We all know what it’s like to have a low, down day where the world feels like it’s against you. Every advertisement, every TV program and everything on social media tells us that we should workout and drink water and take vitamins, but there are few things that can really improve our mental health. And what works to improve poor mental health for one person won’t necessarily be the same thing that’ll work for the next.
Physical health is improved with running and eating an apple a day, but what about your mind?
Meditation may work for you. Or you may wish to research breathwork and ice baths.
There are so many options out there that may improve your mental health and it’s important to explore a variety to see what works best for YOU.
10 Ways to Improve Poor Mental Health
- Start with your body. You need to feel mentally ready to work on your body, but you also need to feel strong enough for your mind to feel healthy. Beginning to work on yourself physically can be difficult, but once you get started, it’s going to feel amazing.
- Sign up to be a volunteer. A great way to kick start your self-esteem is by volunteering for a worthy cause. It’s not just mental health that’ll improve, but your emotional wellbeing, too.
- Relax. If you are busy at home and busy at work, switching off doesn’t feel realistic. But you have to commit to it by making time for activities that help you, personally to become calmer and more focused.
- Surround yourself with good, happy people. We all benefit when surrounded by positive, healthy influences. That means putting people around you in your life that will make you feel good. Positive and healthy mindsets will seep into your thinking, too.
- Eliminate bad habits. Poor habits like smoking and drinking also impact your mental health. Excessive smoking and drinking will lead to other health issues, too, so knock out those negative habits as soon as you can.
- Reach out. One of the hardest things to do when your mental health is suffering is to reach out to others. It can be a therapist, a family member, or a friend. But talk to someone that you trust. Tell them that you are struggling. Just sharing your feelings will help.
- Figure out what makes you happy and then keep doing it. Doing the things that make you happy will keep your poor mental health at bay. If you like to play ball, go play. If you like to swim, swim. Whatever it is that makes you the happiest, you should do more of that.
- Put your goals on paper. Setting goals is a must when it comes to improving your mental health. You want to have something to work towards and doing so will help you to reach the goal of total self-worth, which you definitely need more of.
- Journal. If you haven’t done this before it may not feel like it’s the right thing to do but many find it helps to buy a pretty journal and start writing in it. Put your thoughts into the pages and share your reactions to life events. It will help you to see issues you didn’t notice at first and it will give you something to look back on to see your growth.
- Work on your communication. It’s easy to detach yourself from others when you are feeling low. Try to lean into people and communicate more when things feel dire. Doing this will teach you who is there for you when you need them the most.
How to Improve Today
Your mental health deserves your attention. Hopefully some of these tips can help to improve yours.
Dive into what feels right for you or give them each a try.
Just trying something new can help improve poor mental health all by itself.
Thank you as always for reading.
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Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Joan’s career includes clinical healthcare plus 20+ years as an executive in a nationwide health care system and 15 years as a consultant. The common threads throughout Joan’s personal and professional life are a commitment to non-profit organizations, mental health, compassionate coaching, professional development and servant leadership. Joan has had the privilege of mentoring early and mid-career professionals as well as current and future executives and leaders. She is a member of the International Organization of Life Coaches, serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is also a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me. You can read more about Joan here: Joan Senio.
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