Do these for your Mental Health!

We often think of Mental health as a blessing, a gift that is given by birth or that is hereditary but miss out on the environmental and cognitive factors that make us mentally ill.

You might be living in a Posh Locality, in a luxurious home with all the best things that are available in the market but you still spend your 100 percent time all inclusive in a place called your “Mind”. That place also needs some renovation and beautification. Have you ever noticed the beautiful accent tap, that you worked hard for and earned to put up in the bathroom and felt happy seeing it when you had a bad fight with your wife or an argument with your boss? Most people would have “No” as an answer to that question!

If you spend so much of time here, it calls for some thought from your side to make your mind a beautiful Place to stay in.

We could do a few things that could make us Mentally healthy, just like we do a few things for our Physical health:

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Negative people suck all energy out of you and drain you mentally. They find fault in every solution and make an effort to find something that did not go well. While positive people are solution focused. They try to get the good out of everything and make efforts to make things better than before. They do not complain about what went wrong and see what good can be done with the available resources. Research has shown that people who have healthy connections with friends and family are happier than people who lack social support; hence make plans with friends, join a group of your interest, visit a club or a class where you can meet new people.

Give yourself into something

Try to find some time to volunteer some activity by using your time and energy in something that could help someone in need. You do not have to be a millionaire like Bill Gates to do a good deed for someone, and the reward you will get out of this is the feeling of contribution and happiness for doing it. You could start with sharing a good thought with a friend who is going through an emotional breakdown and let them know you are there, donate your used clothes to the random kids that come begging to you for money at the signal (You do not need to be associated with an NGO to do these ) or teach the kids of your house-help for an hour free on the weekends. Get creative, do something that you can do by just existing right now!

Manage and deal with your stress

With all that you have to deal with in today’s life, stress is as inevitable as Death. Life has become easier with technology, but to deal with technology in an effective way is a stress. It’s like a circle, it gets back from where it started. Hence, learn to deal with stress by being mindful, meditating, learning Tai-chi, walk in the garden, write in your journal about whatever is concerning you etc.  Bring humor in life and try to see things in an easier way rather than being uptight about everything. Research says, that a good laughter can ease your pain, boost your immune system and, reduce stress and relax your body.

Be Realistic in Goal-setting

Write down all your personal, professional or academic goals and divide them into steps that need to be taken, immediately, in the next five years and ten years to achieve them. Aim big but always assess your capabilities realistically and keep in mind your weaknesses along with your strengths to achieve these goals. Do not aim to trek to the Himalayas in a month after joining a trekking club. This kind of unrealistic goal-setting will only make you feel like a failure and eventually, you will quit your goal. Like they say, Assess the strength of your legs before you decide to Run and win a race!

Get out of the Monotony

Routines make you more secure and efficient in your work but when it gets very tedious, perk up your schedule a little. Change the usual jogging route you take, take a trip by road, walk in a different park in some other locality, Hang out different pictures in your living room, try a different cuisine in a restaurant or talk to someone who is totally opposite to your way of thinking and has different goals in life. This kind of change not only breaks your monotony but also makes your mind a little more flexible and accepting towards different views of life.

Value yourself

Be kind to yourself and respect your life. Avoid negative-self talk at all cost and try to build a positive self-esteem by doing things that matter to you. If you do not love yourself you will not be able to appreciate anything around yourself. Make time to practice your hobbies, spend money on yourself, go to a Spa, upgrade your knowledge, read books, forgive others when they hurt you and more importantly forgive yourself for letting them hurt you.

Don’t do drugs

Alchohol, cigarettes, weed, heroin whatever level of drugs you do to get pleasure, just get rid of it. Try to get the stimulation that you need from something creative and pro-Life. Seek help if it is difficult for you to quit!

Get Help

When you feel that things are not manageable at your level, seek help! It is a sign of strength, a decision to change the things that are no longer working for you and move ahead in life. Your weaknesses become your limitations only when you choose not to work on them! An expert can help you see your old problems in an entirely new perspective based on the kind of Personality and unique situations you are in.