Your loved one, a colleague, or even yourself may have experienced it. Mental health disorders are not a taboo topic, but it’s often easier for people to fight this battle alone. Against depression, stress, apathy, anxiety and more, there is no one reliable cure, although some mental health startup will help with them.
But there are methods to help get rid of those pressures. Here are 11 ways to maintain your mental health.
1. Find your flow
Flow is the state where you bring your mind and body together, allowing them to dissolve into each other. If we practice something regularly, we can get into a state of immersion and stop feeling ourselves. There are many activities that can take us downstream, such as: running, meditation, art, or even typing. Once you get into the flow, it will feel like time has stopped and anxiety will disappear.
2. Will it make a difference?
When you’re worried about something, it’s easy to lose your head and your sanity, so ask yourself first: Will it matter in one week/month/year? And imagine in a certain amount of time, already out of this situation. Is your experience worth it?
3. Immerse yourself in nature
The Japanese use a concept called Forest Bathing, which involves spending more time in nature. A simple walk away from the city, where there are more trees, helps the body recover. Stress, anxiety, perspective, the big city, the constant checking of social media all make us very stressed. Disconnecting from everything and spending time in nature is what is truly good for our well-being.
4. Control your breathing
Very often we focus too much on what’s going on in our heads, so we get stressed and lose our composure, and this can lead to anxiety and panic. One way to interrupt this process is to concentrate on your breathing. Take deep breaths and try to pay attention to how you are breathing, stay calm before anxiety gets out of control and leads to a panic attack. Some of the factors that cause anxiety are shallow breathing and tightness in the chest, hunched shoulders, and general tension in the body.
5. Name Your Critic
Many people think we have one voice in our heads, but in fact most people have two. Two voices that constantly contradict each other. So give a name and personality to that voice that criticizes your actions and remember that it is in your power to challenge what it says.
6. Move more
Do regular stretching, strength training, cardio or brisk walking, all of which can also have a very big impact on mental health. Biologically, we are designed to move as hunter-gatherers, so when we spend all day at a desk, energy only goes to the head and brain, we lose touch with the body. Taking regular breaks for different activities will have a big impact on your overall health.
7. Communicate with others
Many people are reluctant to tell family and friends about their condition. But know that this is the easiest and most important thing on the road to getting rid of mental illness. There is no need to lie and pretend that everything is fine when it is not. There is a destructive side to being positive all the time. If you need to vent or cry, do it, otherwise it stays inside you. Being able to experience the full range of emotions is very important. Allow yourself to be sad, you can really get rid of the sadness faster that way.
8. Be helpful
Sometimes we get caught up in our own problems, so we lose the ability to help someone else with their struggles. And yet helping others despite our own condition releases endorphins that make us feel good. It can be something quite simple and easy for you, but difficult and very important for someone else.
9. Create, create
Take some time to connect your left and right hemispheres through creative activities. People get older and forget to just enjoy life, to play games as children. It is good to spend time on art, music, singing, dancing, design, construction, cooking, or creating jewelry. Heal by expressing yourself in creativity.
10. Work on the quality of your sleep
Lack of good sleep is the foundation of stress and anxiety. Everything is connected. It’s important to get in the habit of going to bed and waking up at a certain time. Turning off electronic devices an hour before bedtime is great for reducing stress levels. Reading or meditating before bedtime also helps.
11. Feel grateful
Finally, take a moment to be grateful for the little things. It’s easy to lose joy and happiness by focusing on all the problems and negatives. Ask yourself, what are you grateful for? There are more good things in your life than there are bad and sad things, just look at the bigger picture.
