One of the biggest and most widely discussed concepts today is mental health. Everywhere you go, mental health awareness is plastered all over social media, all over the Internet, and every single time you talk to somebody else, they will talk to you about their mental health. And rightly so.
The problem is that mental health has become an umbrella for which all disorders are placed under. If somebody's having a bad day, it comes down to mental health. If somebody's having a good day, it comes down to mental health. And while that may be true, it does dilute the message. You want to be able to improve your mental health as much as possible and whether you do that through exercise or through regular visitors to a psychologist, mental health can be at the forefront of everything you do. So, with this in mind, let’s take a look at some habits that will set your mental health up in the right way.
Get as much sleep as possible. Your mental health is only going to improve it if your mind is rested. An unhappy mind is one that is not rested, is not looked after, and is overtired.
Getting a good night of sleep isn't just good for your physical health, but it's good to help your mental health because you won't wake up so exhausted, so low on yourself and so depressed. High quality sleep only comes when you start giving up some of the other habits in your life, such as avoiding caffeine after 3:00 PM or going to bed excessively late because you've been busy scrolling on your phone.If you make your bedroom a quiet and comfortable space to be, you're going to find yourself easily able to drift off to sleep.
Stop using social media as much as you have been. If you are constantly consuming information about other people, it's very easy to start looking at other people's lives and thinking that you need what they have. It doesn't have to be that way. It's very difficult to say no to social media and yet there's something that you must do if you want to look after your mental health properly. Don't be afraid to switch off and say that you've had enough, because nobody's going to judge you poorly for it. Your mental health comes first, and you should remember that it's important.
Work on your relationships. If you want to improve your mental health, then you need to look at the relationships that you have in your life and work on improving those. From ensuring that the people that you love are happy and healthy, to making sure that you are giving as much as you are getting, you are going to be in a much better position to look after your mental health if you are also ensuring that you are putting yourself first. Work on all of your relationships and work on the person you want to be, not just the person that you are, and you will find people far more amenable to you.
Louise Mercieca
Nutritional Therapist
Podcast Host
Personal Trainer
Early Years Nutrition Consultant
Award-winning Author
Food & Health Writer
Presenter on Early Years TV Food
Keynote speaker
www.thehealthkick.co.uk