If I asked you what you need to incorporate into your routine to maintain physical health, you could think of many things right? Your answer might include getting regular exercise, sleep, and eating a balanced diet. While these things are also great for maintaining mental health, there are also more specific things related to mental and emotional well-being that are essential. What are some of these things?
Reflect on Your Emotions
When is the last time you checked in with yourself to see how you are feeling? Just like our body will let us know how we are doing — yawning, stomach growling, headaches, etc. — our brains also informs us. It is important to check in with the information that your brain is signaling in order to find the right solution. Often times we ignore what our brain is telling us because we are unsure of how to address what we need. This avoidance leads to a decline in mental health well-being.
What are some signals you can look for?
- Constant thoughts running through your mind. This can be a sign of anxiousness, stress, or general worry. Constant thoughts keep you focused on everything but the present moment. When your attention is constantly taken away from the present, it makes it hard to truly enjoy life. When you notice that your mind is cluttered with thoughts, try to schedule some time that is just for you. Engage in your favorite hobby, watch your favorite movie, or schedule a relaxing spa appointment. When your mind drifts away into worrisome thoughts, be intentional about bringing your attention back to the moment. What about thoughts that show up on a daily basis that distract you? My favorite technique to use to quickly bring focus back to the present is one that engages all the senses. This is called the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise. Start off by finding 5 things you can see. Then, move to 4 things you can feel or pick 4 things you can see and imagine how they would feel. Next, take notice of 3 things you can hear. After that, find 2 things you can smell or think of 2 things that you like the smell of. Lastly, find one thing you can taste or focus on a taste that you love. This exercise is meant to reconnect you to your present experience without judgement. Judgement only creates more unhelpful thoughts!
2. Forgetful or Trouble Concentrating/Remembering Things. Stress, anxiety, and depression have been found to be linked with short-term memory loss. Specifically, people struggling with depression are more likely to recall negative events and memories over positive ones. This may be why people who are depressed forget plans to attend social events or to complete daily tasks. It takes a lot of resources for the brain to fixate on negativity so there is less room to focus on memory recall. To help with this, write out a to-do list each day and fill it with things according to your energy level. Try not to overwhelm yourself but do make the list manageable. Stick to only doing the things on your list for the day and give yourself grace if you do not complete everything on your list. Plan to complete those tasks the next day or when you feel you are able to.
3. Irritability/Crying Spells. If you are constantly irritable and/or having moments of uncontrollable crying, this may signal that you are overwhelmed emotionally. These best way to overcome this is to figure out the reason behind the behavior. Keep a journal and log each time you experience irritability or have a crying episode. Write out what was going on before your experience, how you felt during it, and anything else pertaining to your experience. This can help you gain insight on patterns. Awareness of your pattern allows you to more easily disrupt the pattern in the future.
4. Inability to Find Solutions to Daily Problems/Stress. When problems come up, do you get annoyed and avoid taking action? This can signal anxiety because you may be fearful of the outcome of handling the problem which leads to avoidance. This may also be a sign of depression because when you are depressed, you become focused on what you need to do to make it through the day. Additional problems or stress are not given much attention because all of your energy is spent on necessary daily tasks for survival.
If you are having trouble reflecting on your emotions and what they might be telling you, it is recommended that you seek help from a licensed professional.
Take Breaks
A big part of maintaining your mental health is to take breaks. No one is going to be there to constantly remind you when you need a break. You have to know yourself and know when you would benefit from taking a break. A great way to get into a routine of taking time for yourself is to write it into your schedule and adjust as needed. Breaks can be anywhere from 15 minutes a day, 1 hour per week, multiple hours per week, etc. It is your decision. Breaks should be times where you have a chance to just sit with yourself and be at peace. This may look like reading a book, napping, taking a walk, exercising, and many other things. At the end of your breaks, you should feel more energized and less mentally/emotionally overwhelmed.
Connect with Others
Humans need connection. Loneliness is not good for physical or mental health. It can be hard finding time to hang with others with busy work schedules, family obligations, and other responsibilities. Just like taking breaks, it can be helpful to schedule social time. Some ideas are dinner dates with friends, volunteering, joining a group, and saying yes to invitations more often. Have regular social interactions leads to lower anxiety and depression, helps regulate emotions, and leads to greater self-esteem.
Ask for Help
There is no need to suffer in silence or to think that you have to in order to appear strong. Unfortunately, that is the message that many people receive from society. The truth is, you are strong to recognize that you need help and to request it. This means that you have enough self-awareness to understand that you are unable to get better on your own and that that’s okay. When it comes to physical health, we don’t tell people that they are weak for not being able to fix their health issues. We look to doctors and healthcare providers for guidance. The same should be true for mental health care. It is this simple: if you need help for your mental health, seek help. Mental health issues do not go away overtime without help or by avoiding them. When mental health issues keep you from functioning to the best of your ability, it is time to get help.