How to take charge of your mental health

As you go down the road of improving your mental health, you might come across the topic of nurturing your own mental health.

This means you work on yourself and your mindset and do what you can each day to manage your own mental health.

Nurturing Your Own Mental Health

To nurture your mental health, it first requires facing where things are at, understanding where you are today at this moment. You want to get to a place where you aren’t constantly trying to get to the next level if it’s stressing you and who where you are right now.

This can apply to anything in your life, from your physical appearance to your habits, profession, personal relationships, and of course your mental health. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to constantly change and be better, and just acknowledge how things are.

Also, take a look at what’s good in your life – it might surprise you!

Have Scheduled “Me” Time

Yes, we’re talking about self-care. Just because it has become a trending topic the last few years, doesn’t mean it isn’t important and valuable! Self-care is nothing more than your “me” time. Activities that you choose to do for your own happiness, contentment, health, and fulfillment.

When thinking about self-care, don’t rely so much on what others choose to do. Self-care is a very personal thing, so the activities you choose to do during your “me time” might be completely different from someone else.

It can be completing an art project, doing a puzzle, watching your favorite show, taking a nap, going for a walk, or taking a bath. There are no limits and no right or wrong way to do it.

Log Off and Find Relaxing Activities

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your own mental health is to log off. Turn the phone off, shut off the television and close your computer. It is not uncommon for social media and a constant flux of news and opinions to harm your mental health without realizing it.

If you find that you get angry, sad, frustrated, or feel inferior when you go on Instagram or Facebook, it’s time to take more breaks from it. Give your mind a break and focus on other activities.

Mental Health Habits and Routines

To start nurturing your mental health, it all begins with your daily habits and routines. Here are some things to consider, both with the bad habits you want to avoid, and new healthy routines that improve your mental health.

Bad Mental Health Habits to Avoid

While there are some amazing daily habits and rituals that can help improve your mental health, there are also some that might be more damaging than you realize. Many of these are subtle, but can make a difference in the long run.

Lack of Exercise and Proper Diet

Your daily exercise and eating habits can make a difference in how you feel emotionally and mentally. I’m not saying you need to have a rigid workout routine or stick to a restrictive diet. But you do want to take good care of your body.

Healthy, nutrient-dense foods help you feel better and give you more energy. Plus, some eating habits can actually make anxiety worse, including having a lot of caffeine or sugar. Exercise is a wonderful way to reduce your anxiety, help with stress, and clear your mind.

Perfectionism and Taking Yourself Too Seriously

Many people joke about how they are perfectionists and everything needs to be perfect and done exactly how they want. But you might find that it is actually severely impacting your life, and not in a good way.

Now is the time to stop expecting perfection and feeling like a failure just because you didn’t do everything on your list or you didn’t do it exactly 100 percent perfect. No-one is perfect, so this is completely unreasonable.

We don’t live in a black or white world – we live in a gray world. Find what is in the middle. A comfortable place where you know you work hard and have responsibilities, but you also let yourself have some fun and are open-minded about the results.

Learn to laugh at yourself and treat life more as a game than a serious activity. You might find you enjoy yourself much more!

Hiding From Your Emotional Problems with Stimulants

It is not uncommon to “deal” with mental health issues by avoiding them entirely. Far too many people do this and don’t even realize the ramifications. But if you are relying on stimulants to deal with your emotions or mental state, like smoking, drinking heavily, or relying on caffeine for energy, you are actually hurting yourself in the long run.

With alcohol, it’s a depressant, so it might be fun while drinking, but once you sober up, you’ll feel much worse.

Overuse of Social Media

While using social media definitely has its uses and can be fun, it can also be a bad habit that is actually hurting your mental health.

If you are someone that just checks in every once in a while or when you get notifications, it’s probably not a bad habit for you. But people who check it constantly and whose notifications stress them out, it is definitely something to start reducing in your daily life.

Adopt a Mental Health Routine

A daily mental health routine is one where you are able to focus on yourself, practice some self-care, and reduce stress while also working on that work-life balance. It might sound like a lot to start with, but if you stick to a routine, it will turn into daily healthy habits you don’t even have to think twice about.

Here are some of the top reasons you should consider creating a mental health routine.

It Helps Keep Anxiety Low

If you get anxious, your routine might not cure it, but it can definitely help with those feelings of anxiety that pop up from bad habits.

The routine you have each day can either help or hurt you, but often it does both. You might think that jumping on social media first thing in the morning is helping you get it out of the way before work, but this might be increasing your anxiety and stress.

With a mental health routine, you can create a healthier morning routine that gives your mind a break and lets you wake up slowly without all that social media noise.

Manage Daily Stress

In addition to helping with anxiety, having a mental health routine can also reduce stress. Just think of how much stress you add to your day simply by not getting everything done, not being aware of what you need to do, or having a poor work-life balance. This is even more important if you work from home, but any profession needs some structure.

With your daily routine, it is not just about your morning routine, but the different habits you have throughout the day. From choosing to eat lunch outside instead of in your office to fitting in some exercise, you can add these little habits that are good for your mental health and reduce stress at the same time.

Build Strong, Healthy Habits

With a mental health routine you commit to every day, it includes healthy habits that aren’t just good for your mind, but your body as well.

It is not uncommon to add healthy habits that are amazing for your overall wellness. For example, many people have started adding yoga or morning stretching to their wake-up routine. This reduces stress and anxiety, helps you get a healthy start to the day without too much intensity, and also helps improve your physical health as well.

How Changing Your Mindset Can Help With Your Mental Health

If you are currently dealing with issues such as anxiety or feeling depressed, or a lot of emotional stress in your life, working on your mindset can do wonders.

This is not a quick fix but it does help a lot with managing your mental state on a daily basis.

How and Why Mindset Matters When it Comes to Mental Health

What is mindset? Is your “mind set”?

Simply put, it’s the pattern and way you think about everything in life, and the world at large. It is the set of established values someone has about something.

It can be as simple as what your thought process is on a fun night out with friends, and as deep as how you process severe loss and trauma. Everyone has a different pattern of thoughts and emotions tied into their mindset.

It is also possible to change your mindset which can ultimately improve your mental health. When it comes to mental health, you are going to work on your fixed vs growth mindset, which allows you to change how you think about progress and what can be improved in your own life.

You Have the Power Over Your Mindset

Yes, you can absolutely change your own mindset!

It gives you the possibility of being able to control how you think about and handle your life.

Sometimes it helps to discuss your mindset with someone. That’s what business coaches and life coaches are all about. They help you look at your mindset and see how it can be changed.

Understanding Fixed vs. Growth Mindsets

While there are many ways to change your mindset in order to improve your mental health, the fixed vs growth mindset is a great place to start.

This means most of a person’s ideas can’t be changed – or not yet. They have certain beliefs and think that what they know and understand and experience is just what they were born with.

With a growth mindset, it is the opposite. You understand that with the right education and being open to change, anyone can change. Even your mental health – you can look at things differently, you aren’t stuck in this cycle.

Managing Stress & Anxiety

Stress and anxiety go hand-in-hand. You’re stressed about something and then become anxious. Or you’re anxious about something and this causes stress.

Stress can be defined as mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.

Both stress and anxiety can be short-term or long-term.

Short Term Stress & Anxiety

This is stress and/or anxiety which occurs because of a specific situation that is occurring or about to occur.

For example, an upcoming job interview can cause a person to feel anxious. Having to complete a project by the end of the day could be stressful.

To key thing is – once that short time is over the stress/anxiety lifts.

Long Term Stress & Anxiety

When a person is constantly under stress it can be very uncomfortable and will often create anxiety.

Situations in life can trigger stress or anxiety and then it feels like there’s no end to it. Emotional trauma is one thing that can trigger either stress or anxiety. Financial problems are a common cause of long-term stress, especially when there seems to be no way out.

Long term stress and anxiety takes a toll on a person mentally and physically – often leading to weight gain or even weight loss.

Ideas to Deal With Stress & Anxiety

If there is one thing that is recommended when it comes to living with anxiety, it is using a journal. If you don’t know how to use a journal it can get complicated and confusing.

Do you write whatever you are thinking? Is it meant to be used as a diary? Do you write about gratitude or use writing prompts?

The answer is: yes to all of it! And the best plan is to just start writing and then you will find what’s best for you. Write down your thoughts, ideas and dreams as a starting point.

Find a Creative Outlet

Do something you used to enjoy doing as a kid

One way to help relieve stress and anxiety is finding a creative outlet by thinking about what you enjoyed doing as a kid. Think of it first as a broad generalization, like drawing, painting, playing music, dancing, really anything creative. From there, you can then figure out the specifics. Maybe you liked learning new forms of art rather than sticking to one thing, you enjoyed writing poetry or short stories, or loved coloring.

Anything you enjoyed as a kid could be a sign of what you might enjoy as an adult, even if it’s slightly different. Take it to the next level and give it a try right now. You will reduce your stress and anxiety will be a lot easier to manage.

Music And Dance

People often think of being creative as having to be artistic and create something like art or crafts, but music and dance can also be part of the creative arts.
Music and dance can life your mood amazingly and relieve stress and anxiety.

From listening to music during your daily self-care routine to dancing it out in your living room, it is definitely worth exploring.

Learn something new

This is also a great time to learn something new, whether it is a form of art you have always been curious about, or taking a photography class to brush up on your skills.

Make a list of the different creative activities you have been curious about. Maybe you have a fancy camera but you don’t know about all the settings, or you have always wanted to try making pottery or ceramics.

There are classes online and in person for just about anything, so let your imagination run wild.

Being creative doesn’t necessarily require being artistic

Don’t shy away from finding a creative outlet just because you don’t think you’re artistic.

First of all, art is subjective, so what you personally love might not be what someone else loves and vice versa. And most people who create things that other deem appealing practiced a lot at it.

But when it comes to stress and anxiety, you aren’t trying to be perfect. You are simply finding a hobby or activity that improves your mood, helps distract you, and gives you something to do just for you.

Other “artistic” endeavours could be gardening, cooking, knitting – anything where you are creating something.

Burnout and Support

Warning Signs You Are Headed for Burnout

People often say they have “burnout” just to describe any feeling of being stressed, overwhelmed, or overworked. Real burnout is an actual state of complete emotional and mental exhaustion.

If you don’t recognise it and start to deal with burnout, it can lead to a lot of negative consequences in your personal and professional life, and make it much harder to get out of. Here are some warning signs that you might be facing burnout.

It’s Getting Harder to Complete Simple Tasks

When you complete the same task several times, you know approximately how long it takes you to complete and how difficult it is. But when you suddenly take 2-3 times longer to finish that same task or you can’t seem to focus long enough to ever get it done, that is definitely a warning sign that something is wrong.

Don’t ignore these moments when it is hard to do even the simplest of things, that you used to breeze right through. It can be a sign that something else is going on.

You Have Severe Mood Changes

There are many reasons to have mood shifts, like stress and anxiety, but burnout can also be added to this list. You should never ignore changes in your mood, attitude, or behaviours.

Maybe you are falling back into unhealthy habits and it’s becoming a crutch for dealing with your negative emotions, or you’re getting irritable and angry at your loved ones at the drop of a hat.

Sometimes, when you face burnout, stress can overpower your logical thinking and it becomes harder to keep your cool.

Lack of Energy or Severe Fatigue

Have you noticed that it takes all your energy just to take a shower or get in your car to run simple errands? Among other things, this could also be a warning sign of burnout.

Check for physical reasons for the fatigue or energy loss – diet changes, lack of sleep, illness.

If you’ve ruled out physical reasons, it is time to consider your mental health and see if you might leading toward burnout.

Ways to Rest When You Deal with Burnout and Overwhelm

When people talk about mental health, you might assume it is only about severe stress or mental issues like anxiety and depression, but it’s actually about your general mental state at any given time. We all have a mind! We all have mental health – it’s either in good health or bad health or somewhere in between.

Mental health is affected if you’re overwhelmed in your life and facing burnout.

It is just as important to rest when you have burnout as if you are dealing with a physical condition. Here are some tips for figuring out how to rest your mind and body.

Find Your Stressors

Before you can figure out how to get more rest when dealing with burnout, you need to first understand what is causing the overwhelm or burnout in the first place. This is in the form of your stressors or triggers. A stressor or trigger is something that is causing you to feel more overwhelmed or anxious throughout the day.

Is something in your life different right now? Maybe your loved ones have been more demanding, you aren’t taking enough breaks, or work has gotten chaotic. It can be anything from your job to your home life to the people you’re around.

Emotional trauma can also be a trigger, such as the loss of a friend or loved one.

Take a Break From Work if You Can

While this is not always an option, try to take a break from work in whatever form you are able to. This is of course a privilege not everyone has, but if you do, take advantage of it. Take a personal day where you don’t even think about work and might even get out of your house for a day.

If taking a day off work isn’t an option then make a plan to take a day out at the weekend or go on a long weekend trip.

Try to lighten your workload. Have a look at your work tasks and see if there are any that can be delegated to other people, or if you can move your schedule around to have a few days a week that aren’t quite as hectic.

Learn How to Say No

Learning how to say no is a beautiful thing and can benefit you in so many ways, beginning with helping you to rest from burnout.

This might be personal obligations or people in your life who are always asking you for help, or work being more demanding.

Burnout can happen in such subtle ways, where you think you’re just helping out a friend and don’t realize how much it is impacting your own life.

This doesn’t mean you should say no to everything and become someone who stops, but take a note of all the things you’re saying yes to and see if you could say no to some of them.

Find Ways to Practice Daily Self-Care

Self-care doesn’t need to be overly complicated or cost any money.

It can be as simple as going for a walk after dinner, sitting in your office with the door closed during your lunch break, or reading a book in the evenings instead of watching TV.

It can be pampering yourself at the weekend with a facial (at home or at a spa).

Taking care of yourself, taking care of number one, means you are then available to take care of and help others.

Finding a Support System on Good and Bad Days

When you’re struggling, it often feels like you need to keep it all to yourself.

It can be difficult to reach out and know who to reach out to. But having a good support system is important. Not just on your bad days, but your good mental health days too!

Start With People You Already Know Who Support You

One of the hardest parts about finding a support system for your mental health is to know who to turn to, especially when you aren’t sure how to meet the right people. But don’t worry – for now you can consider the people you already know.

Who in your life, right now, is someone you can easily talk to? Maybe it is someone who already understands what you’re going through because they’ve experienced the same thing, or it’s someone who you feel like you can open up to and won’t judge you.

It might be one person or a small group of people, either friends, family members, colleagues, or even neighbours. The great thing about your support system is that you can support them as well.

Reach Out to Local Groups

When you feel ready to get out of your own circle of loved ones, local groups are an excellent way to find like-minded people.

Taking part in group activities you enjoy can also help you to meet new people who might struggle with the same issues that you do. This could include charity work, your local church or even getting involved in the local “litter pick” where people are cleaning up the neighbourhood.

Working alongside people is a great way to make new friends and contacts – and it gives you something worthwhile to do.

Don’t Hesitate to Get Professional Help

One important factor to bear in mind is that mental health issues may have a physical cause. Therefore it’s a good idea to visit a doctor, especially one who is trained in nutrition and hormones who can see if there’s an issue with your thyroid, adrenals, basic nutrition etc.

By balancing a good healthy diet with self-care and other good mental health habits it can help you get control of your emotional well-being and mental health.

Another professional who can help is a Life Coach. A Life Coach can help you establish goals, look at what’s holding you back, work out your strengths and weaknesses in all areas of your life. If you have goals and you are actively working towards those goals you are less likely to feel stressed and anxious.

AND THAT’S A WRAP!

I hope you have found the information useful and will put it to use.

If you’re interested in going further I have 2 programs to recommend:

10 Day Stress Cleanse – a 10-day course that gives you a practical tool to use each day.
Hit the Reset Button – this covers 5 areas of your life where you can hit the reset button and start living a happier, less-stressed life!

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How to Take Charge of Your Mental Health