Top Tips To Maintain Your Mental Health
Just like physical health, an individual’s mental health is very important. Since it involves the mind, which is the centre of thinking, aptitude and conscious planning, it becomes critical to take care of our mental health and well-being to ensure optimal performance.
The truth is that so many factors have the capacity to alter our mental configuration. They include: workplace stress, family pressure, inflation, economic downturn, parenting, physical health challenges, and the list goes on. While we may not be able to avoid many of these stressors, we can find a way to deal with them and still maintain a clear head.
In this article, I will take you through a list of 7 things you can do to maintain your mental health. But before we delve into my list, let’s gain a background understanding of what mental health is about.
What Is Mental Health?
World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Mental health problems can be in form of eating disorders, anxiety disorder, mood swings, depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) etc.
Why should you maintain your mental health?
Taking care of your mental health is important for the following reasons:
- It enhances physical health
Studies have shown that there is a connection between the state of mind and the physical well-being of an individual. Some health conditions have been traced to mental health problems. For instance, if you are depressed, you may be predisposed to gastrointestinal conditions such as diarrhoea and constipation.
- To maintain a healthy social connection
A debilitated mental state has been proven to lead to relationship issues. A person that always experiences mood swings may find it difficult to have people around them.
How do you measure sound mental health?
Before we can tell that an individual has a good mental state, such a person should be without mental illness and be able to relate with themselves and others well. They should also be emotionally stable and at peace with themselves.
Tips to maintain your mental health
Now that you have background knowledge of what mental health entails and why you should ensure it, it’s time to delve into the main crux of this article. I shall explain seven ways you can achieve healthy mental well-being. However, the techniques below are not curative but just a means to keep the wheels of your mental architecture working optimally.
- Admit you need help
The first and most important step to solving a problem is to accept that you have such a problem. Living in denial of a problem does more harm than good. If you’re experiencing mental health issues, admitting it will prompt you to seek help, either from friends, family members or a professional. However, admitting a problem is not enough. It would help if you had to make the necessary moves to find solutions.
- Talk it out
The maxim that states that “a shared problem is half-solved” is as true today as it was first crafted. Talking is a form of therapy, especially if it’s with a loved one — friend or family. When you feel burdened by stress in the course of your daily engagements, talking about it with someone can reset your mind back to a more positive state. So, don’t bottle up your emotional and psychological problems. Instead, talk them out.
- Get sufficient sleep
Having an insufficient sleep can have an adverse effect on your mental health. The aftermath of the daily hassles of home and workplace can overwhelm your mind, making you unable to process information rightly. This could lead to impulsive reactions and avoidable errors. A night of good sleep can reorganise your mind so that you can think more clearly.
- Spoil yourself
It would help if you weren’t busy round the clock that you can’t make time to give yourself a good treat. You can go on a vacation, eat a delicious meal in a fine restaurant, go shopping, and do anything that can make you feel good about yourself. It will take off your mind from the things that choke your mind.
- Eat healthily
Experts have described the connection between healthy feeding and a healthy mental state. Not every kind of food is good for you. Your choice of diet can affect your mood, positively or negatively. So, eat a healthy, nutritious diet all the time.
- Engage in physical exercises
Studies have shown the correlation between taking care of physical health and good mental health. Furthermore, it has been proven that adequate physical exercise can improve the mood by 26%, thereby reducing the risk of depression.
A workout plan doesn’t need to be strenuous to be effective. Ten to twenty minutes of jogging, cycling, skipping, or walking can go long. If you wish, you can enrol in a gym, but make up your mind to be diligent with the routines.
- Practice meditation and mindfulness
Mindfulness helps you to assay your thoughts, consciously focus your mind on what is relevant in the present and helps improve your mind. Mindfulness gives you the presence of mind, making you aware of your immediate environment. While meditation is a short-term reflection, mindfulness takes a longer and deeper route.
On a final note, you will agree with me that we are beset by things that can ruin our mental health. Since we cannot evade these mental health stressors, we must find a way to deal with them, having realised the importance of a healthy mind.
As I stated earlier, the 7 points I explained above are not meant to cure mental health problems but to maintain a healthy one. In addition to the already established points, it is advised to get your mental health evaluated from time to time by a psychologist. Cheers to a healthy mental well-being!
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