5 Ways to Work on Your Mental Health

Disclaimer: These are some things that have helped me. I have found that they can help with general mental well-being, self-acceptance, and self-confidence but this is not an alternative to seeking professional help. Like physical health, everyone has their mental health to take care of. These alone cannot cure a mental illness; it’s a cliché but time heals, especially if you use this time positively. Please seek professional help if needed. 

1. Exercise, but Not for Weight Loss

• We all know that exercise is good for mental health. It allows endorphins to be released and it gives you time to clear your head, but we often put this reason for exercising below the benefits it has on our physical health. And we often put the reason of our physical health below the reason of weight loss.
• If you want to lose weight or tone up, that's fine, but it's also important to move your body because it's fun. If you don't like running, don't run. But there are so many other ways that you can exercise; walking, the gym, group sports.
• Don't just exercise out of guilt or self-hate. When you start exercising for yourself you often realise how out of touch you have become with your body. You eat breakfast quickly whilst traveling to work, not to fuel your body. You (don't) eat to look good for others, not because you appreciate your body and want to give it the fuel it needs and deserves. You exercise because you hate your body, not because you love it.
• Exercise because you love your body or exercise because it can help you learn to love your body, regardless of what it looks like.

2. Designate Time For Yourself Every Day

• Write
• Read
• Make art
• Listen to music
• Bake
• Cook
• Exercise
• ANYTHING
• Take time to do the things you love and if you create or accomplish something, allow yourself to be proud of it. 
• So many people feel guilty about taking time for themselves, for taking the time to relax and care for their mental health but devoting some time for yourself every day allows you to spend the rest of your time truly focused. 
• You can’t run on low battery all of the time and expect there to be no negative consequences. Take time to recharge your battery and allow yourself to take that time without feeling guilty. Although it may not seem like it, this is often a very difficult skill to master.

3. Talk 

• Rant and bond over your ranting
• Listen to each other
• Confide in each other
• Talk about things you love and things you hate and things that don’t really matter. Talk about why you want to die, why you want to live and why you prefer Weetabix to Shredded Wheat. 
• If you don't have someone that you can truly confide in then utilise resources like counseling or therapy or helplines like Lifeline and the Samaritans. These resources exist for a reason, people care about you and about what you think and feel and about what you have to say.

4. Utilise Social Media

• You know those people that make you groan every time they post something on Facebook? Unfollow them. 
• You know those Instagram accounts that make you cringe with jealousy every time you scroll through their feed? Unfollow them.
• You know those people who do nothing but tweet about what they hate? Unfollow them.
• I cannot tell you how much my mental health has improved since I went on an unfollowing spree and instead followed people who inform and inspire me and whose posts fill me with excitement and positivity.
• Also, for mental health recovery, I highly recommend following recovery accounts, or even start one yourself! Just be careful, know your triggers and avoid them at all costs!

5. Look in The Mirror

• Repetitive exposure to something reduces its meaning. 
• I don’t mean that the more you look at yourself the less you will care about yourself but when we look at ourselves in the mirror we tend to focus our gaze on the areas that we are dissatisfied with but if we increase our exposure to our ‘flaws’, they will mean less to us. And when you focus on the areas you dislike try to recognise what you are doing and refocus, zoom out on the full image and also realise that you are more than what you see. 
• It’s strange, I know but for me, it works, so maybe it’s worth a try?

Looking in a mirror won't cure depression. Exercise doesn't cure anxiety. But every positive step that you allow yourself to take adds up and sometimes you need these type of steps before you can feel confident enough to seek professional help if needed.

It is important for everyone to look after their mental health, regardless of whether they have a diagnosis or not.

“You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha

There are many other ways we can work on our mental health and I may follow up on this post with other ways we can do so. 

Comment below other things that you think can positively influence your mental well-being.

Thanks for reading x

If you liked this post you may also enjoy my list of Things That Won't Matter When You Are Dead.

Follow