The state of our mental health impacts every area of our life. It’s important to maintain good mental health just as it is important to maintain your physical health because together, this duo moves you through life and helps you achieve your goals.
Poor mental health can lead to not only feelings of hopelessness and defeat, but it can also have a negative effect on your physical body.
In this article, you will learn simple ways to maintain good mental health which will, as a result, boost your productivity and overall life satisfaction.
Signs of poor mental health
Life presents many challenges. How one responds to those challenges can greatly determine the trajectory of their life.
Regardless of how much we try to control our situations, the body automatically responds to perceived threats with its own natural physiological response.
Due to trauma, chronic stress, and other environmental factors, mental health can begin to decline, especially when there are not enough practices in place to combat these negative effects.
Signs that your mental health may be declining include, feeling overwhelmed, irritable, and having low energy. With the stresses of everyday life, it can be difficult to take care of yourself.
Luckily by simply prioritizing your physical and emotional wellbeing, you can combat this and improve your mental health.
Physical Health Self-Care Habits
Since physical health plays a major role when it comes to maintaining your mental health, you have to address this aspect on a daily basis. Below are some main areas to consider.
1. Sleep
Sleep is crucial for overall health but especially when it comes to maintaining mental health. Without adequate sleep, the brain becomes overworked and cannot regulate the body’s natural functions as easily.
In addition, sleep deprivation increases anxiety and emotional reactivity. This occurs because sleep is what maintains cognitive function, processing of emotions, and cellular, muscular, and organ repair.
When the body hasn’t slept enough, the entire system is thrown off and puts more stress on the physical and mental health. Fortunately, there are many ways to regulate your sleep cycle and get a good night’s rest.
2. Nutrition
What you eat and how frequently is another important thing to keep in mind when maintaining good mental health.
Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and drinking clean water can tremendously improve your mental health by offering your body all of the vitamins and minerals it requires.
The brain primarily runs off of glucose, so eating fruits that are in season in the morning and throughout the day, will ensure that it has what it needs to function.
Focus on eating foods that are nutrient-dense, rich in omega-3s, and limit your consumption of processed sugar. You can also check out this article for the best foods to boost mental health.
Although it tastes divine, processed foods and sugars spike insulin and inflammation within the body.
Furthermore, since serotonin, also known as the feel-good hormone, is mainly produced in the gut, keeping the gut bacteria healthy will not only help you produce more serotonin but it will also improve your digestion and absorption of nutrients.
3. Exercise
Although it may be the last thing you want to add to your to-do list, prioritizing any type of movement will do wonders for your mental health.
Exercise can improve your mental health. It releases endorphins which have been shown to limit depression and anxiety. The best way to exercise consistently is to incorporate different types of movement into your day that you actually enjoy.
It can be as simple as a brisk walk, stretching session, or group cycling class. Anything that you do to move the body will release stagnant energy stored in the body and promote healthy bodily functions to improve your mood, concentration, and sense of accomplishment.
Emotional Health Self-Care Habits
Our emotions are complex and require a lot of patience to help navigate.
A good place to start when it comes to taking care of your emotional well-being is to take note of your triggers, what stresses you, but also what brings you joy.
By having a personal inventory of how different things affect your emotions, you can be an expert in self-regulation.
4. Prioritize yourself
Although it is tempting to want to help others before you help yourself, you have to fill up your own cup first. If you haven’t already established a self-care routine, try incorporating some of the healthy habits mentioned above into your day.
By taking care of yourself first, you can not only maintain good mental health, you actually can help others even more because you have more energy. Ask yourself “What do I need right now?”.
From this place, you can learn to properly take care of yourself and maintain good mental health. Affirmations and journaling can help give you clarity and increase your self-awareness.
5. Set boundaries
Oftentimes we can find ourselves drained and overwhelmed. Boundaries are a great way to define your limits and help create environments where you feel safe to express yourself and your needs.
Boundaries help maintain good mental health by clearly establishing what one can and cannot tolerate. They also increase feelings of self-love and self-respect because through standing up for yourself you are illustrating an act of kindness towards yourself and others.
Limits and boundaries can also be set with technology or negative self-talk as these may drain you of your energy and put you in a negative headspace.
6. Speak to a professional
While getting good sleep, eating enough leafy greens, and setting boundaries will drastically improve and sustain radiant mental health, it is also helpful to connect with a mental health professional.
Online therapy is a great option to help you navigate challenges and changes because it can be done anywhere.
Finding a therapist or coach is a great addition to your life that will keep you accountable and on track so that you can maintain good mental health despite what is occurring outside of your control.
Takeaway
If you ever find yourself struggling with your mental health, go back to the basics. These are usually the first things we ditch when we feel stressed, but they are essential to maintaining good mental health and a positive outlook on life.
Self-care habits such as getting a good night’s sleep, eating a variety of foods, and prioritizing yourself will ensure that you are equipped to tackle any of life’s challenges with resilience and courage.
Make a list of different ways you can make self-care a part of your daily routine and try your best to complete these tasks daily. Don’t get discouraged if you miss something or lack the energy to get it all done, just prioritize being kind to yourself, and maintaining good mental health will be a breeze!
