Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental illnesses are conditions that affect a person’s thinking, feeling, mood or behavior, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Such conditions may be occasional or long-lasting (chronic) and affect someone’s ability to relate to others and function each day.
Here are some of the ways to maintain your mental health.
1. Reduce watching and reading news
At times, the continuous streaming of news contributes to stress and anxiety. Additionally, binge-watching or binge-reading about the news can become distressful and exhilarating. Instead, one can schedule a particular time and give it on the information and reports. And the rest of the leisure hours, you can give your commitment to a full-fledged movie or your favorite TV shows and keep your mind distracted from the increasing mortality figure worldwide.
2. Schedule a healthy physical routine for yourself
The intertwined connection between mental and physical health cannot get overlooked. During the crucial hours, you must empower yourself and keep your nerves strong. Don’t overlook your physical health in the process of safeguarding your mental health. Avoiding junk foods is the first parameter that exemplifies the importance of homemade food. There’s no denying you must consume healthy meals at this time: stock berries, nuts, and essential dry fruits.
Consume protein-based food, and don’t forget to add some vitamin supplements, of course, after consulting a general physician. When it comes to a healthy routine, exercises are an integral part of the regimen. There’s no hard and fast rule that you have to perform vigorous exercise. It is essential to walk for half an hour, exercise regularly, and make every step to follow healthy habits.
3. Communication is the best solution
Phone calls and messages are the first steps to interacting with your favorite person. Besides, you can utilize video chatting programs and keep your lines of communication open. Reconnecting with your old friends sounds like a therapeutic affair. The more you share your feelings and emotions with your close pals, the better the scenarios become, especially during this health crisis.
4. Practice and perform what you enjoy the most
Staying home doesn’t only mean remote working. It means spending time with yourself by performing the hobbies you love. You can consider hobbies that rekindle better mental health. Gardening is the first practice that requires a lot of commitment. You can renovate your kitchen garden by planting fresh herbs and condiments. Another predominant practice that has acquired prominence during lockdown is cooking and baking.
From channeling your creativity to killing your boredom, cooking does everything nice and fancy. Also, it has a bonus reward for you – eating. Considering health benefits, who would ever deny the predominance of reading books? Rediscover your old journey through a narrative or explore a new story. Lastly, people who don’t find it convenient to express through words rely solely on vocalizing their thoughts through narration – writing can also be considered.
5. Practice mindfulness and meditation
So you already know that meditation and mindfulness relax both your mind and body. What you require is a quiet location, a comfortable position, and lastly, an open mind. Studies state that meditation helps in relieving stress. From reducing negative emotions and attitudes to nourishing creativity and helping you get more patient, practicing mindfulness is a mind-soothing affair. The fact that it allows you to focus on the present is no denying. Meditation is a wonderful complement to traditional treatment. What you can do is to try consulting a medical professional about the good activities you can perform.
Bottom line
Given that the power of mental health is beyond any other physical ailments, staying optimistic will promote rational thinking in the pragmatic world. In times of pandemic, improving your mental health can have an influential impact on raising your community. To alleviate stress in these worrying hours, you must stay socially connected to people around you (the companions you love). This way, anxiety, stress, and depression can be alleviated, thereby boosting self-worth, providing comfort and joy, preventing loneliness, and infusing happiness into your beautiful life.
