Mental health can affect every aspect of your life. It affects your relationships with others, your personal sense of well-being and the way you act on a daily basis. It also has a direct correlation to the way you recover from the hardships and trials of life.
How can you improve your mental health?
Exercise Exercise helps you sleep better, increase your endorphins and reduce stress. These things independently can improve your mental outlook, but when put together, they can have a powerful effect on your life. Through exercise, your body will increase the level of endorphins produced, elevating your mood with a burst of “feel good’ hormones.
Sleep Improving your mental health is about more than just getting a set number of hours of sleep. It requires sleep that will ensure you are well-rested. To maximize your sleep, reduce your caffeine intake in the hours leading up to bedtime. Set a regular bedtime, keep your room dark and cool.
Prioritize self-care Do nice things for yourself. Take a walk on the beach, have lunch with friends, play with your dog, splurge on a special treat. Treat yourself with your favorite foods occasionally. Find something small that makes you happy and do it on a regular basis.
Find new challenges Learn a new skill or start a new hobby. Set goals to start something new and improve yourself. Read a book, travel more, save money for an extravagant purpose. With a new focus, you will be motivated to try something new which can turn your mental health in a positive direction.
Volunteer Finding new purpose can enrich your life and help improve your mental outlook. Select an organization that works with people or issues you are interested in. Some examples could be the local animal shelter, a local school or religious organization.
Show Gratitude Practicing gratitude is an effective way to change your outlook. When you focus on the positive and are thankful for things in your life – even the smallest things, you will quickly find many more reasons to be grateful. Make a list of the blessings in your life, take the time to journal every day.
Stay in-touch With Friends Meaningful relationships can give your life meaning and provide a sense of community. By having close relationships, you will have a circle of individuals that can help as needed in times of adversity and share your joy in happier times.
Set Appropriate Boundaries In personal and professional relationship, it is healthy to establish boundaries for your interactions with others. Use boundaries as a way to prioritize you and your mental health,.
Mental health can be a serious issue. If you have attempted to improve your outlook without any progress or feel as though you are struggling with issues that no amount of gratitude seems to help, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health.
Michele Bailey is president and CEO of
Blazing Agency and
My Big Idea®. These two lines of business work congruently to support her clients’ success.
