Tips to improve your mental well-being in 2020
Many things can harm our mental well-being. These days, there are so many distractions and we are constantly ‘switched on’, unable to let our minds rest. Then, there are all of the pressures and worries we face in modern life as well as health problems and financial problems.
Veterans, returning from performing duties can be affected by their injuries – for more information, follow this link. Cancer can rear its ugly head out of the blue, throwing lives into turmoil. Getting into debt can send us into a downward spiral, and there are many other ways our mental health can be impacted.
Here, however, are some ways to combat it and start the New Year as positively as possible:
Get outside more
The quiet calm of nature helps to reduce stress and improve our state of mind. It can calm us down, reducing blood pressure and heart rate so that we can think more clearly and not feel as overwhelmed about life.
It has proven hugely successful with many people who suffer from various types of mental health problems as well as making them feel physically stronger. Whether it is simply sitting in the garden or taking a run, it helps to improve a person’s mood and reduce depression.
Fill out a daily gratitude journal
Gratitude journals are a great way to reflect and try to find the positives in everyday life. By making you commit to writing down things that you are thankful for every single day, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant they are, it makes you realize there are still good things in your life.
For many, too, it also highlights that it is often the small things we come to value most. Be it a cuddle on the sofa, or a cup of coffee somebody makes for us, simple gestures that money can’t buy are the ones that stay with us the longest.
Get more sleep
Lack of sleep is something that can have a massive effect on our overall health and well-being. Depression can often start as a result of it – or, can lead to it – so sleep often pays a large part in mental health and form a vicious circle around the individual’s recovery.
Try to get into a routine of relaxing and unwinding before bed with a bath or a book and no screen time for at least an hour before you get into bed. From aromatherapy oils to meditation, there are a wealth of techniques you can try to help you sleep. However, if they are not working then you should speak to your doctor.
Unplug and recharge
Continuing with the subject of less screen time, you should also try to reduce the amount of time you spend on devices in general. Compared to even ten years ago, people have many more devices and as such, spend much more time on their laptops, tablets, smartphones and gaming consoles overall.
This leads to the brain being constantly in a state of unnatural constant stimulation. So, it is no surprise that it leads us to feelings of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and manic behavior.
To avoid this, commit to introducing steps to help you break the addiction and have a self-enforced digital detox. You will feel so much calmer having less distractions and can enjoy living in the present more.
Learn something new
Often, we get stuck in a rut and feel that life is passing us by in a constant stream of monotony and drabness. It can seem like nothing ever changes, so why not force it to?
It might only be a short sewing course or a Zumba class, but introducing something new that teaches you a whole different skill helps you feel refreshed and accomplished.
Achieving any goal is hugely satisfying, but when you can walk away with a skill that you will always have thanks to the effort you have put in, you will feel incredibly happy with yourself. Plus, it puts you in a whole new environment and state of mind as well as introducing you to new people.
