These Six Things Can Help Improve Your Overall Mental Health

How do you know if your mental health is up to par, and what do we mean by mental health? There are certain things you can engage in to improve your overall mental health. Mental health isn’t solely restricted to your mental well-being.  Mental health includes your social well-being, and is the foundation for your psychological and emotional alertness. It summarily affects the overall mood, thought process and how we act and react. Our mental health affects our relationships with other people, our ability to handle stress, our functioning in the workplace and why we make the choices we do. A person’s mental health is regarded as the level of psychological well-being that indicates if their behavioral and emotional functions enable them to successfully navigate their way in society.  If your mental health needs enhancing, we recommend that you focus on these areas of your life.

Care For Your Body

By taking care of your body, you can increase your self-esteem, self-worth and thereby improve your overall mental health. The physical affects the psychological. All you have to do is: Eat healthy and nutritious foods, drink enough water, and get enough sleep (sleep researchers believe that college students who don’t sleep enough tend to get depressed), steer clear of cigarettes, and exercise.

Stay Close To People Who Share Strong Connections With You

You don’t need negative vibes around you or people who try to compete with you. People who surround themselves with others who share strong connections with them, such as family, work colleagues, and social or club friends, tend to be happier and healthier. Never underestimate the value of a support network! Make sure to spend enough time with those in your support group. Seek out and engage in activities such as outdoor activities, social clubs, and classes where you can meet new people who share similar interests.

Learn To Deal With Stress

Whether you expect it or not, stress happens, it’s a part of life. But what do you do when you’re stressed? Do you have a proven system to cope with it? If you don’t you could try meditation, Tai Chi, spending ample time with your pet, putting your thoughts down in a journal or a diary, taking a walk around your area or even undergoing the One-Minute Stress Strategies. Don’t forget to be cheerful, smile a lot and try to see the humorous side of things; Research has shown that laughter is truly the ‘best medicine’ as it helps to boost immune systems, relax muscles and the body, ease pain and finally, reduce stress.

Set Realistic Goals

It’s a good thing to set goals, but pushing yourself trying to achieve seemingly impossible ones is not. If it’s academic, personal, or professional, be sure to document the process and the steps you would need to follow to achieve your goals. Remember, aiming high is good, but being realistic will help you achieve your goals faster. Also, do not be overly ambitious. As you progress at your own pace, you will feel a  sense of accomplishment and be more focused on achieving additional life goals. As you succeed your focus and zeal towards the entire process will enhance your mental growth.

Stay Away From Drugs And Alcohol

When you are feeling down do you take solace in alcohol usage? That’s not the way to go. You’re probably increasing your problems and not ‘self-medicating’ as you might have thought you were doing. If you’re faced with challenges, don’t self medicate, and most especially, do not use alcohol and other drugs to numb the pain you may be feeling. Your mental alertness – when you need it most – risks being dulled by resorting to these substances.

Get Professional Help

It’s not a sign of weakness seeking professional help; rather, it’s a show of strength. Treatment is important and effective as people who seek help and receive the required care will often be able to confront and understand the sources of their pain, and, with help, work towards their recovery from any mental challenges or addiction from which they’re suffering. They will also recognize if and when they should seek help again as they go on to lead rewarding lives.

On a final note, working towards regaining full control of your mental alertness and getting rid of any mental illness is a must. The list above is a good pointer to improve your overall mental health.