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When discussing mental health, people often think it is this abstract ungraspable thing.
To be fair, people can only guess what the mind is or where it is generated.
The good news, however, is, there are many things we can do and habits we can implement on a daily basis to improve our mental health.
The following list may be obvious to some, but others may have zero ideas where to start or struggle to implement these in their typical everyday.
At the beginning of my journey, I have struggled because some of these habits didn’t give me immediate gratification.
But as time went on I soon saw the positive effects those habits have. They became tools that helped me to increase my mental well-being significantly.
Disclaimer: This list does not claim completeness and there are more things you can do and habits you can implement to improve your mental health. Nonetheless, the following habits are a good place to start.
2nd Disclaimer: The following habits should not be a way to avoid your inner experience. I will talk more about this in the last point.
1. Keep Away From Toxic People
If you don’t have a high degree of awareness, a toxic person can infect you in ways you cannot imagine.
And if you surround yourself with negativity, you can quickly become a source of negativity yourself.
A good way to recognize who could be toxic in your own life is to check in with yourself after spending time with them – do you feel drained? Emotionally exhausted or negative? Or are you feeling uplifted and positive?
When I say a ‘toxic person’ generally they have a range of unfavorable traits.
In my experience toxicity comes in the form of complaining a lot, judgment of others, pushing responsibility away, and possessing a negative or pessimistic outlook on life.
This does not mean making other people responsible for your mental health. They are not. It means being more aware of which relationships you want to have in your life.
Yet, the ultimate goal is to make your mental well-being independent of others. This sounds harsh but think about it.
Wouldn’t you like to feel good regardless of what others think or say about you? Could you not enjoy the company of others a lot more if you were not so attached to their opinions? Isn’t that what freedom really is?
So, when a friend is having a hard time and just needs someone to talk to, don’t push them away. Be a friend. Listen intently. Everybody has hard times, you will too but my hope is these tools will help create an easier pathway through your challenges.
Don’t fall into the trap of toxic positivity.
What I mean by that is that when you are practicing to stay away from toxicity it is tempting to label every negative emotion, person, or event toxic and to avoid these completely.
Life is not only good and positive. There are “bad” people, there is war and you should be aware of that.
Still, don’t make negativity your main point of focus. By focusing on negativity, you are attracting more negativity.
Don’t deny where you are at in your life but keep your focus on the positive things.
2. Stay Grateful
No matter where you are in life, or what is happening, be aware you are not the only person struggling and your situation is potentially very privileged. It keeps perspective.
Also, keep in mind a low is always be followed by a high.
Moreover, it’s easy to take things for granted when you are in abundance.
When you are healthy you rarely think about how healthy you are, but as soon as you are sick, the only thing you can think about is how nice it would be to be healthy.
“A healthy beggar is happier than a sick king.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
Are you ever grateful that you are healthy, have air to breathe, food to eat, clean water to drink, a safe place you can call home?
If not, be grateful.
Seriously, do it right now, think about the everyday things you take for granted and be thankful.
Practice being grateful for the smallest positive things throughout your day.
It’s incredible the shift in mindset this can promote and appreciative feelings it can generate which will aid you in your overall well-being.
3. Make Time for Things You Love
Something that may be hard to do, but this is so important.
Do you love playing the guitar or have a hobby you never get time for? Are you feeling like you wish to spend more time with your significant other or sibling? Why not try and make it a priority.
It’s easy to get caught up in doing only “necessary” or “productive” things as we strive towards an ever more efficient lifestyle.
I’m absolutely guilty of forcing myself at times to do only things that, I think, benefit me in the long run and neglect doing activities just for the sake of doing and enjoying them.
Having goals is good and an essential component of your well-being.
But not acting on an ulterior motive and doing things you genuinely enjoy gives you a sense of satisfaction and joy.
This will not only improve your mental health but increase your ability to become present in the moment.
Pick up a hobby you haven’t done in a while or find a new activity you might like and do it for the sake of it.
4. Sleep
If you’ve ever had bad nights of sleep, you know just how it can just cripple your mood and functioning.
Try to have a regular sleeping habit, go to bed at the same time every night and get those 7-8 hours of sweet slumber in.
Some people might need a little less, some a little more sleep – listen to your body.
Your body releases 80% of your daily growth hormones in the last few cycles of your nights’ sleep. That alone shows just how important it is to be in tune with your own need when it comes to resting your body properly.
Additionally, a cool room and avoiding displays before going to bed can improve your sleep quality.
Sleeping well helps you stay well mentally.
5. Examine How You Think
What’s your automatic response to events, people, or situations – is it positive or negative?
Try to examine how you approach the world and challenge yourself to see the potential rather than the downsides, even in tough situations.
Don’t put yourself in a victim position. You can’t always control your environment, but you can control your reaction to your environment.
Over time, it becomes a natural reaction to see the positive side of any given situation.
Moreover, you will discover that a positive mindset attracts a positive environment and a positive life will inevitably lead to better well-being in all areas of life.
6. Get Active
You don’t have to be a Bodybuilder or an Ironman, but you should move your body every day – take a walk, hike, run, stroll the city, bike, or hit the gym if you want.
A combination of different physical activities is the best way to stay active; some hard work mixed in with some fun.
Your workouts will be diversified, and you won’t get bored with one type of training. This again will look different for everyone. Think about what you enjoy the most, and work it into your week.
Doing muscle training will increase your muscle mass, your strength, and helps your joints cope with the stresses of everyday living.
The confidence boost you will feel is a positive bonus that will assist in improving your day-to-day well-being and mental state.
Do some cardio to strengthen your heart and increase your endurance – get creative and come up with your own workout to suit you.
Stretch or do Yoga to keep your body flexible. Stretching can reduce the physical tension in your body and reduced physical tension leads to reduced mental tension.
Experiencing a lot of stress can often be directly linked to physical tension (tightened muscles) and vice versa.
Ultimately, show your body that it is needed.
Bonus points: be present in your workout and don’t bring your phone.
7. Make Time for Friends
Make time to socialize with friends, get out of the house, and make it a priority.
Laughing and hanging out around like-minded people and getting out of your headspace is important.
I know that it’s hard sometimes to go out and meet with friends, especially when you are exhausted from work or have a bad day.
But my personal experience has shown me that you can really benefit from social interactions with friends, particularly the days when you don’t feel like it.
You don’t have to go out every day, everybody is different. Some people are more on the introverted side, some are more on the extroverted side and that’s alright.
But make it a habit to meet a friend regularly.
Not only are you going to feel better, but your friends will probably also be happy to see you.
8. Do Things for Others
Helping others helps you, it is another endorphin-releasing activity that can make you feel great.
I bet you know the feeling when you have done something nice for a person and they are really happy and grateful in return.
And you don’t have to solve world hunger either.
Choose whatever options you may have to do something for others.
It might be helping out at a soup kitchen once a month, walking dogs at your local humane society, helping your sister with her homework, or assisting an elderly neighbor mow their lawn or get groceries.
And don’t worry about your action being selfless or not. Almost everything we do is selfish.
Someone giving to charity is most of the time doing it either to feel good or to avoid feeling bad. The trick is being aware of it.
Being aware of your selfishness reduces the power of your selfishness as you no longer deny that part inside you.
And if your selfishness makes you and other people happy I don’t see a problem with that.
9. See Food as Fuel
If you power your body with terrible things, chances are high it’s going to feel terrible in return. Everybody knows the phrase:
You are what you eat.
And if you eat unhealthy foods most of the time, you’re probably going to feel unhealthy most of the time.
The stomach has more to say to the brain than vice versa.
Studies have shown that for some people with depression it is enough to adopt a healthier diet to relieve them from their depressive symptoms. That’s no surprise considering the fact that our stomach consists of 100-200 million neurons.
If you have depression or experience depressive symptoms frequently, take a look at your diet and start taking small steps towards making improvements. Your diet can play an important role in your mental health.
Try to limit processed foods, sugar, dairy, and fried foods, and stick with healthier options when you can.
It helps your brain, your mood, and your attention span.
10. Feel Your Emotions
This is the most important advice on mental health. Feel your emotions.
The previous tools are all great to improve your mental health but if you want to transform your self you have to allow yourself to feel whatever wants to be felt.
Hence, the previous points should not be a way to avoid your emotions. They are a way to enhance your life experience.
But feeling your emotions is a way to progressively free yourself from negative emotions.
Negative emotions are often so overwhelming because we suppressed a great deal of them. Meaning there is a lot of pent-up emotional energy that wants to be released.
So, every time you experience a negative emotion, be as aware of it as you can be. Feel the sensations in your body, observe what’s going on. You will see that soon the intensity will dissipate and the emotion will subside.
This is the essence of letting go. If you want to read more about how to let go, click here.
Luka
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This is an excellent and simple outline for improving one’s mental health. I would challenge anyone to record like a 2-10 minute video of themselves describing their lives before trying these habits, try them for 7 days straight, do another video and compare the two recordings. However, if anyone has found themselves perpetually ’stuck’ in a mode of apathy I can only advise what I’ve done; get upset enough about the torments of any apathetic lifestyles. Maybe firstly, feel and accept love of and for yourself. That’s actually a huge part of getting out of ‘stuck-ness.’ Always love yourself. Then,… Read more »