Health is Wealth, And It Starts With Mental Well-being: Simple And Helpful Tips for Maintaining Sound Mental Health and Well-being.
It is of utmost importance to consciously take care of our mental well-being.
With the high level of competition and pressure at work and home, mental tiredness is bound to happen. If the mental pressure keeps increasing and nothing is done to slow it down, it can lead to much more serious mental and physical illnesses.
Mental health illnesses are common across the globe but neglected mainly due to the social stigma attached to them. Also their symptoms are ‘invisible’ unlike physical illnesses, taking longer to be identified and approach experts. Depression, anxiety, psychosis, bipolar disorders, etc, are indeed treatable through psychiatric and psychological interventions. The person can become well and some cases may require regular assessment like diabetics. Nonetheless it is very much possible to lead a normal life.
Neglect of these treatable illnesses leads to exclusion of otherwise smart, wise minds from contributing towards the society through employment or at home. It is easy to guess that the business world must have lost zillions of dollars only in the last decade due to non-participation of such minds.
Physical illnesses have the advantage of being ‘visible’ to self and others such as chest pain, back pain, fever, headache, etc. Obesity, diabetes, renal disease, arrhythmia, insomnia, and many other physical ailments are treatable when assessed on time.
Our personal and professional life is lived by the same person. Hence, a healthy or an unhealthy mind affects both these aspects of our lives. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body and a happy fulfilled life.
My key Tips for sound mental well-being are below.
1. Follow balanced food habits, do regular exercises, meditation, drink lots of water, regularly pursue a hobby, read a book. All of these activities help to provide constant positive energy and nourishment to the mind, body and soul. There are “tiny change” trackers that are commercially available or similar habit trackers can be made at home.
2. Participate in at-least one group activity not related to the profession, this helps to make new social connections which is refreshing.
3. Learn new skills be it cursive writing. Continuous learning is food for our cognitive senses, builds new neurons in the brain and keeps the mind sharp and active, and hence important for mental well-being.
4. Self love, acceptance of owns behavior and the realization of being alive, provides an opportunity to improve oneself every living day and night.
5. Practice gratitude and cherish the small simple things in life.
6. Sleep well as it is as important as breathing.
7. Avoid comparing self with others as each individual is on a unique life journey.
8. Helping someone without any expectations from them gives peace, joy and the feeling of meaning in life. Volunteering is one of the ways this can be achieved.
9. Keep surroundings clean and organized. Cleanliness and decluttering reduces negativity and also generates more time which can be used for productive activities.
10. Keep one day per week as ‘No Complain Day’, irrespective how the day went. This is therapeutic as it will help the mind to not have negative thoughts and helps to reflect and then take action objectively.
11. Regularly keep in touch with family and friends by speaking with them over the phone, video calls or meeting them in person.
12. Do regular health check-ups. Take a day off or a vacation break or a year’s sabbatical from work when feeling down or exhausted. Taking two steps backwards to heal and recharge propels ten steps forward towards success with a healthy mind.
13. Spend less time on social media, television and texting.
14. Make conscious effort to have positive people in life. Avoid negative people. If they cannot be avoided, remember their behavior is a reflection of what they need but lack. Never take their negative toxic talks or behaviors personally. Help them if possible.
15. Everyone suffers from one or the other type of problem of varying extent, you are not alone. Join suitable groups where sharing experiences reduces the mental toll.
16. Writing a journal or a diary also helps to emote out the unexpressed feelings and reduces mental pressure.
17. Mental health illnesses are triggered by stress, besides other extenuating factors such as genetics and other controllable factors such as alcohol. Keep a check on the small and big stressors which cause headaches, breathlessness, palpitations and other physical and emotional triggers. If left unchecked these then further lead to clinical depression, anxiety attacks, etc. or even physical ailments such as stroke.
18. There is nothing to be ashamed about feeling down and depressed. Speak out, talk to, confide in at least one person — a family member, a friend, a colleague, your religious teacher, a social service provider- the identities are kept confidential. When people are in depression, they tend to withdraw from their world when in-fact they must reach out. Hence, when the depressed person withdraws, someone will be able to notice this change in behavior and reach out to them.
19. Seek help of a mental health expert without hesitation. There are also ‘life coaches’ who can guide through various problems of life. It is for getting well soon to get back to normal routine and activities. Hence, do not think what others will think about you. Infact, most people are busy with their own lives and problems to dwell into yours, some might also give you helping hand. Just like you visit a doctor for physical pain, you must visit this doctor for mental health checkup.
20. Help someone you know who is suffering from mental or physical ailments yet neglecting their health, by encouraging them and their family to consult an expert.
Taking above steps, even as small as drinking water or talking to someone, is a big victory towards taking care of our mental well-being.
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