remedy it.
To solve this, it will be very useful for us to carry out an effective organization of our tasks throughout the day. This will help us reduce the effect of unforeseen events and experience a feeling of control over our lives.
4. Sleep well
Sleep routines directly affect our mood, so Harmful sleeping habits will have a negative impact on our psychological well-being
Therefore, it is essential to try to maintain sleeping habits in which we get the minimum recommended hours of sleep, always with all the lights off and trying to reduce everything that interferes with our sleep, such as external noises or the sound of the mobile phone.
5. Improve your diet and exercise
As described by the expression mens sana in corpore sana, taking care of our body and finding a balance will help us achieve and maintain our psychological well-being. Contrary to popular belief, the original meaning of the expression is related to the need to have a healthy mind and body in order to achieve well-being.
To do this, it is essential to maintain a balanced diet that provides us with all types of nutrients, as well as exercising regularly, which will help us keep our body in shape. facilitate emotional balance
Human beings are social animals, so Staying close to other people usually has a positive impact on our mood Dedicating a moment of our day to start a conversation with someone we know and thus increase our social relationships, will generate a very pleasant feeling of well-being and satisfaction.
7. Break the monotony
Although a certain degree of routine and monotony offer us a feeling of security and control over our lives that can be beneficial, excess of this is not usually so pleasant, and feelings such as boredom, frustration or sadness may appear.
To compensate for this, we can plan or establish small changes in our daily routine that can be stimulating as well as keeping our minds open to the possibility of trying or experiencing new things that bring a little liveliness and dynamism to our lives.
8. Do something for someone else
In psychology, the positive effect that helping others has on our mood and psychological well-being is well known. Doing something for someone increases our levels of happiness and satisfaction, as well as provides a feeling of usefulness and competence reduces stress levels and how it does not contribute something good to society and the other person’s mood.
9. Carry out artistic activities
It is not necessary to be an artistic prodigy to benefit from the positive effects that engaging in artistic activities has on our state of mind. Art, manifested in any way, increases our dopamine levels and stimulates certain areas of our frontal cortex that provoke positive and pleasant feelings
10. Be in contact with nature
Finally, there are many studies that have linked living or being close to nature or green areas with better levels of mental health and emotional well-being
The connection with nature generates a positive impact on our mood. In addition, the simple fact of being exposed to sunlight helps us increase levels of vitamin D, which is directly related to the reduction of negative emotions such as sadness.
