5 Easy Practices for Better Mental Health

Thankfully mental health and mental wellness are now terms that most of us are very familiar with and hopefully areas of our lives that we pay a lot of attention to.   We now realise that our mental wellbeing is just as important as our physical health.   However, despite this recent research (MIND.org)  the pressures of the last few years have seen 60% of adults and 68% of young people say their mental health has worsened during this time.  As we know, in order to live a happy, healthy life we need to feel well mentally.

1. EXERCISE

Motion equals emotion! 

Moving your body and staying active is a proven way to improve your mental well-being and elevate your mood. It doesn’t have to mean hours at the gym or suddenly training for a marathon and can be as simple as a daily walk, swim, bike ride or anything you enjoy.  Dancing to a youtube tutorial, yoga, pilates, the list is endless.  Getting those endorphins flowing will soon have you wondering why you didn’t do this before.

2. TAKE UP A NEW HOBBY

During the pandemic, people found the time to take up hobbies they had wanted to for years or even decades.  This proved to be a wonderful way of not only connecting with their inner creativity but also boosting their mental wellbeing.  Whether learning a new instrument, new language,knitting or cooking,  hobbies are the perfect combination of mental stimulation and fun and are a wonderful way to  help you unwind from the pressures of daily life. Write a list of the things you’ve always wanted to try out.  Now get online and search for a suitable course or ask friends for a recommendation and book it! Don’t delay or it may never happen.

3. CONNECT WITH OTHERS 

Life is busy and it can often be difficult to stay in touch with friends and family as much as we would like to – but it’s important to find ways to connect, especially during difficult and challenging times.

If it’s not in our diary, often it won’t happen so make some time each week to catch up with friends and family.  If meeting in person is not possible, then a facetime,  phonecall or zoom catch up are all equally good.  Plan it in advance and see how good you feel afterwards.

4. VOLUNTEER

Volunteering or getting involved in local activities is a wonderful way to connect with others and has many benefits to our mental health. . With so many causes needing support, there are lots of ways to get involved physically or even virtually.  You can connect with others in your community and find ways to make good things happen.

5. PRACTICE GRATITUDE

Gratitude – the simple act of focusing on what we are grateful for.

Practicing gratitude daily, whether through prayer,  keeping a gratitude journal or simply bringing your througts and attention to the many things in your life that you are grateful for is one of the best things you can do for your mental health.   We are hard-wired to focus on the negative, what has not worked, what we have not done, who has wronged us etc.   This in turn causes a chain reaction of negative stress hormones to become activated, bringing our mood into a negative state.

A wonderful anecdote to this is to become mindful of this and begin to focus on two positive thoughts to counter every negative one you notice.  Not only will it help you feel more positive in the moment, but can also boost your mood long-term.  ‘Where your thoughts go, energy flows.’ 

Your mental wellbeing is incredibly important and the time and energy you invest in ensuring that you keep your mind in a good, healthy state will reap many benefits in your life going forward.  If you enjoyed this article, please share it with someone else who may benefit. 

Breathing for mental wellbeing

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