Life, for most of us, involves highs and lows. While the peaks are exhilarating and wonderful, the troughs can be excruciating. When we experience trauma, or even just go through a difficult time, it’s important to prioritize both our physical and mental health. Many of us are reluctant to talk about mental well-being. But to truly thrive, we must protect and nourish our minds as well as our bodies. In this guide, we’ll outline five proven ways to protect your mental health during difficult times.
How To Protect Your Mental Health
1. Seek Help and Advice
When we encounter challenges or go through major life changes, such as losing a loved one or ending a relationship, it’s essential to remember that we don’t have to face these things alone.
It can be scary to reach out or open up to others, but in almost all cases it is beneficial to seek help and advice. This includes asking others for practical help as well as emotional support.
This is a basic strategy that can help you to protect your mental health during difficult times.
If you have questions about legal processes, medical diagnoses or financial issues, or you want to talk to somebody about grief or dealing with long-term illness, help is available.
Professional help can come in many different forms, such as talking to a therapist or seeking help from a support group.
Taking this proactive step can give you the support and guidance necessary to help manage stress, overcome challenges, and develop coping strategies that can make all the difference.
Additionally, speaking with a professional can provide you with valuable insight into yourself and how past experiences may be contributing to current issues in your life.
Other potential resources include charitable organizations, friends, colleagues and family members.
Always remember, seeking support to help protect your mental health is not a sign of weakness. If organizing a one-to-one consultation or speaking to somebody directly feels daunting, there are alternatives. For example, we may opt to contact advisers online or talk on the phone. Or speak to a therapist or an adviser on a helpline rather than a friend or relative.
2. Try Not to Bury Your Emotions
Trauma or major life change impact us all differently. While some of us are open and frank about how we feel, others bury emotions and put on a brave face.
There’s nothing wrong with either behavior. But it’s crucial to let ourselves experience emotions and to be honest about how we feel if we are to protect our mental health.
This is particularly important when it comes to loss. Allowing ourselves to process all emotions, both negative and positive, is another way to protect your mental health as you experience difficult times.
3. Protect Your Mental Health Through all Stages of Grief
Grief often has different stages. Some want to keep busy while others want to hide from the world. Some want to talk about the person they’ve lost. Others can’t bear to reminisce.
It can be helpful to find a way to remember the person you’ve lost that brings you comfort and eventually joy. This could be framing a photo you treasure or finding a place where you feel like you can talk to that person.
Understand that it’s natural to grieve and mourn. Remember that loss impacts us in many ways. There is no right or wrong way to react to the loss of a special person. Allow yourself to feel and don’t feel that you need to justify or excuse your thoughts or emotions to help protect your mental health when you are experiencing grief.
4. Give Yourself Time
One of the most critical ways to support yourself after trauma or loss of any kind is to give yourself time. We live in a world where deadlines dictate most things we do and often feel as though we’re up against the clock. There is no “right amount of time” to grieve or mourn.
Whether you’re recovering from an accident, dealing with chronic illness, lost a loved one, or facing a significant life challenge, such as unemployment or divorce, it’s essential to take the amount of time you need to process your loss and pain.
Try to avoid putting pressure on yourself to bounce back within a certain period.
When times are tough, you may automatically start thinking about the future or dwell on the past. Aim to focus on the present and try not to get stressed by factors or obstacles that you can’t change or control.
It’s important to take time to come to terms with what has happened at your own pace.
So often, we feel like we have to work to a schedule or reach targets in terms of what society expects or what people around us say or think. You should never feel rushed. Move at your own speed. You might recover or heal faster or slower than others. It’s not a race.
5. Manage stress and anxiety
When you’re feeling sad, anxious, or low, the last thing you need is additional stress. Try to protect yourself as best you can by managing stress. Surround yourself with people who support and build you up. Take time out to relax and recharge your batteries. Get enough sleep, devote time to activities that you enjoy, socialize if you feel up to it and look after your body. Exercise, spend time outdoors and eat well.
Other ways to protect your mental health
If you find it hard to talk about how you feel, look for other ways to express yourself. For some people, it’s helpful to write things down, paint, or draw. For others, it’s beneficial to exercise. Activities like boxing, spinning, running and playing golf can be cathartic if you’re angry or restless. Yoga, Pilates, swimming and walking are helpful for relaxing and reducing anxiety. Cycling, dancing, playing team sports and doing exercise classes can boost your mood and clear your mind.
Overcome Addictions
Mental health issues can lead to an addiction, which then makes the mental illness worse. To protect yourself and start getting better, you’ll need to overcome these addictions and tackle what was causing them in the first place. With virtual substance abuse treatment and similar options, this has never been easier, as long as you’re willing to put the work into it.
Don’t Hesitate to Seek Help
If self-help techniques are not making a difference, don’t hesitate to seek help. If you can’t sleep, or experience periods of extreme anxiety or depression, or you find it hard to switch off and wind down, talk to your doctor. There are treatments and therapies available.
Remember, when we’re going through tough periods, it’s especially crucial to protect our mental health.
Remember that help and support are available, and there is no shame in seeking comfort and reassurance from others. Try not to bury emotions, and give yourself time to heal, recover and process all you are feeling. Manage stress and anxiety as best you can and seek advice if you’re struggling or need practical or emotional support. Take time to rest, surround yourself with positive people and take good care of your body, as well as your mind.
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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