Our world is dominated by negativity of all sorts, including poor economic situations, insecurity and family and career challenges. Unless you make conscious efforts to protect and improve your mental health, you’ll find yourself paying the price. And that’s not good for you.
Mental health involves your psychological, emotional, and behavioural well-being. It involves the way you think, feel and act.
If you’re mentally ill, it will affect the way you handle tasks and relate with others around you. Your physical health will also manifest that instability. Chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cancer can lead to mental health conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety.
Maintaining good mental health is crucial for all, regardless of age. So this is for you, whether you’re young or old.
Table of Contents
9 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health
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Be grateful
Despite all the negative things going on around you, if you look closely, there is something to be grateful for. Gratitude helps you to stay happy and also work more effectively. Medically, gratitude helps you to sleep well and also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces your stress levels.
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Exercise
The art of exercising daily through aerobic activities like jogging, swimming, cycling, walking is an effective way to improve your mental health. Exercise is a powerful medicine for mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress. It also boosts physical health and serves as a distraction from all the negativity around you.
Read also: Life-enhancing benefits of walking
Contrary to popular opinion, exercise isn’t just for losing weight. It plays a great role in combating diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
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Social interactions
By nature, humans thrive when they relate with others, whether at home, in the workplace, or online. So when you build a good relationship with others, it goes a long way in improving your mental and physical well-being.
Social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of depression and anxiety. When you interact with people, it’s easy to share your plight or experiences, lighten each other’s moods, and encourage one another.
People with strong and cordial relationships are generally happier people than those without it.
Read also: How to interact with people you just met
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Have deliberate fun
Engaging in fun activities with your spouse, bestie, or group of friends is an effective way to relieve stress. Having fun keeps you feeling vital and alive. And there is proof that laughter helps reduce anxiety and depression.
Another way to do this is to give yourself a treat. You should reward yourself from time to time whenever you’ve done something right or achieved a goal. Doing this will help to improve your mental health.
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Embrace positivity
As much as you can, always think positive. Amidst all the negativity, choose to see the good side of things. It plays a role in the improvement of your mental health.
Proven benefits of being positive include higher energy levels, lower rates of depression, and better stress management and coping skills.
Embracing positivity won’t make the problems go away, but it will help to make the problem more manageable and help you approach difficulties in a better and more positive way.
You can achieve this by speaking positively and spending time with positive people.
Read also: The beauty of having a positive mindset and attitude
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Self-acceptance
Sometimes what causes poor mental health are feelings of inadequacies, comparison, and self-pity.
You may not be where you want to be yet, and a lot could have happened to you. But it is good to take things in good faith and hope for a better tomorrow than to sweat over the unchangeable past.
Don’t set unrealistic expectations that may stretch you emotionally, physically, or financially. When you worry, you strain your muscles and feel sad, all of which can lead to poor mental health.
Whether you like it or not, there will always be moments of failure. Accepting and seeing it as a means to do better will help to improve your mental health.
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Take care of yourself
You can also improve your mental health by taking care of your health. You see, mental and physical health are intertwined, so if you’re sick or ill, your mental health will be affected because you won’t be able to attend to your tasks the way you should
So pay attention to your health by eating well, drinking lots of water, getting a good night’s sleep, and exercising daily. Also, stay away from unhealthy habits such as the use of alcohol and tobacco.
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Do things that you enjoy
These days, due to the hectic nature of work and demands from home and family, you may be unable to do the things you enjoy. However, you need to find time to do these things. It could be watching your favourite TV series, reading a book, hanging out with friends, or playing your favourite sports. You can also learn a new skill.
Make time for yourself, and as you care for others, don’t forget yourself. This is a practical way to improve your mental health.
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Talk to a trained mental health professional
As much as there is lots of information on ways to improve your mental health online, it still doesn’t beat the work of a professional. So, when you feel it is necessary, talk to a professional to help you sort things out. You can check out the mentally aware initiative on Twitter for this. You can also follow us on twitter to get updates on uplifting posts.
Conclusion
Your mental health is just as important as physical health. You’ll save yourself a lot of worries if you take care of it.
Whether you like it or not, stress is a part of life. Regardless, I strongly believe that the practice of these tips will go a long way to improve your mental health and shield you from the effects of anxiety and other mental health difficulties.
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About Author
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Oluwanifemi Akintomide is an exceptional content writer who helps brands come up with impressive content that engages their audience and turns them into loyal customers.
She has interests in personal growth and development, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle.
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