Life has a funny, tragic way of throwing all sorts of things at you. Whether it is a breakup with your partners, the loss of one of your loved ones, falling ill, struggling at work or school, being in debt, or just having a bad day — no matter what life throws at you or how fast it might happen — remember that you’re stronger than you might think. We all have good days and bad days, but if those around you feel like you’re struggling mentally and emotionally more than usual or for long periods of time, then it most likely means that you should seek help.
Better mental health is more than the absence of a mental illness. It requires having your psychological, emotional, and social needs met so you can function at your optimal level of productivity, satisfaction and enjoyment. Of course, not everyone experiences good mental health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 350 million people suffer from some sort of mental or behavioral disorder each year. This is over 5% of the entire population.
Don’t Believe Everything You Think
Do you believe everything you think? Maybe not. But I bet you believe a lot of your thoughts, whether they are doubts, worries or beliefs. You probably check in with yourself a hundred or more times each day to see what’s going on inside your mind. We all do it, and yet very few of us take the time to question how truthful this internal dialogue is. The unfiltered output from our brains often doesn’t reflect reality, and so it can lead us astray.
Adopt a Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is the belief that you can improve your abilities, and intelligence level by practicing. In other words, when you have a fixed mindset, you believe that your basic characteristics are set and there’s nothing you can do to change them. In contrast, having a growth mindset means you believe that basic abilities can be developed through hard work and self-improvement.
Failure is hard. It’s even harder when you are given negative feedback or criticism. But with a growth mindset, criticism can be used as a tool to improve.
Related Post: How to Cultivate a Growth Mindset – Thrive Global
Take a Good Diet
A good diet is the key to great mental health. How our food affects our mind is something we do not pay much attention to. Yet, studies have shown again and again that a good diet is vital to mental clarity, focus, mood, and memory. Just like other cells in the body, brain cells require energy to function properly. Research shows that how we eat can contribute to both stress and mental health. Swapping fast food for fresh, healthy foods can make you healthier, both physically and mentally. Taking coffee can have a protective effect against depression.
Overcome perfectionism
Perfectionism is a trap. It holds you back and keeps you from seeing what is real. It makes you focus on small details that don’t really matter to tell us what is good and bad. It makes us hate mistakes that actually are great learning opportunities for the future. This can gradually become stressful and make you mentally depressed.
See Related Post on Thrive Global: 4 Simple Ways to Overcome Perfectionism
Be Kind to Others
The world often seems like a rather rude place. Everyone seems to be competing, wanting the best for themselves and putting their own interests before those of others. We’re all guilty of it to some extent but you can take control, be less pushy and more focused on kindness instead of being right.
Being kind to others is a simple change you can make to improve your mental health and happiness. This kind act improves the lives of others while also helping you improve your mental health. A few words of kindness can increase you oxytocin level, which decreases your heart rate and make you feel happier and mentally satisfied.
Appreciate Your Good Qualities
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. If you’re feeling stressed out or anxious, put yourself in a positive situation. Make the choice to have a good attitude and surround yourself with people who are doing the same. Find something to laugh or smile about every day. This improves your mental health and makes you happier overall. Whatever you do, don’t degrade yourself or think that the person you are now isn’t good enough. There is always room for improvement and change which is why it’s important to focus on both of those things!
Stay Focused on Your Goals
It’s impossible to be happy when you don’t achieve your goals. Clear goals can help we focus on the tasks that matter and make progress in areas where we need improvement. Once you have achieved your goals and become successful, you’ll fell more happy and confident about your life.
However to find success, you have to put in the hard work and time. It’s going to require a lot of effort on your part to take even the smallest steps towards achieving your goals. However, as soon as you start seeing yourself get closer and closer to where you want to be, there is something affirming about it that makes you happier. So, yes, improving your mental health does make you happier. Exercise, good diet and my personal favorite i.e. coffee can help you improve your focus and cognitive ability as mentioned in this research
Limit your time on social Media
Social media is a double-edged sword. It can’t be denied that social media has a huge impact on our lives. It’s an integral part of many businesses and it opens us up to possibilities like finding new friends. But that’s not all. Social media makes us less happy, anxious and more depressed. However, putting a timer on your social media usage is not only a great way to limit distraction but can actually improve your mental health in the long term.