Three Ways to Support Your Mental Health
Photo by Hassan OUAJBIR
No matter your age, gender, or anything for that matter, it’s important to look after your mental health and prioritize it. Throughout life, you will go through ups and downs, but when you are going through a low period, you should do your best to prioritize yourself to get yourself back to your highest.
There are so many different methods for looking after your mental health, so it’s important to reflect on your overall well-being and pinpoint something that you aren’t doing great at the moment. Maybe your diet isn’t as good as it should be, or you aren’t spending enough time on yourself and enjoying your hobbies. Sleep can have a big impact on your mental health, and so can drinking too much alcohol.
Below we look into three ways to support your mental health during a lower period.
#1. You Aren’t Spending Enough Time On You
One of the easiest ways to support your mental health is to prioritize yourself. It can be easy to get bogged down at work and forget to practice a little self-care. Take a look in the mirror and reflect on your lifestyle. Are you still doing your favorite hobbies like sudoku, hiking, cooking, or making your favorite cocktails? If not, it’s time to dedicate some time to you and get back into your routine of enjoying what you do.
#2. Get Enough Exercise
Are you getting enough exercise during the week? You should be aiming to be working out at least three times a week, as this will help your physical health which will have the knock-on effect of helping your mental health. You may be busy but try to factor in a 30-minute workout a couple of times a week to get your physical health back on track. A good way to motivate yourself to work out is to exercise with a friend. This way they can hold you accountable when you don’t do it.
#3. Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption
Drinking alcohol is good fun and something you shouldn’t completely stop doing if you enjoy it – completely stopping when it’s not required can set you up to fail. However, over-consuming alcohol regularly can damage your mental health as well as your overall health. A good way to reduce how much you drink is to find drinks that you enjoy but are for sipping, such as a good cocktail – it’s harder to over-consume on cocktails as it’s expensive and you are supposed to drink them slowly. The next time you are going out, instead of having a beer or a bottle of wine, order a mojito in a can and see if that helps you drink less.
What advice would you give to someone trying to support their mental health? Which of the above tips do you think is most effective? Are there any tips you would recommend that you think we should add to our guide? Let us know in the comment box below.
