Mental health is not all about whether you are happy or sad. It encompasses your feelings, thoughts, self-esteem and stress coping skills. You will find yourself at times being on top of the world and other times you will also feel down. Both are natural moments in human life. The important thing is that you understand when you can make a change that makes you feel great and when you are overwhelmed and need help.
Being honest with yourself and listening to your inner voice helps to begin to realize what makes the biggest impact on your mental state. It may be work, relationships, finances, or your self-image physically. Here are some of the ways to keep your mental health in check.
Creating Self-Awareness
Stress is a natural part of life, but excessive stress can harm your mind. Self-awareness is the first process in the journey of mental health. What this entails is being mindful of how you feel, what you think, and what you do. By way of example, you may discover that your anxiety level increases after overusing social media. Or you are happier once you start exercising regularly. For some, the mind can be soothed through deep breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga.
Maintain a basic journal in which you can record how you feel every day and what you did that day to make you feel that way. With some time, you will begin noticing patterns. This will allow you to know what is benefiting your mental health and what may be aggravating it.
Healthy Habits
What you do in your day-to-day life is quite significant to your mind. Even 20 minutes per day spent doing exercise can make a person cheerful and de-stressed. The consumption of balanced meals provides the brain with nutrients, which facilitate its healthy performance. Sleep also enables your mind to be recharged after a day. Attempt to curb such bad behaviors as overeating, smoking, or overdrinking. Instead, change them with activities that make you relaxed, such as reading, walking, cooking and listening to music.
Caring and Appreciating Your Looks
A large population tends to have low self-esteem because some of them are not entirely content with their body features. One should learn to love oneself and accept oneself as one is. It is also alright to change some features of your body appearance, should you find that there is something about the way you look that is going to pull you down. There is nothing to be ashamed of if there are certain aspects of how you look that you may consider changing. Mostly it may have something to do with your face, such as the nose, eyes, lips and dentals.
For instance, when your teeth are damaged or broken, or when you lack them or they are cramped, this may have some impact on your confidence. Thus, it affects the way you communicate with the people around you. Professional intervention, such as the use of dental implants, can go a long way in such cases. Growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, I remember the day I cracked my two front teeth in a fall. I had my dental implants done here since I had an appointment the following day. They not only gave me back a confident smile but also made it easy to talk and enjoy my favorite foods again.
These types of body enhancements can provide you with a dose of confidence that gives an overall boost to mental well-being. It cannot be said that they are aimed at attaining perfection, because it is about being comfortable in yourself.
Finding a Support System
Tackling your mental health issue doesn’t have to be an isolated journey. Even a good friend, family, or even a professional counselor may be of enormous benefit. Find these people and surround yourself with those who do not judge you but tell you that you can be your best. If you’re feeling low, do not hesitate to seek help. Sharing your problems with someone could leave you feeling relieved and give you a new insight into the matter.
Sometimes, you will require professional assistance in the process of traversing your mental health experience. Such professionals as therapists, counselors, and psychologists will be trained to help you understand your thoughts and feelings. They are capable of educating you on coping and they can take you through the bad times. It is important to know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.
Celebrate Your Progress
Your story of mental health can not be over in a day and sometimes it can be slow. However, you should celebrate each small step of improvement you get. Perhaps you have begun talking to yourself much nicer, you have started going to the gym, or you have finally done something about a lifelong insecurity. Appreciate and celebrate those victories and be proud of yourself. By encouraging yourself in this way, you will get the strength to continue even on tough days.