mental health
what the top habits are for supporting your mental health. Here we talk about how to tap into your true self and create your dream life. But all of that isn't possible without a solid foundation for your mental and emotional well being. It's crucial to take care of yourself and develop habits that will help you thrive. So today, we'll explore those very habits. The first step is always awareness, then comes intention, and then change. Without further ado, here are the top 10 habits for your mental health.
1 being present
The most important habit for your mental health is practicing being present. Being present is a skill. It's knowing how to live in the now, being here in this current moment. Too often, our minds like to time travel. We like to think about the past, think about the future. Whether you are just thinking about regrets or worrying about the things that you've done, the mistakes you've made. Or, maybe you are too focused in the future. Whether you are anxious or stressed out about the future, or just focusing on something that is not happening right now, right in front of you. The present moment really is your place of power. It's your place where you can create your life from. Nothing is possible if it's not happening in the present moment. You use your present moment to make things happen. By practicing being more present and being more mindful of the current moment, you are training your brain to focus on what matters, to focus on where you have your power. Instead of being distracted by the wanderings of your mind, going into the past, going to the future, those are really just distractions. You don't have power in the past or the future. You have your power now. And so, if you can live in the present moment more and more, then that is such an important habit for your mental health.
2 emotions
important habit for your mental health is to allow yourself to feel your emotions. It's okay to feel. I know that sounds very simple because a lot of people are good at feeling their emotions. But, there are also a lot of people who are not in touch with their emotions. And a lot of us do suppress how we feel. Sometimes we keep it in, or maybe you want to cry, but you hold it back and you push it down. And that suppression of your emotions is not healthy. Mentally, emotionally, physically. It affects your body in some way. When you feel an emotion, don't judge it. Just look at it, be aware of it, allow yourself to feel it, and express it. Learn to be able to hold a safe space for yourself to feel these emotions because not dealing with them is going to make it a bigger issue later on. So just allow yourself to feel it as it comes.
3 express yourself
Another habit that is super important for your mental health is to have an outlet to express yourself. If you know me, you know I love journaling. I've been journaling all my life. That is kind of how I express my feelings and kind of work out my thoughts and get to know what my inner voice is saying. Other examples of outlets may be creating arts or talking to people that you trust in your life,
4 set boundaries
this list is setting boundaries. It is so important for your own mental health and well being to set good boundaries. Boundaries is essentially the line where you decide what's okay vs. what's not okay, what you will tolerate vs. what you will not tolerate. Setting boundaries is learning to say no and being firm on that ‘no’ Not being too much of a pushover, not letting people step all over you, take advantage of you. Because people are going to do that, whether or not their intentions are good or bad. It's going to happen if you don't set certain boundaries. So decide what your boundaries are, what you're okay with, what you're not okay with, and stand firm with those boundaries. This is coming from a recovering people pleasure. I used to say yes to everyone and just deplete my energy in order to please other people. But that's not a healthy way to live. And at the same time, I know this is one of those things where it's easier said than done. I completely understand.
5 have a self care plan
The next central habit is to have a self care plan. Make a list of the activities that make you feel good, that nourish your soul, that make you feel like you just got to reset. For example, it could be simple things like showering, stretching, going for a walk, doing some yoga, essentially anything that helps you recharge your energy. Those are activities that you want to schedule in your day or your week as your self-care plan or your self-care routine, so that you are always having a way to find your center of balance again. There are certain things that if I don't do― like if I'm not consistent with journaling or meditation, or maybe even doing yoga― I know that my mental health kind of deteriorates over time the longer I don't do those things. For example, not doing yoga as much as I used to, my mind just is more frazzled. If I feel like I get too much anxiety, or if I'm overthinking, I know that I have to kick back some of these habits.
6 self-reflection check-ins
The next habit is making sure that you're incorporating self-reflection and check-ins with yourself on a regular basis. Mental health is something that a lot of people don't deal with until it spirals out of control and gets out of hand and becomes this big problem, right? But your mental health is something that you should check in with daily, if not weekly. Because your emotions and your feelings and life events kind of fluctuate every single day, even throughout the day. So you need to have a system to reflect and check in with yourself. “How am I feeling?” “What do I need right now?” “What can I give myself?” If you're not thinking about yourself, if you're not reflecting and checking in with yourself like that, that is how these little problems kind of build up and stack up over time and kind of explode into this big meltdown.
7 human connection
The next habit is spending quality time with people that you love, whoever your closest people are, whether it's your family, your friends, your community. It is essential to be connecting with these people on a regular basis― whether it's digital or in-person. But I truly believe humans are wired to need human connection We're wired to have to see people in person. So ask yourself, who are your favorite people in the world? Who are the people who make you feel loved and supported? and then ask yourself, "How often am I seeing these people or connecting with them?" Sometimes all it takes is some initiative. You just need to make the first move in organizing something or making a call, sending them a text. I think what social media has done to a lot of us is we've become so used to seeing people on social media, like seeing people's posts and stuff that we think, “Oh yeah, I'm connected. I see what people are up to.” But that type of connection is so surface level. It does not mean the same thing as having a conversation with somebody that you know in your life, somebody that you enjoy having a conversation with. It's not about the quantity of people in your life. It's about the quality of people in your life. So, make it a point to spend some quality time with people and make some deeper connections.
8 gentle with yourself
I wonder if you've practiced the habits of being gentle with yourself? Yes, it's a habit. Because at least for me, it was something that had to be learned and practiced and worked on. Because a lot of us are too critical of ourselves. A lot of us have negative self-talk. We put ourselves down. We feel bad about ourselves. We're too hard on ourselves. So, have you practiced toning that critic voice down and turning up the gentle, kind, and loving voice? That is a habit that is so helpful for your mental health is to just have that shift in energy. Instead of judging myself and being hard on myself, let me just choose to talk to myself with love. Let me be kind to myself, the way that I am kind to others, the way that I'm kind to the people that I love, the way that I show them that I care. And no matter what they do, I'm not going to judge them and everything will be okay. It's the voice that says I love you no matter what. It's the voice that says, “Hey, you know what? You did a great job regardless of the outcome.” And it's the voice that reminds you that it's about progress not perfection, and healing is not linear. So not expecting yourself to be perfect and not expecting yourself to be like growing and healing at some sort of straight path. It's allowing yourself to make mistakes. It's allowing yourself to fail. Growing that voice inside you is a habit. And it is a powerful one that will protect your mental health for the rest of your life. The sunset is so pretty right now.
9 practicing gratitude
waking up and feeling grateful for another day, because each day is a blessing. Learning to focus on what you have vs. what you don't have. Gratitude really is just a perspective. It is choosing with intention what to focus on and choosing to focus on the things going right in your life, the things that are positive, just things that you have to be grateful for. Too often, people focus on the negatives, the things that they don't have, the things that they wish they had in their lives, or focusing on the fact that they aren't where they want to be yet and being frustrated about that vs. looking back and seeing how far they've come or seeing what they already do have, seeing all the good and all the abundance are ready in their life. So, that is what gratitude is. And living with a grateful heart is one of the most powerful things that you can do for your happiness and your mental health.
10 follow your joy
Last but not least is to follow your joy. Follow the things that bring you joy, do the things that make you come alive, because that is what your soul needs. And usually, if we are neglecting the things that bring us joy, if we're neglecting doing things that are fulfilling for our soul, then that is when your mental health starts to go down because you're not giving yourself the "air" that you need. You need joy in your life. You need to have a feeling of there's a hummingbird right there. You need to nourish your soul. So, whether it is through going into nature or dancing, singing, find the activities that help you tap into your true self and express what you truly desire. At least in my life, I know that my mental health suffered when I was neglecting those things. When I was neglecting listening to my true heart and doing the things that I was truly desiring deep down, because I was masking it with another thing that I thought I wanted. I thought I should be doing this. I should be doing that. Like just forcing myself to go down paths that weren't meant for me, that other people wanted for me, or placing certain expectations on myself that were not coming from a good place. They were not coming from joy. They were not coming from love. They were coming from a forceful pushing place. So find it in your heart, what your truest purest desires are, what brings you pure joy, what is it that you really want, what is it that you really like, what really makes you come alive rather than what you feel like you should be doing.
0 Comments