With the right tools, you can make the choices and have experiences that improve your quality of life and your overall health.
5 Steps to Boost Mental Well-Being
Taking control of your health and well-being is empowering and exciting, but it can also feel like an enormous task. If you aren’t sure where to start, try these simple five steps to mental well-being:
1. Never Stop Learning
The reality is that you never stop learning, but you can be more intentional about learning to get the benefits of new experiences and skills. Learning improves memory and brain health, boosts mental well-being and overall happiness, and even helps foster connections with other people. You can achieve these benefits by learning anything you choose! This can be a new language, reading a new genre, trying a new hobby, or cooking new recipes.
2. Explore Therapy
Therapy is one of the most powerful tools for bettering your mental health and well-being. Through therapy, you learn to understand the inner workings of your mind. Studies have shown that emotional and behavioral interventions like therapy can work as well or better than medication for treating depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.
Therapy can help you understand why you think and feel the way you do. You can learn tools to take control of your mindset and behaviors, like:
- Self-awareness
- Emotional self-regulation
- Increasing motivation
- Relationship skills
- Communication skills
- The ability to set healthy boundaries
3. Take Care of Yourself
The mind-body connection is powerful, and you will often find that what affects one affects the other. Focusing on your physical and emotional needs can transform the mind. Here are a few ways to care for yourself:
- Make time outside: Getting outside and soaking up sunlight can have a profound impact on your mental well-being. Exposure to sunlight can increase serotonin and boost your physical health.
- Eat well: Eating well is essential for your physical and mental health. A balanced diet packed with whole foods and essential vitamins and minerals is vital for fueling your body and managing your energy levels.
- Focus on hygiene and grooming: Did you know that your personal hygiene can affect your physical and mental health? Prioritizing self-care can boost your confidence and self-esteem, which positively impacts your relationships and other areas of your life.
- Get plenty of sleep and rest: Sleep is essential to supporting your brain’s functions and maintaining your physical well-being. Inadequate sleep is shown to increase the risk of chronic health issues like depression and anxiety. By prioritizing sleep and rest, you can also reduce the risk of burnout.
- Get active to improve mental well-being: Exercise is one of the most powerful things you can do for your health. The benefits of exercising include reduced inflammation, healthier blood pressure, increased energy levels, improved blood sugar levels, stronger bones, better ability to fight depression and anxiety, improved quality of sleep, greater cognition, and so much more!
- Prioritize your spiritual well-being: Making time for your spiritual well-being can make a world of difference to your emotional and mental health. It could help deepen your sense of purpose and identity, especially through challenging times. This can include prioritizing time to visit your place of worship or starting your day off with prayer, meditation, or any other form of quiet time.
- Express yourself: Finding a creative outlet is an excellent way to improve your emotional health. Having a creative outlet can be an empowering endeavor that allows you to express yourself and enjoy self-discovery, improve your mood, and reduce your stress levels.
4. Prioritize Meaningful Relationships
Your relationships are some of the biggest cornerstones of your life. Healthy relationships enrich your life and allow you the opportunity to pour into others’ lives as well. You enjoy a sense of self-worth and belonging that you can only foster through healthy connections with others. Having a community of people you love and trust also means that you are surrounded by people you can share your experiences with and support through life’s milestones and challenges.
Prioritizing important relationships also has many other benefits that boost our health and mental well-being, including longevity and greater stress management.
Try the following to build and prioritize your relationships:
- While video calls are a great way to keep in touch over long distances, try to connect outside of social media whenever possible.
- Schedule quality time with your family every day. Switch off the TV and video games, share a meal, do activities together, and have conversations.
- Carve out time to catch up with a friend you haven’t heard from in a while.
- If you struggle with building relationships, try volunteering or joining a social activity to form connections with like-minded people.
5. Integrate Mindfulness Into Your Day
Mindfulness exercises can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by keeping you grounded in the present moment. Here are a few exercises to try:
- Body scan: Lie flat on your back with your hands and legs at your sides. Turn your palms upward. Start at the top or bottom of your body and focus your attention on that area and any sensations you feel. Make your way across your entire body, repeating the process.
- Focused breathing: Sit in a comfortable position and breathe as you normally would. Pay attention to how each inhale and exhale feel.
- Intentional walking: Take a walk and focus on how it feels to take a step with each leg, maintaining your balance. Note any sensations in your core, hips, and legs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Explore these FAQs about improving mental health and living a more fulfilling life:
Does Giving to Others Improve My Mental Well-Being?
Yes — being generous can make you happier! The great part is that the effects of generosity on your happiness don’t depend on how much you give. Even sharing small amounts of your resources can boost your well-being. But also remember that you can only pour from a full cup and that it is important to prioritize yourself and have boundaries that protect your capacity to give.
What Are Some Signs I Need to Work On My Mental Health?
Realizing that you are not OK can be challenging, but examining your health can help you take steps to get better. Signs that you need to prioritize your mental well-being health include:
- Sleep problems
- Invasive thoughts
- Feeling anxious or down
- Becoming withdrawn
- Feeling worthless or hopeless
- Developing problems with substance misuse
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Emotional outbursts
Always reach out to a trusted person or professional if you are worried about your mental well-being.
How Can I Improve My Mental Well-Being Through Challenging Times?
Therapy is an excellent way to support your mental health through challenging times and beyond. Finding the right therapist opens up a world where you have professional support and a space to self-examine and learn important coping skills and skills to improve your health.
Live Better With Clinical Guidance From Merrimack Valley Psychological Associates
The choice to live well and the ability to do so is within your reach. It can start with the simplest of changes that can transform your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Whether you choose to add five minutes a day for self-care, build a new career path or start therapy, there are endless ways to start living a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
No matter how small and positive these choices can be, it is often overwhelming to take the first step and make change happen. You can trust the clinicians at Merrimack Valley Psychological Associates if you want to make positive changes but are unsure how to live well. We work with you in a safe environment to develop the tools you need to improve your mental well-being and live a better life. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
