Not so long ago if you had mentioned mental well-being as an important issue people would have viewed you suspiciously. For decades we have worried about our physical health but mental health was seldom discussed. We are now more enlightened and know that overall health involves both mental and physical well-being. Self care for mental well-being is now accepted as important for overall good health.
These dismissive thoughts about mental health usually affected men more than women. Boys were brought up to be tough and told “Big boys don’t cry”. We now realize that this was bad, although well meaning, advice.Fathers thought that they were teaching their sons to stand up for themselves and be able to take on the hardships of life. In fact they were just raising emotionally challenged individuals.
This traditional mindset has now been replaced with a much healthier understanding that both boys and girls should be encouraged to express their feelings. We are better able to cope with the stress of modern day life if we express our feelings and accept that we need to take care of ourselves.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are still people who want to look tough and don’t consider their mental state. That is until they hit a crisis in life and then have no coping mechanism.
Luckily more and more people now accept that the constant pressures of life whether it be work, money or relationships can cause problems unless addressed. At these periods in life, self care becomes vital to our well-being.
We are all different and what works for me will not necessarily be right for you but here are suggestions for self care tips to improve mental well-being that you can consider.
Simple self care tips for mental well-being
1. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is about being present in the moment. You free your mind of any stress in your life and worries about the future. Now you can set aside time to do this each day or you can just build it in to daily tasks. If you are working on a project then give it your full attention and remove distracting thoughts from your mind.
If you are trying to lose weight and having trouble sticking to a diet, then try practicing mindful eating. When you are eating make sure you are fully present in the moment. Take small mouthfuls and savour each flavour. This will naturally slow down your eating and that in itself may help you eat less.
Eliminate multi-tasking from your life and improve your focus.
2. Use aromatherapy
I have suggested using aromatherapy in other articles. Essential oils like lavender, frankincense or lemongrass will help to create a soothing aroma that will help to relax you. Aromatherapy has been shown to have numerous benefits to your health. Not only will it make you feel calmer but can reduce stress, help you sleep and lower blood pressure.
3. Drink a cup of coffee
Coffee has been shown to lift our mood. The antioxidant properties of coffee will help your physical health but the caffeine can also help perk you up and alleviate mild depression. If you combine a cup of coffee with a chat with a supportive friend then so much the better.
4. De-clutter
You have probably heard of Marie Kondo. Perhaps you think it weird that she has become a household name by basically telling people to tidy up. My mum was doing that when I was a teenager. However de-cluttering can really improve your mood. For some it has become a status symbol to have all the latest gadgets and to keep buying more stuff.
In 2020, when many of us have found ourselves at home more, we have started to re-evaluate our life choices. Perhaps we don’t need so many possessions and should aim for a more minimalist way of living. This has been popular in the Far East for years in the form of Feng Shui.
One way of approaching this minimalist way of living is to decide to get rid of one item for every new item you buy. This will concentrate your mind on whether you really need that new thing.
5. Have a social media detox
Using social media can be helpful if it keeps you in touch with friends, but it also has it’s problems. The constant notifications can be stressful. This is not healthy in the long run. Do you judge your popularity by how many likes you are getting? That can make you feel good in the moment; you may even get a rush of dopamine. It can become addictive. However over time it can be very unhealthy as you will constantly be searching for your next “fix”.
It can be even more of a problem if you receive negative comments and get trolled by sad individuals who delight in running people down.
Taking time away from social media for regular periods will do wonders for your mental health.
6. Practice yoga
If you are a strapping man you may discount this as something that women do. But yoga really works for anyone. Yoga focuses on the mind, body and soul connection. In this way it is very similar to mindfulness and many yoga sessions will finish with a mindfulness session.
Yoga will teach you breathing techniques and will stretch your body. So finding a yoga class will be good for your flexibility and also your mental well-being. In fact you can practice yoga at home with an online course.
7. Have an Epsom salt bath
There is not much else to say about this. Add some Epsom salts to a warm bath and give it a try. Yes. self care for mental well-being can be as simple as this.
8. A problem shared is a problem halved
OK that may not always be true but talking about your struggles can really help. We may be talking about self care for mental well-being but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Sharing a problem with a friend can help you in more ways than one.
You will feel better for getting it off your chest but sometimes we can become too obsessed with our problems to think straight. Someone else can sometimes help you see things differently and give you another perspective. Looking at a problem from another point of view can bring clarity.
9. Keep a journal
This is another one that may at first thought seem unlikely. I mean how can writing a journal help your mental state. In fact journaling is great for mental well-being. Many of us spend too much time worrying and fretting about things that may never happen. By nature I was a bit of a worrier. Eventually you realize that worrying about things that you can’t influence or that may never occur is a pointless exercise.
By putting pen to paper and expressing your thoughts and concerns acts as a release. We need to get out of our own heads sometimes and getting your thoughts on to paper can help bring clarity.
You can use a journal for all sorts of things. Create to do lists, set goals, record your achievements and your setbacks, identify learning experiences and express gratitude.
In fact expressing gratitude is one of the most important things to do. Identify 3 things each day that you should be grateful for. It can be as simple as a good meal, good health or someone paying you a compliment. Even if things are bad, we all have some things to be grateful for.
10. Take some “Me” time
If you are a woman juggling a career, running a home and raising a family then this is important. If you don’t take some time for yourself you will risk burning yourself out and that won’t be good for anyone.
You need to make time for yourself. Put some of these other self care suggestions in to action. Don’t think this is selfish; your health is as important as anyone else.
Learn to say “No”. There are times when you just need to admit that your schedule is full. If someone is putting pressure on you to do something but you either don’t have the time or don’t want to, then say no.
11. Look your best
This is another way in which women sometimes forget to concentrate on themselves. If you are struggling to cope with a hectic life it can be easy to let yourself go. If you are tired all the time, you may pay less attention to your appearance. Take some time to get your hair done and don your best clothes on occasions.
When you look in the mirror you want to see a strong, attractive, healthy person looking back at you. This will give you a renewed sense of energy and purpose. You don’t want to feel like you’ve neglected yourself. as you need to maintain your self esteem.
While we are on the subject of mirrors, smile at yourself. It is a fact that smiling, even if you don’t feel like it, will make you feel happier.
12. Eat a healthy diet
This is related in some ways to the last point. If you are feeling down it can be tempting to reach for the cookie jar and turn to comfort eating. This is bad news. Not only will putting on extra pounds make you feel worse about yourself but can also lead to physical health problems. You can get in to a negative spiral of feeling bad, putting on weight, feeling even worse and turning to yet more comfort eating.
Eating a well balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables will keep you in top physical and mental health. Drink plenty of water also so you are well hydrated.
13. Appreciate nature
Don’t stay cooped up indoors with a box set of your favourite series. Get out in nature. Go for a walk in the great outdoors. Appreciating trees and flowers, mountains and streams can really lift your spirits. It is also a great way to get exercise in to your life which we are coming to next.
If you live in a city and have less access to the outdoors, add house plants to your home to bring nature inside. Tending to plants can bring calm and many houseplants can actually remove toxins from the air and improve your environment.
14. Get active
It is important to stay physically fit as that will have a great effect on how you feel about yourself. How you choose to do that is not important. Perhaps you want to take up a sport, go swimming, cycling or jogging. In fact walking is better for you than jogging so don’t think you need to be a great athlete to benefit.
15. Learn from your mistakes but live for today
There is nothing wrong with learning from your mistakes. In fact that makes total sense. We often, dwell on the past and relive painful feelings. You can’t change the past. Maybe you said things you regret or did things that you wish you could undo. Well, you can’t change any of that. So it is time to move on and in the words of the hit song, “Let it go”.
We have already identified that journaling can help deal with these sorts of issues. Some people take it a step further and commit it to paper which they then rip in to tiny pieces or burn. Whether you try this or put the thoughts in to a virtual balloon which you then release doesn’t matter.
However you do it, you need to stop carrying round the baggage of the past and pave your way in to tomorrow.
You can't change the past, but you can start today to make a better future.Click To TweetMiracles will not happen overnight, but applying some of these tips on self-care for mental well-being will help you cope with the stress of life. You will improve your mental well-being and overall health which is exactly what you deserve.
