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Your health is understandably very important to you. Unfortunately, there are many dangers that we encounter every single day that could affect our health. Something as simple as crossing the street to say hello to a neighbour can be dangerous. But, as adults we also know how to take care of ourselves. What we often don’t think about is how our mental health is doing. With busy schedules and other responsibilities, it often gets pushed back on the priority list. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some small things you could do every day to help make sure your mental health is protected.
Starting the day with the right mindset
A great way to start each day is by focusing on what is right.
It’s easy to fall into a routine of feeling negative about yourself, whether it’s your appearance, your parenting skills, or even where you are in your career. But, this habit does NOTHING for our mental health. You can program your mind, or at least the mood of your day when it comes to making sure you’re at peak mental health.
It sounds simple, but taking the time to say and write down something positive about yourself each day can help change your mindset, allowing you to enjoy the rest of your day as much as possible. Writing them down also allows you to reflect on that list if you’re having a particularly bad day, and you’ll soon notice how far you’ve come with how you feel about yourself.
I have a 60 day results driven goal journal full of prompts, one of which makes sure you always remember WHAT IS WORKING. Build on the positive and soon you will start to see the negatives fall away. After all, we can’t expect to build success when we allow negative thoughts to swirl around in our brain.
You may like this post on how to get your goals faster using gratitude. I promise mindset changes everything.
Make time to decompress using one of these methods
It is natural for stress to layer on us as the day goes on. It is often unavoidable. It can appear from an seemingly impossible to do list, unexpected problem in the home (HVAC breaks, a leak in the bathroom, cracked window from a hail storm). Then add on a child falls ill at school mid-day or an emergency meeting called by a somewhat cranky equalled stressed supervisor. PHEW!
This is when having a plan to decompress when you get a few minutes at home is key. Stopping the build up as soon as you can will help stave off more anxiety, anger or depression and hopeless feelings.
Try natural remedies like the Semax & Selank spray bundle. This particular one is still going through testing processes, but natural sprays and oils can really help ease the anxious build up you no doubt feeling your upper body and jaw from the day. Pair that with deep breathing techniques, mindfulness, and more positive affirmations and you’ll soon feel your stress melting away.
You may also want to take up a meditative hobby to shift your focus to something you enjoy when you get home. I have a list of 10 meditative hobbies to help you recharge and relax. Many people who have unfulfilling jobs, unfocused free time (I know it sounds a bit of an oxymoron) or start to lose sense of self and sense of purpose when life is hectic, find a feeling of grounding and relaxing in a hobby of one’s own.
A quiet dark room with a guided meditation or sleep story can be very relaxing as it transports you away from your reality for a short time and allows the body to relax.
Make sleep a priority
When we sleep, our brain gets some time off. It’s a time for the body to rejeuvenate itself.
To me, sleep is always the #1 priority. It is incredibly important to make sure you’re getting enough quality sleep. No doubt you have experienced increased hunger when you don’t sleep enough. Your mood is on edge and your patience is thin. Our bodies and minds simply don’t work optimally on inadequate sleep.
Easier said than done though, right?! If you struggle to sleep, try creating a new sleep routine for yourself. This will mean going to bed at the same time each day, doing something calming before bed, and also making sure that your sleeping space is optimized for comfort. You’ll need to make sure your bedroom is a comfortable temperature as well as investing in a quality mattress to get a good night of sleep. Once you’re getting the correct amount of sleep, you’ll notice your mental health improve too!
Tidy up!
Finally, when you’re not feeling too special and you’ve been busy all day, sometimes cleaning your home is the last thing you want to do.
In this post Tiny Habits, Better Life I have a section on how to use a feng shui method to tidy up and it comes with less overwhelm while still tidying up and a feeling of being able to breathe easier because some of the chaotic mess has now been controlled.
It won’t even take 30 minutes a day! Spend some time cleaning so that you can mentally check something else off your list. Put on soothing music to relax yourself while you do it. Look for new age, metaphyscial or acoustic style music on your favorite music app or free on youtube. Even a gentle symphony instrumental can relax you and bring calm to your space.
Plus, who doesn’t like waking up to a clean home?