When it comes to both physical and mental health, prevention is always better than cure. In other words, the best way to think about being emotionally healthy isn’t “what can I do when something goes wrong?” But instead, “What can I do to prevent things from happening in the first place?”
No matter how resilient we are mentally, and no matter how many resources and support systems we have in place, it is incredibly difficult to pull out of the downward spirals once we slip into them.
However, there can be some things that you can do every day to help you battle any demons that you may have and prevent yourself from slipping into a mental health fog. Let’s take a look.
Mindfulness
If there is one habit that you should implement to bolster your mental health, it is mindfulness. It is a way of managing and regulating what you focus on. Instead of focusing on the things that may not be all hunky-dory in life, you can really focus on the things that are good about your life, and that can give a boost to mental health. You can do this by practicing specific mindfulness every day, in the form of meditation, or you can implement it into your everyday life, by applying the theory to any problems or situations.
Quit the bad habits
There are some bad habits that some (not all, of course) people that suffer from mental health issues have, and they are often used as a coping mechanism. However, while they may feel like they work in the short-term, in the long term, they are going to make things even worse, and that is without taking into account the effects on your physical health as well. If you feel like you have an issue with drugs or alcohol, women’s addiction treatment programs may be a way of you overcoming this to get you back on the right footing.
Look at your sleep routine.
Most of us have really terrible sleep hygiene. By that, we mean watching TV or looking at cell phones and devices right up to the moment we sleep, using our bedroom for work, going to bed too late and drinking too much caffeine too close to bedtime. Try implementing a rigorous bedtime routine for a few weeks – turn off the TV and phone a good hour before bed, don’t drink coffee after lunch, and go to bed at the same time every single night and get up at the same time. You will soon find that your sleep improves, and with that, your mental health.
Eat well
We lead such busy lives that it is too grab a tray of processed food and pop into the microwave after work, or even worse, eat takeout every night. These are full of salt and refined sugar and lack the nutrient that our body needs. Try prepping some simple and nutritious meals on the weekend – aim to pack five portions of fruit and veg into your daily diet.