Finding tools and techniques to help improve mental health is vital for your overall wellness. The following practices are what I have built into my regular routine; some are even daily. These tried and tested aids continue to help me along my healing journey. Cherry pick what works for you!
Exercise
Exercise has been proven to improve mental health by lowering our stress hormones (such as cortisol) and increasing our positive hormones (such as endorphins). It promotes concentration and better sleep. Not only does it improve your physical wellbeing, but it significantly improves your mental wellbeing too. With benefits such as a sense of achievement and an improved mood.
You can choose whatever form of exercise works for you, as long as you move! I love my daily walks and yoga sessions because I am able to work on my breathing and mindfulness techniques at the same time. If you feel like this could be your thing, I recommend Yoga with Adrienne. I found her on YouTube and love her videos. Plus, she completes her practices with her beautiful dog, Benji.
Meditation Can Improve Mental Health
This is one of the best practices to improve mental health, and personally, it has been invaluable. It has been proven to slow your sympathetic system (which is responsible for your “fight-flight” response) and activate your parasympathetic system (which is responsible for digestion, rest, and relaxation). This, in turn, lowers your stress hormones.
When practiced, meditation helps train the brain to focus on the present, gain more self-awareness of your body, regulate emotions, and build mental resilience. It takes practice, but it is truly worth it.
At the moment, I meditate using Balance. It’s free for the first year, so you get plenty of time to figure out if it’s for you.
Gratitude Entries
This is such a lovely practice to improve mental health. Making this a regular habit helps your mind focus on the good stuff over the bad. You appreciate what you do have instead of resenting what you don’t. I do this every night, thoughtfully answering a few questions from HappierHuman.com called “151 Gratitude Journal Prompts for Daily Thankfulness“. Then I visually glance over my whole day and answer either, “What are some things I’m grateful for today?” or “What are some positives that happened today?”.
Just remember not to make gratitude journaling a way to punish yourself for not being grateful. Saying things like “Look at how lucky I am; I don’t have a right to be sad” will just be counterintuitive.
Expressive Journaling
This is where it all began for me—literally writing down whatever thoughts or emotions were going on in my head. It felt like word purging. There’s no need to be neat, tidy, or grammatically correct; you just try to be as open and honest as possible because it’s for your eyes only anyway. Benefits of this type of journaling include increased self-awareness, better clarity on what you’re feeling and why, and an improved mood.
“Healing Prompts”
This is another kind of journaling, one I believe you should take your time with so you can go as deeply into the issue as possible.
This practice involves answering prompts to help you reflect on and analyse traumas and experiences. Try and approach it with the “Peel the onion” attitude. Depending on the prompt you answer, they help you uncover what’s driving current behaviours and what could be the deeper wound responsible.
I began with “shadow work” prompts. I found 2 inexpensive journals on Amazon; The Shadow Work Journal, and The Shadow Work Workbook. My copies weren’t perfect in terms of their spelling, but they helped me start looking into my past and how it was significantly influencing my choices. After completing these books and answering prompts online, I have begun the Neurocycle programme (by Dr. Caroline Leaf). I can’t give any feedback yet, as I’ve only just started, but I’m eager to see how it’ll help me continue to manage my mind.
Educate Yourself On How To Improve Mental Health
This is so important in developing a better, less stigmatised understanding of how the mind works. We all have mental health (anyone who thinks and feels that is!) Becoming more knowledgeable about it will improve your overall wellness immensely.
Listening to podcasts (such as those by Lewis Howes and Dr. Caroline Leaf) and reading books and resources, I have discovered things I never knew existed, such as neuroplasticity and how the brain can restructure itself. I am also much more open to discussing these topics with people, and hearing the experiences of others continues to motivate, fascinate, and inspire me.
Emotional Acceptance
This is a biggie and personally one of the most challenging skills to build, but it’s a game changer.
I have struggled with resisting negative emotions and gripping onto positive ones. I used to believe that you had to be 100% happy, 100% of the time, but that just leaves you in a constant state of fear, checking over your shoulder for the next “bad” emotion.
Next time you notice a negative feeling, try not to put up a wall or run. Instead, pause and slow your breathing (literally). Be willing to welcome the emotion with curiosity and kindness. Self-talk really helps here. Remind yourself, “You are safe; let’s give this its space.” As you allow the emotion, you can start to ask, “Where is this coming from?” or “What is this trying to tell me?”
Remember, all emotions are temporary. You know this because they’ve passed through you before, haven’t they.
Be gentle and patient with yourself as you let them be with you for however long they need. Labelling emotions can also help with accepting them. Just be careful not to intellectualise them, which I realised I was doing sometimes. I use an emotions wheel as well as the app “How we Feel” to identify what I’m feeling instead of avoiding them.
Positive Affirmations Can Improve Mental Health
Affirmations are phrases that you say to yourself regularly to help build self-esteem and worth. They help counteract negative thinking by reminding you of your strengths and shifting your perspective towards positivity. They also get you into the habit of speaking kinder to yourself.
You should repeat them daily (I actually say them throughout the day) and try to feel what you are saying, not just think it. At the moment, I use the app “I Am” for daily reminders and boosts. I like this app because you can personalise the affirmations.
This technique isn’t for everyone, and I do believe you need to be in the right mindset to be open to feeling them; otherwise, they’ll be nothing but words.
Finally, Rest
Working on your mental health is time and energy-consuming, so never forget to be patient and don’t push it. Try to always be kind and supportive of yourself, and rest when you feel you need to. Remember, this isn’t a race; it’s a lifestyle change.
Wil you have a go at any of these? If you do, let me know how you get on. Either in the comments or just fill out a contact form!
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