NURTURING YOURSELF- 10 PRACTICES THAT CAN IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL WELL-BEING
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
-Oscar Wilde
What happens when those dark days and challenging weeks come?
We’ve all had our share of ups and downs. Some people, however, can go to the next growth stage faster than others. While some people separate themselves or exude an uneasy atmosphere when things aren’t going well, others are pleasant and empathic even when things aren’t going well.
There are different aspects of personal development, including mental well-being, which determines how we thrive in the presence and absence of adversities, problems, mental illnesses, and challenges.
Mental well-being is simply handling different stages of our lives devoid of negative thoughts and emotions. This article describes what mental well-being is all about and ten practices to improve your mental well-being.
Let’s begin.
Mental health and mental well-being, are they different?
Mental health and mental well-being are related terms but can be used independently. Mental health encompasses the emotional, psychological and social well-being of an individual. It is a general term that focuses on how we perceive emotions, process, and react to them.
On the other hand, mental well-being concentrates on how an individual thrives or grows positively in all aspects of our lives in both good and bad times. Mental well-being is simply your resilience amidst adversities.
Both mental health and mental well-being can influence each other. For example, prolonged mental health problems and illnesses can make a person less confident about the present and future and thus affect the mental well-being of that person.
Inability to thrive and think positively in good and bad situations (negative mental well-being) may result in mental health issues due to anxiety, stress, and depression.
Related topic: Mental health awareness: Meaning, Five things you can benefit from being mentally aware.
Ten practices that can improve your mental health
The importance of your mental well-being can’t be overemphasised as it affects everything you do. Also, the resilience that comes with positive mental well-being is essential for your development journey.
The following are ten ways you improve your mental well-being and be at the top of your game in all aspects of your life:
1. Begin by engaging in some physical activity.
Studies have shown that there is s relationship between physical activity and mental well-being. All you have to do is get active, pick a sport, or exercise regularly.
Here’s how it works:
- Physical activity boosts brain activity, making the brain release chemicals called endorphins, which helps relieve pain and stress. A happy brain is good for your mental well-being.
- Getting better at a sport you like can help improve your self-esteem, making you see things on a positive note. If you can excel at that sport you love, you can do that in other areas of your life too.
- It also increases your ability to focus on a task.
2. Practice healthy living.
Healthy living means adopting a healthy lifestyle and letting go of unhealthy habits.
These habits include:
- Eating healthy
- Getting good rest and sleep
- Drinking alcohol responsibly
- Avoiding drug/substance abuse
- and of course, exercising often.
3. Build quality relationships with people
Spending quality time with people that understand and love you is priceless for your mental well-being. So, spend time with your family, understand your friends, co-operate with your colleagues, be kind, and enjoy the warmth you get to feel in your environment.
Building quality relationships with your family, friends, colleagues can make you feel more relaxed in your environment. This will help you cope with stress, work better, and grow in general.
4. Practice mindfulness and become self-aware.
Being mindful means that you are fully present, aware of your environment actions, aware of your intentions, and aware of your emotions.
Self-awareness means seeing yourself from within, your emotions, actions, and personality. Being self-aware is an essential step for you to be aware of your faults thought processes and work on yourself as an individual.
Practising mindfulness and self-awareness helps you be intentional about your growth as an individual. You also get to appreciate the time, food, and people, which means that you can carry out actions towards any goal you have in mind.
5. Find time to meditate.
Meditation helps you attain a sense of calmness towards various situations, and it allows you to think and see clearly. It increases your ability to focus, which means no more drifting off while at work or school.
Meditating allows you to adjust your mindset to see and experience things positively, and this is essential for your mental well-being.
6. Love yourself.
Caring for others may indeed give us a peaceful feeling. However, don’t forget to take care of yourself as well. That way, you can show empathy to others.
You can show love to yourself by doing the things you love, reading books on personal development, forgiving yourself, affirming your strengths, and working on your weaknesses.
7. Learn to ask for help when you are overwhelmed.
Even when we seem to have everything under control, sometimes we are faced with overwhelming emotions that will cause us to act, feel, and think differently. Such moments are threatening to our mental health.
When those times come knocking at the door, it is okay to talk to someone dear, ask for help, or get professional help. Hard times could result in anxiety, mental stress, depression, and mental health problems over time when not handled properly.
8. Know when to take a break.
Perhaps you have been working on a problem, you feel like you’ve reached a dead end, or you are overwhelming yourself with too much work, learn to pause, breathe, and take a break.
When you take a break from all that pressure, you will have time to think and develop new ideas and solutions.
9. Find time to volunteer and show others that you care.
Volunteering, giving, or offering service to others can help improve your mental well-being. It could be as little as smiling, showing care to someone you love or a stranger, buying coffee for your colleagues, and donating.
Are you in charge of a team? Showing care could be as little as portraying good leadership qualities and listening to your colleagues’ ideas. Caring allows you to spread kindness with respect and good deeds. This can make you feel confident.
10. Learn something new! Keep growing
Try learning a new skill or a skill that can help you in your career, take courses, take action. Set realistic goals, work on them, and repeat the process.
Remember how you felt after finishing a task that yielded results. Imagine feeling that as you move forward in your career. That feeling helps improve your mental well-being.
Final thoughts
Now that we know the importance of our mental well-being, stay motivated with the quote below.
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do” -Bruce Lee
References
1. Verywell mind: Why Is Mental Health Important? Published November 15, 2021.
2. HealthKnowledge: Public health textbook- Medical sociology policy economics: Concepts of health and wellbeing.
3. CABA: What is mental wellbeing?
4. Mental Health Foundation: Publications-How to look after your mental health.
5. Harris, M. A. (2018) ‘The relationship between physical inactivity and mental wellbeing: Findings from a gamification-based community-wide physical activity intervention’, Health Psychology Open. doi: 10.1177/2055102917753853.
6. Healthline: Exercise, Depression, and the Brain. Updated on July 25, 2017.
