According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of well-being in which you can build relationships, work productively, realize your goals, cope with stress and contribute to society.
Sounds incredible, doesn’t it? However, in many ways, modern life negatively affects our mental state. Nervous overstrain, burnout at work, endless flow of information, lack of quality rest — all this impairs mental health. It needs support. In this article, we will talk about how to improve your mental health with simple daily actions.
We have tried to avoid the obvious advice like “Eat healthy food,” “Exercise,” or “Get enough sleep.” Undoubtedly, the way we treat the body has a direct impact on the psyche as well. A proper lifestyle is a base for mental health. But in addition to this base, we will discuss a set of other actions.
Constantly learn new things
The British NHS (National Health Service) states that people who continue to learn after graduating from school and university report higher well-being and a greater ability to cope with stress. This works in several ways. First, constantly setting and achieving goals promotes the production of dopamine: one of the happiness hormones. Second, learning often involves interacting with others and strengthening social relationships. And third, the more we are skilled and knowledgeable, the more solid neural connections we have in our brains that shape how we think and act.
Keep learning throughout your life: enroll in cooking classes, take first aid training, or discover how to set up ads on social networks. Most importantly, learn something new every day.
Practice gratitude
The basis for most intrusive negative thoughts is emotions such as regret, envy, shame, and condemnation. One of the best ways to combat this is to practice gratitude. It works instantly: the brain automatically switches to the positive wave when we think about what we like and what helps us in life.
There are countless ways to do it. One simple and effective way is to keep a gratitude journal every morning or evening. Spend 10 or 15 minutes writing down moments and things you are grateful for. Try to list 3 to 10 things. It could be your family, work, nice weather, or a compliment from a colleague.
Another way to practice gratitude is through meditation. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and concentrate on things to be grateful for. If you use Inite app for your meditation, you can combine both approaches. First, devote 5 minutes to meditation. After the countdown ends, write your thanks in Inite.
Make a list of positive statements in case of stress
This point follows logically from the practice of gratitude. Your task is to make reminders of the things and beliefs that are truly important to you. They will be your antidote in the vortex of negative thoughts and emotions. The usual reminders (“Remember, you are very loved”), stress coping strategies (“Get up and walk around a bit and you’ll feel better”), and lyrics from your favorite songs will all work. Use anything that will help you regain focus and calm your inner storm. And in any case, remember: everything will pass.
“Will it matter afterward?”
When you worry about something, losing sight of the more distant perspective is easy. Ask yourself: “Will it matter in a week? In a month? In a year?” It will probably be immediately evident that the problem will lose importance very soon. Such questions will help you look at the situation differently to know how to respond. And if the problem is critical a year from now, these questions can change how you act.
Try mindfulness
Mindfulness practices allow us to accept and let go of situations, see more broadly, and abandon negative attitudes.
The mindfulness approach is based on centuries of meditation experience and modern neurobiological data. According to the scientific definition, mindfulness is a mode in which we focus on the present moment experience without conceptual elaboration and/or emotional reactivity.
How to practice? Make an effort of will and stop thinking. Focus on what is happening now. Don’t process or analyze the information, just absorb it. Concentrate on what your senses are perceiving: listen to sounds, smell smells, and observe the play of light and shadow. Or just concentrate on your breathing: watch the air entering and leaving your lungs for a few minutes.
Inite: your assistant in performing helpful rituals
Inite is an app that not only helps you do healthy activities like meditation and gratitude, but also rewards you for them. Use Inite for daily practices lasting from 5–10 minutes. After each meditation, write down in the app the ideas that came to your mind (these can also be the aforementioned gratitude). For each entry, you will be rewarded with Idea tokens.
Taking care of your mental health should be as much of a routine habit as taking care of your skin or tooth enamel. It’s not about prolonged effort, but about simple, short, but daily actions. Try it!
