We’ve all heard the adage “we eat with our eyes”, but this concept applies not only to food but also to mental health.
When we feel unwell, we often turn away from social interactions because we’re uncomfortable being around others. This makes us feel worse than feeling well since we won’t be able to share our experience, talk about it, or ask others for help.
To avoid this type of isolation, try these tips when you’re feeling stressed, anxious or depressed:
• Spend time alone. Go for walks, meditate, journal, call a friend or family member, play music, read, watch movies, or paint (if you’re artistic). These activities can help reduce stress and anxiety and give you a break from the hustle and bustle of life.
• Make plans for later. Instead of ignoring your problems, write them down on paper and plan ways to solve them. Write out possible solutions or come up with an actionable plan.
• Seek professional support. Talk to your doctor, therapist, clergy person, or any number of professionals who specialize in treating mental illness. They can offer valuable insight into your situation, help you find resources, and may even recommend medication if necessary. There are literally hundreds of counselors and therapists available online who specialize in helping individuals deal with emotional disorders. If you need immediate assistance, contact a crisis line.
• Do some exercise. Exercise is proven to boost mood and energy levels. Try walking, running, swimming, cycling, dancing, gardening, martial arts, yoga, tai chi, weight lifting, playing sports, or participating in a sport you’ve always wanted to learn. Whatever activity you decide to pick, stay consistent with it regularly for maximum benefit.
All of these tips can go a long way towards improving your mental health. So keep yourself healthy and strong, and remember to take care of yourself!
Caring for Your Mental Health
Mental health encompasses many different aspects of our lives. When it comes to mental health, there are three main areas: emotional, psychological, and physical. Emotional health involves being able to cope with stress and anxiety, manage emotions effectively, deal with difficult situations, and learn ways to improve relationships. Psychological health refers to thinking skills such as learning coping strategies, problem solving, decision making, and critical thinking. Physical health relates to eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, managing pain, and staying active.
Self-care plays a big part in keeping us mentally healthy. For example, taking breaks during stressful times helps reduce tension and stress levels. Practicing mindfulness, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, journaling, and listening to music can help calm the mind and relax muscles. Other self-care activities include enjoying hobbies, spending time with friends and family, and participating in volunteer work.
Mental Health Self Care Checklist
Self-care is important for everyone, not just those who suffer from mental illness. But when you’re mentally ill, self-care becomes even more critical.
When you’re sick, you need to take care of yourself. And that means taking care of your physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and intellectual needs. This includes eating well, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, managing stress, having healthy relationships, and learning new things.
But there’s another aspect of self-care that’s often overlooked: caring for your mental health. Caring for your mental health involves making sure you’re emotionally stable, physically fit, spiritually connected, socially engaged, and intellectually curious.
If you’re struggling with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, OCD, or any other mental illness, you should be aware of these benefits of self-care:
• Taking care of your mental health helps you feel better overall.
• Caring for your mental well-being makes you a happier person.
• Being mentally healthy improves your ability to cope with life’s challenges.
• Treating your mental health issues gives you control over your own destiny.
• Having a strong sense of purpose and meaning in your life leads to happiness.
• Feeling emotionally stable reduces the risk of suicide.
• Maintaining a positive attitude increases your chances of living longer.
• Learning new skills and interests keeps your mind active.
• Making friends and building connections with others boosts your mood.
• Staying socially engaged and connected to family and friends lowers your risk of loneliness.
• Pursuing hobbies and creative pursuits brings joy and fulfillment.
• Engaging in meaningful work provides satisfaction and purpose.
Distraction as a Mental Health Self Care Strategy
Distraction is one of those terms used so often that it can lose its meaning. But what does it mean? Distraction is a term that describes many things, including activities that help you deal with stress or anxiety. You might use distraction techniques to take a break from something stressful or to calm yourself down. For example, you might go out for dinner with friends, watch TV, play video games, read a book, listen to music, or do some exercise. If you find yourself feeling anxious, you could try doing one of these activities.
Some people think that distraction is a form of self-care, while others see it as a coping mechanism. There is no single definition of self-care. Self-care includes taking care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, socially, and financially. It also involves taking steps to improve your life, such as getting a job, finding a hobby, learning a skill, volunteering, making healthy food choices, exercising regularly, and maintaining good relationships.
Distractions are helpful because they allow us to focus on something else and take our minds off whatever makes us feel stressed or anxious. They don’t necessarily make us feel better about what we’re dealing with; rather, they provide a temporary relief from the problem. This is why distractions can sometimes be seen as a form of self-medication. For instance, if you’re having trouble sleeping at night, you might choose to watch a movie instead of lying awake worrying about how much sleep you’ll get.
So, what happens when you stop distracting yourself? Well, you probably won’t feel better. In fact, you might actually feel worse. Your mind will start racing again, and you’ll start thinking about everything that’s bothering you. So, if you want to really overcome your problems, you need to keep distracting yourself.
Examples of distraction activities
Distraction is everywhere. We’re constantly bombarded with stimuli—the internet, social media, smartphones, etc.—that pull us away from our goals. To combat it, we must learn how to focus. Here are some examples of distraction activities:
Call a friend (and don’t talk about what’s causing you distress).
Create something.
Describe your surroundings using your 5 senses.
Do a puzzle.
Do something kind for someone else.
Focus on a single task.
5 Pillars of Mental Health Self-care
Self-care isn’t just about taking bubble baths and sleeping an extra hour — it’s about taking care of ourselves in every aspect of life. Self-care encompasses many different aspects of our lives, including our health, work, family, friends, finances, spirituality and even our hobbies.
There are five main pillars of good self-care that we can focus on. These include mental, emotional, physical and spiritual self-care, as well as social self-care.
Mental self-care includes things like stress management, sleep hygiene, mindfulness and meditation. Emotional self-care involves being able to deal with difficult emotions, such as anxiety and depression. Physical self-care includes things such as eating healthy, exercising regularly and getting enough rest. Spiritual self-care involves having faith and practicing gratitude.
Social self-care includes connecting with others, such as spending quality time with loved ones, volunteering and working toward personal goals.
Mental Health Self Care Tips Conclusion
Mental health self care is an important aspect of living well. It’s easy to forget that we’re human beings, and our mental health needs to be taken seriously just like our physical health.
We live in a world where people are quick to judge others based on their appearance, and even quicker to judge themselves. We tend to put ourselves down because we compare ourselves to others.
When was the last time you took a moment to look in the mirror and say “wow” to yourself? When was the last time you looked into someone else’s eyes and said “you’re beautiful”?