As if your life did not have enough going on already, this year seems to have tested everyone to the limit. No matter where you are from in the world, what you do for a living or your circumstances, no one has escaped the potential for this year to have an impact on their health, both mentally and physically.
With so many uncertainties going on, it is very important to focus on certain positive things you can control that will allow you to remain optimistic and continue to maintain good mental health.
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass..
It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
Sometimes just having a simple plan, with certain things you can control and that are obtainable in your day to day life can provide some health structure.
Here are 5 of the best ways to maintain your mental health.
It’s easy to get immersed in news, social media and general noise on a weekly, daily, hourly, minute by minute basis. Although it can be tempting to get drawn into this constant feed, it can sometimes seem a little overwhelming.
If you continue to surround yourself with these relentless channels providing this unhealthy barrage of news and information, it can feel like it directly affects you in your own life. 99.9% of the information is out of your hands or is an unnecessary factor that you cannot control in any way.
That is why it is probably more important than it has ever been, to only focus on the areas of your life that you have full control of. Things that come in direct contact with you on a daily basis.
If you only focus on these areas you have control of such as friends, family, work/life balance, hobbies, aspirations etc, then you can start to not only feel far less overwhelmed, but you will be able to put tangible plans in place, start to see progress and ultimately this will lead to self-gratification and further motivation.
Regular exercise is not only great for your physical health, but it is also excellent for your mental health too.
As well as the physical benefits such as weight control, protecting against harmful diseases, improving joint and muscle strength and maintaining health blood pressure it releases good endorphins that help with aspects of mental health.
A major factor with bad mental health is bad or broken sleep and exercise is fantastic at giving you a good night’s sleep or at least combating insomnia to some extent.
Exercise is also a great way to reduce anxiety and depression which is also another key factor in being able to achieve a healthy mental health equilibrium.
When we say exercise, it can be something as simple as 30 minutes in the garden or a walk around the block, it does not need to be a lengthy or too intense. Just the ability to be able raise your heart rate for 30 mins a day can be crucial to mental health.
Diet plays a huge part in how you feel mentally. Getting a balanced and nutritious diet will give your body everything it needs to maintain an even keel both mentally and physically.
The categories of food that help to fulfil a healthy balanced diet and good health are:
Also drinking plenty of water throughout the day helps to hydrate you as well as a raft of other benefits. On average 2-3 litres of water a day is plenty.
Probably one of the best and most overlooked way to maintain good mental health is just to get outdoors. Both sunshine and the fresh air is an amazing natural doctor.
As well as getting you up and away from laptops and work screens, sunshine is one of the only sources of Vitamin D which is an essential supplement to help prevent deficiencies such as loss of bone density and helps to maintain heathy skin.
A good dose of Vitamin D has also been shown to fight excessive fatigue and tiredness which is also a key factor in whether you are mentally healthy or not.
Just getting out and taking a countryside walk or a stroll around the local woodland can also help reduce stress and give you a time during the day to both reflect and unwind.
In today’s busy, chaotic, and sometimes unforgiving world, it has been proven that rest, relaxation and mindfulness is just as important that being active and fully immersed in day to day life.
Being mindful and having time to both unwind, reflect and enjoy the now is an essential part of maintaining good mental health and allows you to detach yourself from everything that may be going on in your life.
The benefits of mindfulness and just being in the now are that it can dramatically reduce stress levels, lowers blood pressure and is a cornerstone to improving overall mental health.
There are plenty of books and literature on the subject, but a good place to start would be the Head Space app https://www.headspace.com/mindfulness.
The most important thing with mental health is that you do not need to deal with it alone, if you are feeling down or do not know how to cope, then try and open-up to talk with someone about how you are feeling and any issues you may be holding onto.
We are here and able to offer an ear if you for any reason you would like to reach out to one of our friendly and accommodating team at hello@boostbery.com or call us on 01273 582 222
Here is also a list of approved mental health organisations that can also help in times of need.
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