Everyone hurts. This is not shocking news. But what surprises many people is that everyone’s hurt is unique. We live in a society which can sometimes talk over people’s exclamations of pain. There’s always someone who has it worse than you, so you’re not allowed to complain.
And indeed, there is much and more that the human spirit can triumph over just by willpower alone. However, not all struggles can be won so simply. There are certain pains, some obvious and some subtle, that you need to address directly. These are mental health problems.
The big issue you will face when trying to take care of your mental health is that you have to take care of it at the same time you have to live a modern life. So, we are going to go over the top 10 ways to handle your mental health in both your personal and professional life.
1. Get Good Exercise
Anyone struggling with depression or PTSD is rolling their eyes right now. The reason is that “get more exercise” is easily the most common unsolicited advice given to people dealing with mental illness. However, as trite as it can sound, it does have a sound basis in science.
Exercise helps the body process stress chemicals and release the chemicals associated with happiness. It will never make you elated, but it will help you out of a slump.
2. Keep Track of Your Thinking
The way you think is just as much of a habit as the way you spend your time. If you spend all day on the couch, you will be less athletic. If you spend all day thinking negative thoughts, your mentality will suffer. There are times when negative thoughts can’t be avoided. But if you don’t make an active effort to assert control over your thinking, it will control you.
3. Reject Certain Thoughts and Feelings
The terrible truth of living with a human brain is that sometimes, no matter how much you monitor your thinking, you will have an idea pop into your head that you know is wrong.
What is the best response? Reject that thought. It is totally your right to look at your own thoughts and say, “These aren’t mine. I disown these.” Not only can you do this, but you should, as it is a great way of filtering out thoughts that are hurtful to yourself and others.
4. Get to Know Yourself
It doesn’t matter how you do it. Whether it is talking to yourself, journaling, or just being introspective with a friend. The better you get to know yourself, the better you will be able to treat yourself. This is a good way to release stress, as well as a great preventative measure.
If you know yourself well, you can anticipate your own reactions to stress.
5. Gratitude Journal
You will find this improves your mood and your mental health even if you only do it once. Gratitude journaling is the process of writing down things you are thankful for. Or at least, that’s how it starts. What people often find is that it evolves into a positive mindset overtime.
Focusing on mentally thanking the world for what it gives you will result in you noticing just how much good is in the world, which will help with depression, anxiety, and obsessive thought.
6. Take a Longer Break
Imagine that you work at an assembly line. It is a grueling job where no one is allowed to slow down, or else the whole system is at risk of failure. The law says that you get one break every two hours, and that it must be at least 15 minutes. Naturally, it is only 15 minutes.
Except that no company can track their employees’ break times that carefully. If you are being worked to exhaustion, then find an opportunity to steal one, two, or even five minutes of extra breaktime. This extra break can make a big difference in a high-stress environment.
7. Consider Your Relationships
We are never going to tell you which relationships to keep and which to throw away. We will say, however, that one of the most important social skills a person can have is walking away when things become hurtful to them. It’s never too late to reorganize your social circle.
8. Write Down Your Resources
Part of the reason a lot of people feel like they’re falling apart is because they are not using their resources. Whether it’s a therapist in your health insurance network, a family member who can listen to you, or a friend that is more than willing to spend time with you. Figure out what you have access to and make a plan to engage with that resource.
9. Clean!
Similar to exercise, this can feel like advice people give when they don’t know anything about mental health. And also like exercise, just because people don’t know why it works, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Cleaning can be a great way of getting out of your head.
Taking care of your mental health is about making sure that all the little annoyances in life don’t add up. A dirty living environment is exactly the kind of little annoyance you want to solve.
10. Make a Three-, Six-, and Twelve-Month Plan
No one actually knows where they will be in five years. But don’t worry about that. Knowing where you will be is not nearly as important as knowing how you will be—whether you are scared or brave, happy or sad, overflowing with strength or withering away.
Take stock of what is bringing you down and plan to get rid of it. Recognize what builds you up and cultivate it.
Conclusion
None of these things is going to “cure” mental health issues by themselves. When it comes to taking care of yourself, you are not looking for a decisive battle, but a war of attrition.
If you need help fighting that war, contact us here: https://newwatersrecovery.com/
Article Submitted By Community Writer
