One of the hardest things to do as an adult is looking after your mental health. Although you will have a lot of things on your mind, your mental health should be your main priority if you want to live a healthy lifestyle. From practising self-care to knowing when to speak to a professional, you need to ensure you’re putting yourself first. With that in mind, here are 10 ways to look after your mental health.
Speak to Professional If You’re Worried
If you’re worried when it comes to your mental health and you think you need to speak to someone, booking an appointment to see your doctor might be the best step to take. Whilst they may not be able to help you directly, they will be able to let you know the various options you have to choose from. From seeing a counsellor to trying medication, a doctor will help you make the best possible decision for your health. For a guide to seeing a doctor when it comes to your mental health, you can visit this site here.
Surround Yourself with People That Make You Happy
One of the best ways to look after your mental health is to surround yourself with people that make you happy. Whether this means spending time with your friends or taking the time to see your family, the more time you spend with people you love the better. If you find you’re struggling to find the time to spend with people, you might want to consider looking at your existing schedule to see if you can move anything around.
Be Open and Honest with People
If you’re struggling with your mental health it’s important you’re being open and honest with people. Although it might be hard at first, letting people know that you’re suffering is can be a weight off of your shoulders. From speaking to your partner about being in rehab to having an open and honest chat with your colleagues about your struggles, opening up can be extremely beneficial. If you’re having trouble when it comes to drug misuse, you might want to try searching ‘drug rehab facilities near me’.
Allow Yourself Mental Health Days
Although they can be frowned up open in certain work environments, taking a mental health day is often important to your recovery and should be something you do guilt-free. Whether you’re taking a day off to practise self-care or you need a break from your day-to-day work, it’s okay to take a mental health day for yourself. For a guide to taking a mental health day, you can visit this site here.
Practise Self-Care as Often as You Can
Another great way to ensure you’re looking after your mental health is to practice self-care as often as you can. For those that don’t know, self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health.
Great ways to practice self-care include:
- Running yourself a long, hot bath after a day at work
- Curling up with a book in bed
- Spending the evening watching your favourite movies
- Going for a walk in the sunshine
- Spending time with your friends or family
- Putting together a pamper evening
- Buying yourself an incredible new outfit
- Getting a good night’s sleep
- Writing in your journal
- Learn a new skill
- Listen to your favourite podcast or radio station
Ensure You’re Keeping Active
Keeping active is another great way to look after your mental health. Although it’s not for everyone, exercise has been proven to release endorphins that make you happy. Whether you’re going for a daily run or join a gym, the more active you are the better.
If you’re new to exercise and you don’t know where to begin you might benefit from doing low impact exercises at home. From doing an easy-to-follow yoga session to following a home exercise DVD, you may be surprised how easy it can be to get started with a decent routine at home. For a guide to exercising at home, you can visit this site here.
Stick to a Healthy Diet Where Possible
Although you don’t have to put yourself on a strict calorie-controlled diet, you do need to think about what you’re eating. Whether that means cutting down on the number of takeaways you’re eating or ensuring you eat your recommended intake of fruit and veg each and every day, a healthy diet can help improve your overall mood.
If you struggle when it comes to eating or it’s one of the reasons you struggle with your mental health, you need to ensure you’re doing whatever is best for you. If that means throwing out your scales and forgetting about calories, that’s okay too.
Do Things That Make You Happy
One of the best ways to look after your mental health is to do things that make you happy. Although you can’t say yes to everything, it’s important you’re taking the time to do what you want. Whether that means turning down a family outing to stay in bed or booking a flight to a brand new country, the more you do for yourself the better. Some might say it’s selfish but for most, it’s an incredibly simple act of self-care.
Join a Support Group
If you’re struggling and you feel as though you want to speak to people who are in the same position as you, you might benefit from joining a local support group. Whether it’s something you join or something you set up yourself, you may be surprised how much difference having someone who understands to talk to can make.
Keep a Journal
Finally, you might want to consider keeping a journal. Although this is not for everyone, keeping a journal is a great way to process all of your thoughts. Whether you use if for doodling or you use it to write down your day-to-day thoughts, journalling can do wonders for mental health.
Do you struggle when it comes to your mental health? What changes can you make to your lifestyle? Let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.
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