May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so here are some ways to help boost your mental health and become more positive in your day to day life. Mental health is something that can be difficult to deal with, however, there are ways to make it easier even if it’s just a little bit.
Positive Affirmations
Practicing daily positive affirmations can help tremendously with mental health. From experience, saying phrases such as “I will get through hard situations and come out a better person,” or “I am doing my best and that is what counts,” will eventually start making you feel better about yourself or the situation you are in. If you have trouble coming up with affirmations to say, download the app ‘I Am’. With this app you can set times the app will send a notification to your phone with a positive affirmation.
Be aware of your achievements
Going along with saying positive affirmations, keeping track of your achievements will boost your mental health. Telling yourself “wow I just did that” will help you understand that you can accomplish things and you just have to recognize that. Even the littlest things are something to celebrate.
Surround yourself with people who make you happy
The people you surround yourself with have a large impact on your emotions, and how you view yourself as a person. Having people in your life that lift you up, congratulate you on your accomplishments, and are there for you are the types of people that will help your mental health. Surrounding yourself with people who are jealous, or aren’t happy for you when you accomplish your goals are the types of people that will only make dealing with mental health harder.
Eat well
Believe it or not, eating three healthy meals a day with snacks in between will help with not only your mental health, but your overall health. Giving your body the nutrients it needs to get through the day is important. If you don’t eat right, you won’t want to do anything which can affect your mental health negatively. You will be too tired to get out of bed which can actually lead to depression. Getting those nutrients will make you ready for the day which means you will have the energy to get up, go for a walk and get some fresh air, go to the gym, or just go out with friends.
Be present
Don’t live in the past, and don’t think ahead to the future. Just be. Thinking about mistakes made in the past will only hurt you. When you make a mistake, learn from it then and move on. Don’t let it tear you down. Live in the moment and be happy with the now.
Take occasional breaks
Don’t force yourself to constantly be active, it is okay to take a break and relax. It’s good for your mental health to give your mind a break from day to day activities. Even if your break means you take a nap for an hour, that short hour will make a huge difference.
Don’t hold in your emotions
Bottling up your feelings is not healthy. Find someone close to you to talk to when you are having a hard time, and don’t be afraid to cry. Sometimes crying will make you feel better, I mean who doesn’t love a good cry? And talking about your feelings doesn’t mean to only talk when you are mad, sad, annoyed, or upset, it also means to share your happiness and excitement with others.
Taking life day by day is what will help you the most. Figure out what mental health practices works best for you and try new things each day.
