The appreciation of mental wellness is at an all-time high. Yet, millions of people still fail to support themselves with winning daily habits.
Thankfully, it only takes a few simple steps to make a significant improvement. Focus on the seven simple habits below to unlock the positive results you deserve.
1- Keep The Brain Active
Mental health covers many features including emotional well-being. However, good brain health provides the strongest foundation to build upon. Therefore, keeping your brain active is vital.
Games like Minesweeper are ideal because they test your strategy and logic. It only takes a few minutes to play through a board. You will develop pattern recognition and improved memory. These skills translate to a host of benefits for immediate and long-term mental health.
Even on days off from work, the brain needs to be engaged. By playing brain-teasing games, you also gain the satisfaction of either winning or noticing improvements in your play.
2- Learn
Keeping the brain active is one thing. However, we also possess an internal desire to develop ourselves as people. Learning new skills is the perfect outlet to experience personal growth.
Learning may relate to skills that support your career. Or it could mean finally learning to cook a certain dish or play an instrument. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you acquire new skills and knowledge. If you are a better than the person you were yesterday, mental wellness soars.
You can enjoy a combination of solo activities and group learning opportunities for optimal results. As long as you make progress on most days, the overall results are incredible.
3- Spend Time Outside
In addition to the desire for personal growth, we all share a need to be around nature. Therefore, trying to get outside on a daily basis is highly advised.
Simple tasks like gardening are ideal. Aside from getting fresh air and some vitamin D, tranquility brings balance in today’s stressful world. Seeing plants grow also gives you a sense of satisfaction and achievement. And it only takes a small effort to see the rewards.
If you work on a laptop, working from the garden or outside a coffee shop is another very effective method.
4- Exercise
Physical and mental wellness are very closely linked. Keeping the body active with exercise releases endorphins, aids physique, and supports mobility.
All of those factors improve your overall mental health. Light exercises like cycling and swimming are ideal. Or you could try out yoga at home. By dedicating a few minutes of each day to physical activity, you’ll unlock a host of physical and mental health benefits.
You can take this to the next level by introducing a social element. Team sports and group exercise classes are great examples.
5- Take Time To Relax
While your body needs to feel active, you also need time to relax. Not least because modern life is so fast-paced. A few minutes spent chilling brings stress levels back down in style.
Taking the time to actively sit down and enjoy a meal rather than eating on the go is a good choice. Other ideas may include an evening bath, a few minutes of deep breathing, or listening to music. If the activity can be enjoyed easily and it helps stress fade, it is worthwhile.
Fail to do this, and stress levels will spike throughout the day. Sure, you can handle a day of it. But over time, you will feel the effect of exhaustion.
6- Sleep Well
If there is only one change that should be implemented to transform your mental wellness, improved sleep is the answer. You can notice a dramatic change within days.
Healthy sleep patterns start with going to bed at the same time each night while also avoiding screens before bed. Playing white noise, taking sleep supplements, and changing your mattress can also help. Once you find the solutions that work for you, stick to them.
Benefits range from managing cortisol levels and general mood to preventing physical discomfort. Make it a routine to unlock lifelong results.
7- Avoid Comparisons
Comparison is the thief of joy and it will ruin your mental health. Whether comparing yourself to friends or celebrities doesn’t matter. You will see the best in them and the worst in yourself.
Worse still, people tend to post their highlights on social media. So, what you see isn’t an authentic insight into their world. Reducing the amount of time spent doomscrolling is a positive step. More importantly, though, you must change your mindset to focus on yourself.
Aside from removing the negative aspects of comparisons, it’ll help you see far greater progress in your personal goals. Naturally, the impact this has on your mental health will be huge.
