Mental Health Through Self-Care
- Arjun Sheth
- May 24, 2021
- 4 min read
Mental Health issues currently plague the world and these issues have been heightened by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental Health is something that should never be ignored and is often the one aspect of health that helps improve your body, and spirit in the process.
There are several ways to aid your mental health and certain practices can help improve your mental health and even assist in combating certain mental health issues. The most common mental health issues affecting millions of people worldwide are anxiety disorders, behavioral and emotional disorders, depression, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and paranoia to name a few (according to nhs.org). These issues can have extreme effects on a person’s health and well-being and can often lead to deeper underlying issues.
So, combating your mental health issues should be of great importance. While there are several different ways to get help for these mental health issues, it should be noted that several of them will require external help, and this is often the first step in dealing with these kinds of issues. So, here are a few self-care practices that can help improve your mental health and hopefully, curve the effects of these common issues.
Know Yourself
The first important act of self-care when it comes to mental health is simply awareness. Knowing yourself and what is currently affecting you is the first step towards helping yourself. Whether it is from simply meditating and understanding the difficulties you face in life or if it is finding external help, knowing yourself is the best way to understand your next steps and is a great way to know what your mind and body needs in the future.
Sleep Well
Sleep is oftentimes a great cure to many problems we face. Your mind needs rest and when it comes to dealing with issues such as anxiety and stress, sleep is simply hard to come by. The simple fact is that without sleep, a lot of mental health issues become more prevalent, and this can lead to further issues as you try to deal with these issues. Getting enough sleep can reset your mind and help you think clearly and tackle tasks more productively, and this can also help you deal with any issues that you may be facing.
Surround Yourself With Loved Ones
One of the best ways to deal with mental health issues is to simply surround yourself with those that are closest to you. These people can help calm your mind and bring you to peace, both of which are important ways of dealing with issues like anxiety and depression. Moreover, your friends and family can often help you out in such situations. Surrounding yourself with people who care about you is a great reminder that you are not alone and that you always have someone you can depend on.
Reflect
As stated above, a great way to deal with mental health issues is to understand what affects us. One great way to do this is to reflect on our day and try to remember all the positive things that happened. By holding on to good things in a day, we can move one step closer towards getting better at relieving ourselves of mental health issues. Reflection can also teach us the best ways to deal with our problems and can help form positive habits that instill practices to heal us mentally and physically.
Exercise
Mental health is strongly connected to the health of the body and spirit. So, to stay in peak mental health and combat mental health issues, it is imperative to remain healthy in the other areas of life. Exercise releases certain chemicals in our brains that trigger happiness and positivity. Moreover, it bolsters the image we have for ourselves and often makes us more confident and outgoing. By exercising daily, we also get some time to ourselves where we can reflect on the day, and in a way, this can be treated as a form of meditation.
Eat Healthily
Eating healthy can boost your mental positivity. According to Aetna, eating healthy promotes the growth of certain “good bacteria” that can boost the release of chemicals in your brain that are responsible for emotions such as happiness and peace. This, along with the fact that eating healthy is a great way to remain physically fit and bolster your self-image, is why what you eat has such a great impact on your mental well-being.
Contact a specialist
Of course, mental health issues are never easy to deal with, and seeking help is something that should never be discouraged. Seeking help is nothing that people should be ashamed about, in fact, many of the mentioned mental health issues are better solved after seeking out professional help and by seeing a trained professional you can get a better idea of the problems that may be related to your mental health issues.
Mental Health is arguably the most important part of any person’s life and as we begin to understand more about the various mental health issues, we are better able to educate ourselves in terms of self-care routines. If you are experiencing any mental health issues and you are unsure of what your next step should be, always get in contact with a professional who is trained in understanding the effects that these issues can have. They can adequately guide you towards the next steps you should take and can assist you in developing a self-care routine you can follow to better yourself.
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