How To Keep Your Mental Health In Check
More often than not, people tend to pay more attention to their physical health; constantly looking for ways to improve the physical state of their body but forget that their mental health is equally important. The World Health Organisation has stated that mental health is an integral part of health; indeed, there is no health without mental health. Hence, intentionally seeking to be in a good mental state should be a priority.
As we journey through life, various factors could threaten a person's mental health; how we feel, think and act. This could be biological, result from life-changing experiences, family history, unhealthy lifestyles such as struggling diet or substance abuse, stressful work conditions, rapid social change, or even financial factors.
Regardless of the factors, early signs can tell you your mental health is deteriorating before it gets to borderline depression. Some of these signs are:
- Feeling helpless or hopeless, confused, angry, and worried.
- A change in your eating or sleeping habits.
- Low or no energy and interest in activities or people.
- Unnecessary aches or pain and feeling numb.
- Repetitive thoughts and memories that mess with you.
- Using drugs more than usual, smoking and drinking.
- Severe mood swings that affect your relationships.
- Harmful thoughts towards oneself and others.
- Inability to perform basic daily tasks.
- Hearing voices or believing things that are not true.
If you find yourself experiencing any of the above signs, how you explore your coping abilities in handling these signs will help determine how good or stable your mental health is. Here are ways to help keep your mental health in check.
- Get good sleep:
Life activities do come at you fast and trying to catch up becomes a struggle. The less sleep you have, the more responsive you are to mood swings which over time affects your mental health. Get just the right amount of sleep even with that busy schedule.
- Physical activity
Engaging in physical activity keeps you active and your mind busy. Take regular walks and exercise, they increase the endorphins in your body which helps relieve stress and boost moods.
- Support System
It is always important to surround yourself with loved ones, family, and friends. The people you surround yourself with can either be a contributor to your problems or help solve them. Make plans with them, share challenges or seek out activities where you can connect with new people, such as a club, class, or support group.
- Helping Others
Giving your time and energy to helping someone boosts your feelings of self-worth. You'll feel good about doing something tangible to help someone in need. Try it today.
- Develop coping skills.
Stress is inevitable in life but how you deal with stress is what is important in ensuring it doesn't affect your mental health. You can take up journal writing, taking a walk, talk it out with someone, or as simple as taking deep breathes. Find out which healthy coping mechanism works best for you and stick with it.
- Seeking professional help if need be
Seeking help is a sign of strength. If you struggle with dealing with your mental health on your own, you should seek a professional who can help guide you and offer medical solutions where need be.
Being in a good state mentally cannot be underplayed as it affects every aspect of your life. For example, mental disorders can raise one risk for physical health problems like heart diseases, stroke, and other physical illnesses. Generally, It helps you deal with the stress, maintains good and healthy relationships, realize and explore your full potentials while being effective and productive. Do not wait until you're are in a bad state mentally before trying to engage in these activities, you can keep your mental health in check by making them a habit.
