“Nobody can save you but yourself, and you’re worth saving. It’s a war not easily won, but if anything is worth winning then this is it.” ~Charles Bukowski
There are thousands of articles on the internet on how to improve your mental health, but many do not hit the nail on the head. They do not teach the readers important tips about how they can improve their mental health. Before we proceed further my dear illuminators I’ll love to ask you some deep questions:
- On a scale of 1-10, how good is your mental health?
- Do you consciously make efforts to protect your mind?
- What are you holding on to that is detrimental to your mental health?
- What have you been clinging to that is subtly asking to be released?
- Are you validating your feelings and emotions?
- What are you feeling right now?
- How is this emotion serving you?
- What is your energy level right now?
What exactly can you say after attempting these questions? Is your mental health efficient?
I know a whole lot is going on around the world right now. Tons of negative stories have taken over the internet and they probably are starting to get to you. But you have to protect yourself. There is so much unrest and chaos brewing around and cultivating the right mental habits have never been more important.
And it is so sad that a lot of people rarely pay attention to their mental health. They practice self-awareness on almost every other aspect of their lives but treat their mental health with a pinch of salt.
This is not good. The importance of your mental health cannot be overemphasized. Your mental health is as important as every other facet of your life and if you do not pay attention to its needs, without doubts, you are going to fail in other actions.
Most of the successful people we admire today are people who do not joke with the status of their mental health. They’d waste no time in cutting you off if you prove to be harmful to their mental space. This is how everyone should live. You should prioritize your mental health so much; you give no room for negativity at all.
Now, the big question is, how do you improve your mental health? Are there habits you can cultivate to aid the growth of your mental health? In this article, I will be giving you good mental health tips on some habits you need to improve your mental health.
These habits have been carefully selected to help you grow in all ramifications. So, roll up your sleeves, we’ve got work to do!
Quickly, what is good mental health? It’s simple. Having good mental health means being able to feel positive about oneself and others.
Good mental health helps you form a good relationship and have the resilience to overcome challenges. It could also mean being able to stabilize your emotional wellness and well-being.
1. Develop A Good Opinion Of Yourself
Before we proceed, I want you to repeat this to yourself; I am worthy and deserving of self-admiration. I have come a long way in my healing, my growth shifts and triumphs are proof that If I have the ability to break, I have the power to mend. I am resilient. Unlearning is teaching me so much about becoming my best and highest self.
This is key in knowing how to be mentally healthy and happy. Your mental health is tied to your mindset. How do you view yourself? Personally, I believe that the way you view yourself is the way the people around you will view you. Why? People observe before acting. They might not always show that they are observing but they do.
And so, when they see that you give room for disrespect, they take advantage of that. Asides the fact that people observe, you also have a role to play in your mental health by the opinions you have of yourself. If you constantly view yourself from the lenses of negativity, reduction or comparison you will never have good mental health.
Do not let what you are going through at the moment bring you down. Learn to always see the positive side of things and ignore negativities. You are not living in ignorance by doing this, rather, you are just protecting your mental health.
Action plan: Go to page 70 of The Life Compass Workbook and fill the lines with an opinion of how you view yourself. Ensure that you are consciously seeing yourself from a positive perspective. Be deliberate about telling yourself positive things. Do it now!
2. Quiet Your Mind
There is so much chaos brewing around the world that it is extremely mandatory to watch the thoughts that you preserve in your mind it’s so easy to get caught up in negativity and lose track of yourself or get confused by the several voices, limitations, obstacles and challenges hovering around.
Quieting your mind can be done in several ways, it could be you journaling out your frustration, meditating, expressing gratitude, reflecting, brain dumping and easing your spirit.
If you’re an avid reader of my blog you’ll know the importance of journaling; the several practices of journaling have saved me from the darkest moment of life and enabled me take full control of my life.
The act of releasing your emotions and untangling your thoughts on paper is really therapeutic, each scratch on paper draws you closer to serenity and this is something we should practice more often for mental stability and improvement.
You don’t have to spend hours journaling there are several journals that have been perfectly created to soothe up your preference as an individual and enable you to invest in your mental health.
A go-to journal is our very own Life Compass Journal. The self-expansive, liberating and improvement exercises, prompts and questions combined in the Life Compass Journal will enable you to build up your mental health to a strong level, and you can achieve the same today!
Quieting your mind is a vital key to the stability of your mental health. As you progress in your journey to knowing how to improve your mental health, it is very important that you are able to strike a balance with your thoughts, challenges, obstacles, limitations and failures that you do not lose track of yourself.
3. Exercise Regularly
Regularly exercising is a great way of stabilizing your mental health. To achieve this, you are advised to have an exercise routine. I do my exercises in the morning so I can stay active and lively all day. You might decide to do your exercises at night, what really matters is that you are having your exercises regularly.
Regular exercises also have health benefits. They help keep the body and mind in shape. I have a lot of articles on how to spice up your exercise routines.
For instance, you could introduce a song to get your vibes together. Just do whatever you can, to ensure that you are consistent with your exercises. Summarily, exercising regularly is very key to achieve the full steps on how to improve your mental health.
4. Learn How To Manage Stress
Trust me, I know what the definition of stress is. In fact, for a long time, I did entertain stress in my life with a lot of things clogging my mind and body. Here’s one tip I always give anyone who asks me for guides on how to manage stress.
First, you have to realize that you are not a robot! Only robots work tirelessly. With the way our bodies are built, you are definitely going to face a lot of stress if you do not know this. As an advice, you should always do the best you can and leave the rest.
You are not a machine. Study your body and know your limits. The moment you realize that you are doing way too much or that you are already getting tired, feel free to stop what you are doing at that moment and get some rest. It is best for your mental health.
I have studied myself, the moment I get on my laptop and start working, I lookout for the slightest signs for fatigue. The sign could come as nausea, or as a headache. And as soon as I see this sign, I take a pause, a nap or break with whatever I am doing at that moment and tend to myself and this has drastically reduced my stress levels. I prioritize my mental health over my work. And as an advice, you should too. Feel free to take that break.
5. Find Your Work-Life Balance
This can be a very challenging task because for some people their work is literally their lives and their life is literally their work and striking a balance can be enormously challenging I was on this board for a long time and I still fall out of line in finding my work-life balance.
These are two important areas of your wellbeing. Your work life should differ from your normal life even if they are extremely connected. You should learn to strike a balance. I understand you have to work and push harder for more but know when to call it off, do not give in to the stride of dedication, commitment and success at the expense of your mental health.
For me, work stops at my working area and my normal life stops when work commences. At work, sometimes, I can go the extra mile to get things done, but out of I draw the line. You should know what your body can take and what it can’t.
Finding your work-life balance means knowing what and what not to do when it comes to both. I draw a line for both. I have my limits for both. Sometimes, this comes off as me evading my responsibilities but honestly, it is just me trying to strike a balance between the two important facets and taking care of my mental health.
6. Get Enough Sleep
I cannot stress this enough. GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Your body and mind need to rest. You are harming your mental health by not having enough sleep. I feel like I am literally talking to myself with this point.
I am a nightcrawler and most of my creative juice flow so well at night so for me, it’s a hassle getting enough sleep but this is something I have been making serious adjustments to by waking up a late and I do not feel guilty for making such adjustments because my mental health and stability is extremely important.
Learn to know when to shut down and sleep. Your body and mind get refreshed and recharged when you sleep properly. Sleep is as important to your health as eating, drinking and breathing. Sleep avails your body the opportunity to repair itself and your brain the opportunity to process information.
Health researchers have revealed that your mental health is largely linked to the amount of sleep you get. So, if you want to take care of your mental health, you must ensure that you get enough sleep.
7. Develop Relationships
This is another important thing you cannot ignore in your journey to learning how to improve your mental health. Who are the people in your circle? Your circle matters a lot in determining how good your mental health is.
Ensure that you surround yourself with people who groom your positive emotions. Having beautiful friendships and relationships is therapeutic. You get to enjoy awesome conversations and engagements. However, do not hesitate to cut off any relationships that might seem harmful.
Also, never feel burdened to be in a relationship you are not feeling. You are not a toy; you are a human with feelings and such feelings should be respected.
8. Have Fun
Want to know one of the fastest things you can do in improving your mental health? Have fun. Having fun can be tough, and I say this because I’m quite introverted. I get very shy when it comes to going out. But I’ve figured that doing that for a long time can lead to boredom which can affect my overall mental health.
So, I have decided to change a few things in my life. I go out regularly now. I pay visits to old friends. I attend parties and other kinds of lively events I used to ditch. You should do this too. Go out there and have fun! Visit amusement parks, go out with friends to a hangout, visit zoos, just ensure that you are not living a boring life.
I must state, however, that having fun is not only limited to going to parties or events. You could be in the comfort of your home and have amazing fun. Whatever works for you!
9. Get Help If You Need It
One of the most underrated things about knowing how to improve your mental health is speaking out. Speak out when you feel you can’t handle certain things. Do not overburden yourself with things you feel are beyond your power.
Personally, I feel vulnerable when I ask for help. But then I have concluded that it is inevitable! You cannot do everything all by yourself. If you feel like your work or relationships are becoming burdensome reach out to someone, delegate responsibility.
Let people know how you feel and give them the opportunity to help if they can. You are doing yourself no good, mentally, by not giving people the chance to help.
Some people care and would help you with your tasks in a heartbeat. All you need to do is open your heart to their help. Besides, getting help is more of an advantage to you than it is a disadvantage, right?
And if you need anyone to talk to or assist you can send me a message on Instagram and I will be sure to help in any possible way I can. Feel free to share whatever struggles you are having when it comes to your self improvement journey or taking charge of your life, I am just a click away!
10. Set Boundaries
Lastly, you need to master the art of setting boundaries. Setting boundaries give room for respect and helps you easily filter disrespect. There’s a faux belief that setting boundaries is being selfish. No! You are not being selfish by setting boundaries. You are just making known, the things you will not allow into your life.
So, if you prioritize your mental health, ensure that you set boundaries. As a matter of fact, this is one of the things you have to know if you want to learn how to improve your emotional health.
So, there you have it! Great tips on how to improve your mental health. Your mental health should always be prioritized and with these tips. You are the only one responsible for your mental health. Set boundaries if need be; cut people off if need be. What matters is that you are paying attention to the stability of your mind.
I’d like to know your thoughts in the comment section. What are you doing to protect your mental health? Have you ever taken any step to protect your mental health in the past? Feel free to drop your stories in the comment section. I’d be more than glad to read them.
FOR YOU:
Hello there! Thank you for reading this article today! I’d like to congratulate you on taking the first step towards stabilizing your mental health. Remember, prioritizing your mental health is your sole responsibility. You have no one else to blame but you if you are not taking care of yourself mentally.
