7 Practical Tips to Enhance Your Mental Health

What is mental health?

Mental health refers to your overall psychological well-being. It includes your emotions, feelings and thinking. Your mental health can affect your ability to deal with stress, your reaction to difficulties and the quality of your relationship with others.

Everyone can experience mental or emotional health issues during their lifetime. Therefore, it is important to track and maintain mental health at every stage of your life.

Good mental health checklist

Having good mental health helps you to cope with the ups and downs in your life. You are also more likely to feel happiness, joy and peace.

Check in on your mental health by asking these simple questions:

• Do you feel happy and generally satisfied with life?
• Do you feel confident to face people or new situations?
• Do you set goals and work productively?
• Do you have good relationships?
• Do you feel good about yourself?
• Are you physically healthy?

If you answer more than one “NO” to these questions, maybe it’s time to pay attention to your mental health.

7 things you can do to improve your mental health

1. Create an emotional rubbish bin

Everyone has negative thoughts sometimes. But when you are too focused on those negative thoughts, it can affect your emotions and change your behaviours, which can harm your relationships.

An emotional rubbish bin can be a journal or other creative outlet for your emotions. Next time, when you feel overwhelmed by your negativities, write them down. This can help you clarify the problems, clear your mind and calm your feelings.

2. Take care of your physical health

We all know that our physical and mental health are connected. So, taking care of your physical health can also be beneficial for your mental health and well-being. These three things are extremely important to your body:

1. Stay active: Exercising regularly can reduce your stress and anxiety levels, which can, in turn, improve your mood. 
2. Get enough sleep: Sleep affects not only your physical health but also your mood. Good sleep is essential to maintain a positive mind and avoid depression. 
3. Eat healthy and nutritious foods: Healthy foods can provide the nutrition your body needs to help you feel stronger and better. Eating a well-balanced diet is also key to decreasing anxiety and stress in order to improve your mental health! 

3. Practice gratitude

Be grateful for the good things in your life! Try to write down three positive things in a gratitude journal every day. These can be big things like moving into a new place or little things like a nice breakfast. This practice can help you recognise thankful moments and positive emotions to help overcome your negativities.   

4. Connect with others

People who have a good family or social connections are generally happier and healthier than those without. Making a phone call or going out to reconnect and socialize with friends and family can help you feel better and reduce your negative feelings.

5. Learn to deal with stress

Stress is part of life. Therefore, developing your coping skills to deal with stressful situations is important. Be mindful of your stress level and do some relaxation activities to help reduce the stress if needed.

6. Get sunlight

Sunlight is essential to your health and well-being. Spending some time outdoors in the sunlight can help elevate serotonin levels, which can improve your mood and feelings. Using this time to stay positive and be present with nature can bring more benefits to your mental well-being!

7. Exercising your mind

Your mind is like your body. Exercise is needed to maintain and strengthen good health! Schedule a daily time to become involved in some activities that can help you stay present and relaxed. These activities can be your hobbies, creative arts, yoga, meditation, deep breathing, or simply listening to music.

“Focus on the good. It’s all around you.”

Life can be challenging sometimes. It is important to check in on your mental health from time to time. Remember, your mind is flexible. Try to train your mind to focus on the good and positive things to improve your overall well-being!

Last but not least, seeking help is a sign of strength! If you’re struggling to feel happy and it’s affecting your everyday life, mental health professionals can help.