Simple & Easy Mental Health Tips & Practices Part 3
Welcome back for Part 3 of Implementing Mental Health Tips and Practices. Here are a few more simple & easy strategies that can be easy to implement and also improve overall mental health and wellbeing.
Adequate Sleep & Rest: Our bodies and our brains need sleep and rest. These are some of the core elements to overall functioning. Trying to maintain a consistent wake and sleep schedule is important because our bodies and our brains need a consistent schedule, structure and routine. Our brains and our bodies need to know when to expect sleep and rest so that it doesn’t have to try and “preserve” its energy because it doesn’t know when it’s going to get its next break. Have you never noticed that when we are busy working those long grueling hours, stressed to the max and doing ALL the things and when we are barely holding on by a thread, that when we finally take time off, or slow down or finally take that much needed vacation, that we then get sick? It’s because our body and brain finally know that it has the time to rest and recover. Because up to and until then, our bodies and our brains are in overdrive and is just trying to keep up. Its only when we finally have that rest time that our body knows it can finally have time to start to settle and can finally take the time that it has been waiting for, to heal. Maintaining a regular schedule and getting enough rest and sleep is important not only for our bodies, but also for our brains. We also have to remember to “shut off our brains” at times. With social media being at our fingertips, we have become a society where we are constantly “on”, that we forget there is also an “off” button. And the scrolling on our phones…. that counts as being “on” too, even though it can be that mindless dooms scrolling…. The technology keeps our brains activated. Something even as simple as just putting your phone on a time out and just practicing some simple deep breathing for 5-10 minutes, can be considered rest.
Self-Care, Connect to Interests & Hobbies: By engaging in self-care and having hobbies and interests can have an overall positive impact on your mental health and mental wellbeing. Having connection to others and both interests, hobbies and fun activities is a great way to reduce stress and can calm the mind. By doing things you enjoy, it can increase feelings of happiness, joy and an overall positive satisfaction. Hobbies and interests can also be a great distraction when things may be difficult and can also help encourage new thoughts, ideas and perspectives. Having hobbies and connection to others whether it be sports or even a book club can help build an overall positive sense of well-being. By prioritizing self care and enjoying hobbies and interests, it can help improve our overall mental health and a better quality of life. Remember that “self-care” is not a buzz word and is a vital component to overall positive mental health. By doing these small and simple things, it can help to prioritize you, your health and can increase your resiliency to cope with life’s challenges.
By starting out with a few small tips such as these, it can make it a bit easier to add to our already busy routine and schedules. Sometimes, it’s all about the small habits that can help improve our overall mood. Looking for extra support to help with making changes to your mental health, contact Mallery@serenityandsoulhealing.com to find out more.
