How To Take Care Of Mental Health On A Daily Basis?
Possibly, in your childhood you heard how important it was to take care of your physical health. Exercise, drink 2 liters of water a day and the classic “eat fruits and vegetables”. But… Have you ever heard anything about how to take care of your mental health?
We would love for your answer to be yes, but realistically, it is very likely that neither your family nor any educational institution has even mentioned it to you.
Unfortunately, this is common in most societies where mental and emotional health is a topic that is little or nothing talked about. Well, there is still a lot of ignorance about what mental health is, and worse still, taboos and stigmas surrounding this topic.
Currently, there are many people who suffer from mental health problems every day: anxiety, depression and stress are the most common. Faced with this, there are few individuals who know how to act when faced with these conditions.
Therefore, today we want to give you 6 recommendations that can help you start taking care of your mental health today.
1. Name your emotions
Giving a name to what you are feeling will allow you to recognize your emotions. If you have a hard time distinguishing them, ask yourself the following question: **How do I feel right now? **
You can say: angry, sad, excited, afraid, I want to cry, I feel like running away, etc. Everything you say is valid, so don’t leave anything out. If you can write it, much better.
After you have expressed all those thoughts, it will be easier for you to identify the emotions you are going through.
2. Accept and validate what you feel
Now that you know what emotion you are feeling, the next thing is to accept it. Sometimes this act is complicated because no one likes to know that we don’t feel so good. But the goal of recognizing and accepting our emotions is to learn to manage them.
It must be made clear that There are no good emotions or bad emotions. Some, such as pain, sadness or fear, will be part of our path. Therefore, at some times we will be happy and at others not so much. And that is completely natural in human beings.
3. Have a support network
When we find ourselves in a moment of vulnerability, having family and friends nearby who are there to listen to us can be of great help. Well, we create spaces in which we can freely express how we feel. A chat in a cafe, chatting by text message or simply crying is very beneficial to express our emotions.
Surround yourself with people with whom you can establish healthy and safe connections where you can confidently express what you are feeling. And when they are going through a difficult time, support them too.
4. Do an activity that you enjoy
Integrating one or several activities that we enjoy into our daily lives can be very positive for keeping our mind relaxed and focusing on situations that we find pleasurable.
Some activities that can help you are: writing, reading, playing a sport, playing an instrument, dancing, taking courses, cooking, going for a walk, taking photographs, among others. The list is long, think of something you enjoy doing or want to learn, and that can be your new hobby.
5. Maintain good sleep hygiene
Sleeping adequately is vital for our mental health, as it is the ideal time to rest from all the activities and emotions of the day. Likewise, some conditions such as anxiety and depression can increase if we do not maintain optimal rest.
So try to sleep at least 7 hours a day and be consistent with your sleep routine, this will help your mind stay healthy.
6. Ask for help
All human beings go through stages in our lives that are more complicated than others. However, when these stages remain for a long time and are affecting our quality of life, it is best to approach mental health professionals who can help us manage our emotions.
Psychotherapy is an excellent option to learn to know ourselves, to manage our emotions and to find the internal tools to live in well-being.
We don’t have to wait until we feel overwhelmed or our emotions are out of control to ask for help. From before we can approach a therapeutic process.
These are some actions that you can begin to integrate into your life to take care of your mental health. Talking about our emotions and being in touch with them can be very beneficial to improve our quality of life.
