In my opinion, our mental health is more important than our physical health. Of course, both can influence each other immensely, but without the right mindset and mental ability, you won’t be able to take the necessary actions to improve your physical health.
There are tons of things happening around us that easily take the attention away from our well-being. But we can implement some simple behaviors in our daily lives that can help us to improve our mental health.
Make small simple choices about food
Nutrition is one of the main factors that help us to improve our mental health. But it is extremely challenging to change your diet to make it more healthy. Just trying to adopt a healthy diet itself can be challenging and stressful. Remember that small steps that can take you forward every day are worth a lot more than major changes that can be overwhelming and easy to give up.
So make some mindful decisions about food. Instead of trying to remove things from your diet, add some healthy choices. You don’t have to make major changes at once. Keep track of what you eat and gradually make healthy choices.
Have the right mindset about exercise
Another obvious one on the list. Exercise, although it is good for us, can also be the main stressor in our lives. We can get stressed because we are not having the right amount of exercise, or we exercising the wrong way, or we are not including enough cardio, or not enough strength training etcetera, etcetera.
Just get yourself moving for a start. If you are someone who doesn’t exercise at all, 30 minutes per week is better than nothing. Once you get comfortable with that go for 40 minutes, an hour. Add more variety of exercise after you are comfortable with what you are doing. Remember small changes.
Invest in good quality sleep
There are many reasons why people can’t sleep. It can be challenging for some to have a night of quality sleep. If you can, you should definitely seek professional help that can improve your sleep. But there are a few things you can try.
Set your environment right. The temperature of the room, lighting, and sound can affect the quality of your sleep. Make sure your room temperature is not too hot or cold. Avoid activities such as working, and browsing on your phone. You want your brain to associate bed with only sleep, nothing else.
Establish a bedtime routine. A routine will prepare your brain for sleep. You can do journaling, meditation, baths, and Yin Yoga as part of your routine. Again, I would like to remind you that only small simple steps, as you don’t want to stress yourself with lots of changes at the same time.
Involve in mindful activities
This could be as simple as focusing on your breath for a few minutes, or it could be painting, cooking, knitting, etc. I find mindful coloring quite helpful as I cannot draw to save my life. Or it could be any hobby that you would like to take part in.
Spend time in nature
Nature allows a perfect break for our brain. It allows your brain to stop and focus on birds, trees, and flowers. Take a hike and explore nature whenever you can. As little as 10 minutes spent in nature can improve your mental functions and optimize your stress responses.
Don’t run away from stress
Stress is one of the most natural things in our lives. In fact, we should pay more attention to our stress than our phones. Unfortunately, a lot of us try to avoid stress and also run away from it. But stress is there to direct our attention to what is important. The only time we can’t cope with stress is the time when we feel mentally weak. But if we can get our sleep right, have a better diet, and involve in more mindful activities, then we will be more prepared to face and deal with stress.
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