We’re more open try to take care of our mental health than ever before, and that’s a positive thing. However, being self-aware and willing to share is only the first step in achieving a degree of mental equilibrium.
When you’re trying to avoid the easy escape of drugs or alcohol, it’s vital to substitute healthy and more fulfilling activities for those old habits. In this article, we’ll run down ten of the most tried and tested methods for feeling healthier, happier, and more balanced.
Talk it out
Spending quality time with friends immeasurably improves your well-being. Focus on those friendships where both parties talk and listen equally. Share your innermost feelings with those you can trust, and with the friends whose opinions you respect. They won’t always have the answers, and that’s not really the point. You may find peace of mind simply by voicing the issues that are troubling you.
Get out in nature
A 2019 study revealed that spending two hours in nature per week significantly improved the well-being of nearly 20,000 participants. It’s something that most of us
instinctively appreciate, whether it’s a hike through the mountains or a half hour spent in the local park. Feeling a part of nature, breathing oxygenated air, and escaping the hubbub of urban living for a short while, bring undeniable benefits.
Eat a more balanced diet
Another thing we all know, but seldom apply, is how eating healthily can make us feel better. One definitive happiness hack is exchanging the short-term buzz of snacking on
sugary or salty treats for the longer-term benefit of having more energy and vitality. We needn’t be extreme and remove all the fun from our diets. However, making a conscious effort to eat more greens, and limit sugar and saturated fat, while balancing your nutritional intake, brings speedy improvement to physical and mental well-being.
Focus on sleep hygiene
As Matthew Walker says in his seminal book, Why We Sleep, “Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day–Mother Nature’s best effort yet at contra-death.”
The keys to improved sleep which renews and invigorates, are: regularity, sufficiency, and forming good nocturnal habits. Keep the bedroom dark and cool and avoid blue light exposure (such as smartphone screens that mimic the stimulating effects of daylight).
Exercise a little and often helps to take care of your mental health
The CDC recommends 150 minutes of light to moderate activity each week, plus two activities that strengthen muscles. Although this may seem like a lot, when broken down into a daily portion, it’s a little over 20 minutes.
By occasionally walking to work, or going for a swim, you can easily hit this total. And yes, cleaning and household chores count too!
Stay hydrated
When we are properly hydrated, our physical and mental well-being is improved in several ways. Better body temperature, slower heart rate, an improved immune system, and better-protected joints are just a few of the benefits of drinking sufficient water.
Current recommendations are 91 ounces (4.5 pints) for a woman and 125 ounces (6.25 pints) for a man per day on average. This can include water from soft drinks, salads, fruit, and even tea and coffee too (but avoid excess caffeine).
Minimize screen time
Both for its anxiety-inducing content, and its sleep-depriving qualities, screen time is best reduced to bite-sized chunks prior to bedtime. Social media has been shown to be particularly arousing since its algorithms are predicated upon emotional triggers and our natural tendency to compare ourselves unfavorably with others. Some writers, such as Jonathan Haidt, think this is rapidly becoming a societal crisis.
Set realistic goals
When we try to be more productive, it can be all too easy to write lengthy to-do lists and construct impossibly busy calendars. When we do this, we set ourselves up for failure, guilt, and procrastination. Instead, set one or two small but important goals per day, and make sure they are achieved. It’s also important to accept that life will always intrude upon our best-laid plans, so we need to forgive ourselves when it’s not always possible to hit those goals.
Offer a helping hand
Helping others can be a massively therapeutic activity, whether it’s volunteering for an hour or two each week or assisting a friend with an onerous task. By doing so, we share empathetic time with our fellow humans and we take time off from obsessing over our own problems.
Meditation helps to take care of your mental health
Much stress is caused by disordered and pervasive thought patterns. When we practice mindfulness or meditation, we actively quell the jumble of unhelpful thoughts. We learn to simply observe our mental states and let them pass.
There are now a host of apps that can assist with meditation, including such bestsellers Calm and Waking Up.
Still Detox offers holistic approach of healing for anyone seeking clarity of mind.
