Steps to Better Mental Health

January 8, 2020


If you don’t have good mental health, it can be hard just to get through the day, let alone enjoy each day to its fullest. That’s why we should all be doing more to take care of our mental wellness.

Obviously, many of us suffer from diagnosed mental illnesses, which will usually require the support of doctors, psychiatrists, and medication to get us feeling well again, but whether that is or is not the case, there are some steps we can all take to improve our mental health alongside any medical support. Trying the following things could help you to feel stronger and more positive from day to day…

Build Strong Relationships
When you’re struggling with conditions like depression and anxiety, or even when you’re just feeling a little blue, it’s often the case that you want to shut yourself away and not have to deal with the outside world. However, this is one of the worst things you can do for your mental health.

Of course, if you’re struggling you don’t have to be the life and soul of the party, and trying to be just that could do more harm than good, but what you should do is try to connect with friends and family. Invite them over, head out to coffee with a good friend or hit the gym with a pal and just talk. You don’t have to talk about your problems, although that could be a big help if you have a supportive ear to listen, but just being around someone and knowing they care will do you the world of good.

Get Active
We’re always being told that doing more exercise will cure all our ills, and although that might not quite be the case, there is enough evidence to say that being active can boost your mental well-being as well as your physical health. When you’re active, you release endorphins which can boost your mood for the better. Exercise can also raise your self-esteem and give you goals and aims to achieve, which is so important when you’re battling with your mental health.

If you find it hard to stay active when your mental health is not good, promise yourself that you’ll exercise for just 1 minute. It’s easier to psyche yourself up to do that amount and chances are once you’ve started you’ll carry on a bit longer. If you don’t, well don’t beat yourself up, just try again tomorrow.

Learn Something New
Research suggests that learning new things can boost your mental health by giving you a confidence boost, raising your levels of self-esteem and giving you a purpose in life It doesn’t matter what skill you learn, it will have benefits to your mental health if you practice it regularly.  However, there are some skills which are good for your mental health in themselves - things like mindfulness, yoga and painting - and learning one of those could be even better.

Relax
Better mental health is possible, but don’t push yourself. Try these steps but take it easy and work and your own pace building in lots of relaxation time and you will start to feel the benefits.


*contributed post*

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