Mental wellness is more than just the absence of mental illness. It is the ability to feel your best self every day. Mental wellness has many areas, including thinking, connecting, feeling, and functioning. If you want to improve your daily functioning, here are 10 easy tips to improve mental wellness every day.
Mental Wellness vs Mental Health
According to the global wellness institute, mental wellness is “Mental wellness is a lifelong process and a proactive strategy to strengthen our mental, emotional, social, and psychological resources. On one level, mental wellness is about prevention; coping with life’s adversity; and being resilient when we face stress, worry, loneliness, anger, and sadness.” Mental wellness moves us towards the idea of flourishing beyond the absence of mental illness.
When we think of mental health, it relates to the well-being of your mind that drives how you think, feel, and behave. Being in good mental health means you are stable and content. The goal, however, is to thrive, and that is mental wellness.
Mental Wellness Activities
Practice a Healthy Lifestyle
Eating better and regular physical activity boosts your mental wellness. It is known that exercise is a great treatment for depression and anxiety. In addition, eating well helps you to feel better physically and mentally.
Here is some further reading on how practicing a healthy lifestyle improves your mental health in 4 Ways Diet and Exercise Improves Mental Health
Be Mindful
Mindfulness leads to healthier activities. It trains you to focus on the present moment and drives your focus away from past or future issues. When you are more self-aware of the present, you can tap into your emotions to cope with daily stressors. Yoga and meditation are forms of mindfulness that help you train your brain away from negative thoughts and feelings. Read more about yoga in 7 Astonishing Reasons To Practice Yoga.
Go Outside
Take time and stop and smell the roses because nature is positive for your mental wellness. According to the American Psychological Association, “You can boost your mood just by walking in nature, even in urban nature. And the sense of connection you have with the natural world seems to contribute to happiness even when you’re not physically immersed in nature.” Go outside, listen to the sounds, and appreciate the beauty around you. There are so many bigger things out there for you to enjoy.
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude not only helps you improve your health but also your mental wellness. Practicing gratitude daily helps you cope with stress and daily emotional downers. Gratitude centers your focus on what you are doing right instead of what you are doing wrong. Speak positivity and practice affirmations to set the tone for the day.
Socialize
Fostering your relationships is essential for mental wellness. Maintaining social relationships gives you a sense of belonging and emotional support. It provides positive reinforcement and inspiration to improve in all areas of your life. Make new friends or connect with old friends. Positive social relationships directly affect your self-esteem, so make sure you surround yourself around people who inspire you.
Consume Positive Content
There is so much positive and negative content in the social media age. Pay attention to what you are consuming and how it triggers you emotionally. It trickles down to your emotional state if you are constantly consuming positivity. You might want to detox from social media altogether from time to time.
Take a Break
Unplugging together can be beneficial to your mental wellbeing. It helps your brain and body relax from the constant notifications of daily life. Sometimes stepping away from your normal routine helps you reconnect to your needs and appreciate what you have. Try taking more trips, whether it is a staycation or extended vacation. Studies show travel helps you to feel more satisfied with your life.
Do Something For Others
When you help others, it gives you a sense of purpose and satisfaction. When you do good, you feel good, and there is science behind it. Here are some ways you can do things for others to improve your mental wellness.
- Volunteer your time
- Perform a random act of kindness
- Listen and help others regulate their emotions
- Show empathy and compassion for others’ needs
- Give someone a compliment
Process Your Feelings
Having emotional intelligence helps us discover why we do the things we do. When you reason through your emotions, it lets you react better to how you’re feeling and thinking. One study, found that writing down your negative feelings helps to reduce feelings of anxiety. When you can recognize negative thoughts, you can create actions and behaviors to reduce negative reactions for a more positive outlook.
Here are some exercises to process your feelings
- Write in a journal
- Build your emotional vocabulary to label your emotions
- Express your emotions with someone who you trust
- Use creativity like drawing or coloring to express your emotions
Find a Hobby
It is important to create a balanced life by stepping away and doing activities you love. Think about what brings you happiness and focus on that as a way to balance your responsibilities with pleasurable activities. Research shows that people who indulge in their hobbies are less stressed.
The Takeaway
Overall, everyone’s idea of flourishing is different. It is important to discover what flourishing looks like for you and not what others think it should be. The minute you focus on yourself and what makes you happy is when you can bridge the gap between mental health to mental wellness.
