Having a healthy mind is as important as having a healthy body. Of course, one should take care of both. Unfortunately, some believe that looking after one’s mental health requires a lot more effort. However, this is not true.
Mental Health Care
On the contrary, there are simple everyday activities that drastically improve your happiness and welfare when applied on a regular basis. Some are short-term, and others take a bit longer for results to be noticed. One way or another, all of them promise healthy mental development. So, here we’ll provide four steps you can take to take care of your mental health once and for all.
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Express Your Emotions
Many people believe bottling up one’s emotions is a valid solution. After all, some emotions are hard to control and lead to =unpleasant experiences. Why would we cope with undesirable feelings when there is so much that needs to be done? We must finish essays, answer hundreds of emails, study for midterm exams, and pay the rent. There is no time to focus on sadness or anger. Better to ignore them and go on with our lives, right? In fact, this leads to the opposite outcome.
Ignoring emotions is sweeping the dirt under the rug. You don’t see it, but the problem is still there. With enough repetition, the accumulated filth will be so massive that the carpet won’t be able to cover it. Needless to say, everyone will notice there is something off with that carpet.
Bottling up emotions leads to two negative results: either they slowly wear you down and ruin your tranquility, or they come to light in horrible manners in the least appropriate moment. In other words, you could burst out in anger in public, or you may experience a panic attack episode, to name a few.
The best solution is to let your emotions run their course. This is not the same as reacting immediately when in anger, or locking yourself at home when scared. Expressing your emotions means discussing them with friends, partners, or mental health professionals. It means to openly share your thoughts and opinions in any given situation, instead of repressing them. For example, if you feel like saying “no”, why would you say “yes”?
If those aren’t an option, write them down in a diary or notebook. Naturally, a journal provides a safe space to speak your mind, free of prejudice. It also organizes your ideas. Instead of thoughts wandering inside your head, you are carefully ordering them one by one.
Acquire this habit, and you’ll slowly lift the weight off your mind.
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Take Natural Herbal Supplements
Some people go to the gym and take sports supplements, to promote muscle growth and reduce muscle distress. All in all, although supplements are helpful, they are not a solution. As the name implies, they only supplement the exercise, they are not the exercise itself.
Believe it or not, mental health can be treated similarly. When accompanied by exercise, journaling, or therapy, natural herbal supplements enhance your overall well-being. Of course, some people take antidepressants, but these are long-term and need to be prescribed by a professional.
Herbal supplements, on the other hand, are natural and don’t need to be prescribed. According to the information found at SOMA Analytics, natural supplements cannot replace medical practitioners. Once again, they are just a companion. In other words, another beneficial step, along with therapy, and medicine, that ensures your overall well-being.
Your brain is a muscle. If sports supplements alleviate the pain in the arms and legs, then herb supplements alleviate the soreness in the head.
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Engage in Activities
The human body is meant to work. Bear in mind, working is not exactly to do something you don’t like just to earn money. Working means being active. It means to set the mind on a project, goal, or activity, and fulfilling it as efficiently as possible.
Doing physical exercise, going for a walk, cooking, cleaning up, drawing, or even writing a story. Almost any task can activate your mind and body and keep you busy for a while.
The opposite is also true. Mindless scrolling through social media, binge-watching Netflix, and playing video games for hours is counterproductive to your mind and body.
There is nothing wrong with relaxing and engaging in these activities for a while. The issue is when lethargy turns into a habit. Lethargy leads to a depressed state, and depression leads to a lack of willingness to commit to a task. It’s a dangerous circle.
Being active does wonders for your mind. Even if the accomplished task is a small one, the sense of fulfillment provides gratification. However, consider focusing only on activities that you find enjoyable. Otherwise, it could backfire. And don’t forget, this step is not the solution. It’s just a part of it.
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Seek Professional Help
All things being said, discussing your problems with a professional should be one of the first steps to take. Consider that psychologists and psychiatrists are called professionals for a reason. They spent years, maybe decades, studying and thoroughly understanding the mind and human behavior.
They know what causes trauma and which steps are required to deal with it. They detect certain patterns that you may be unaware of and share useful advice on how to stop them from occurring. And let’s not forget that therapists supply coping mechanisms to manage your anguish.
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Consider that there are different types of sessions, including family therapy, couple therapy, and of course, individual therapy (both online and presential). It is understandable when someone is afraid of attending therapy on their own, but with such a great variety to choose from, there is no chance of starting alone.
Most patients who seek help from a professional have stated that therapy is wonderful. It helps you change the way you think about a problem. It provides tools to perceive your reality objectively. It takes a negative experience and finds something meaningful from it.
The best part of it is not the professional who solves the issue. It is you. The therapist provides guidance, but more often than not, the one who comes out with the solutions is no one else but yourself. After all, self-awareness and self-exploration play a pivotal role in recovery and improvement.
Whether it is therapy, a psychologist, or a psychiatrist, make sure you go to a professional. It could save your life.
Sadly, life is not always fair. Many people struggle with depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses throughout their lives. Some of these are the result of childhood trauma. Others, the aftermath of drug or alcohol abuse. Not to mention poor nutrition, unresolved grief, or even family genetics play a role in the development of emotional disorders.
One way or another, there is always an explanation for one’s detriment. Most importantly, however, is not the cause of the problem itself, but the way of solving it. It might be hard to believe, but there is always a healthy way out. You are now aware of four of these solutions.
Not everybody faces the same problems, and even if they do, the intensity varies depending on the person. If you feel constantly depressed or anxious, do not hesitate to ask for help. You deserve to live a wonderful life. And if you follow these steps, you will.
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References
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health
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