Showing posts with label Positivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Positivity. Show all posts

Mental Health Boosting Trips That Can Transform Your Life

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In recent years, the number of individuals receiving a mental health diagnosis has increased significantly. This is likely spurred by increased awareness of all mental health conditions, from anxiety to depression, alongside improved access to support services, rather than a spike in mental illness itself. 


In some ways, this is reassuring. It means that people are no longer suffering in silence - as even when things feel overwhelming, it's good to know that there are things to do to take control of your mental well-being.

Photo by Ümit Bulut on Unsplash



With that in mind, here are some simple tips that you can use to boost your overall mental health. 


Speak to a psychologist. 

Speaking to a psychologist is a great way to improve your mental health. This is because it will enable you to take control of your situation, developing a range of coping mechanisms and tools you can use to process (and eradicate) negative emotions. 


Focus on self-care. 

Practising self-care is another great way to improve your mental health since it encourages you to put your well-being first. This means it's time to dispel the idea that self-care is selfish, as it's simply a way to ensure your needs are met. Furthermore, it's also important to note that self-care means something different to each and every person. For example, while some people find greater clarity through mediation and mindfulness, others prefer to spend time outdoors or re-engage with old hobbies. 


Start your day off with positive affirmations. 

You’d be surprised about just how influential starting your day with ‘positive’ affirmations can be. This is because they help you to feel your best by dispelling negativity and encouraging you to become more ‘naturally’ optimistic. To get started, stand in front of the mirror and say three things you like about yourself. This doesn't necessarily have to relate to your looks. For example, you could compliment your tenacity, your intelligence, or your drive too. While this may seem difficult at first, you’ll find it easier and easier each time you do it. 


Spend more time outdoors. 

Spending more time outdoors can also help to boost your mental well-being. This is because exposure to fresh air can “provide greater clarity to the brain, promoting optimal function whilst helping you to think, focus and concentrate better”. It also increases your body’s production of serotonin, which leaves you feeling calmer and happier. 


Don’t bury your feelings. 

Speaking openly and honestly about how we are feeling may seem daunting, but the truth is, negative feelings do not go away if we bury them. While we can find distractions that function as a temporary fix, the emotions will continue to bubble under the surface, and will often worsen. As a result, you must treat yourself with enough grace to embrace your feelings. When you aren’t feeling your best, reach out to a trusted loved one or mental health professional. While instigating the conversation can be tough, these chats will leave you feeling as though you have taken a significant weight off your shoulders. 


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How to Feel Your Best Every Day

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Feeling your best mentally is essential for a happy, healthy life. Unfortunately, many people don't know how to do this. This blog post will discuss some tips on how to feel your best mentally. First, it's important to understand what mental health is. Mental health is "a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community." Everyone has different mental health needs, so it's important to figure out what works best for you.

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1) Get enough sleep


Most people need around eight hours of sleep per night. Consider going to bed and waking up at the same time each day to help regulate your body's natural sleep rhythm. Creating a bedtime routine can also be helpful. This could include reading for 30 minutes before turning off the lights. Also, avoid using screens right before bed, as the blue light can make it harder to fall asleep. If you're having trouble sleeping, there are a few things you can try:


  • Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation.

  • Create a calm environment in your bedroom by making sure it's dark, quiet, and cool.

  • Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed.

  • Exercise during the day to help promote better sleep at night.


Getting enough sleep is important for overall mental health and well-being. If you're not getting enough rest, you may be more prone to anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. Also, if you feel like you need professional help getting your mental health to where it should be, you could consider getting in touch with some Rehab Centers for expert advice.


2) Eat a healthy diet


What you eat can affect your mood and overall mental health. Eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein can help you feel your best mentally. Also, avoid processed foods, sugary drinks, and excessive amounts of caffeine. These can all lead to feelings of anxiety and depression.


It's also important to stay hydrated by drinking enough water throughout the day. Dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. Eating a healthy diet is key to feeling your best mentally. Make sure you're getting enough nutrients by eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods every day.


3) Get regular exercise


Exercise is not only good for your physical health, but it can also improve your mental health. Exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects. It can also help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. A moderate amount of exercise is the key to feeling your best mentally. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. This could include walking, running, biking, swimming, or any other activity that gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat.


In addition to the benefits mentioned above, exercise can also improve sleep quality and increase energy levels. So if you're looking for ways to feel better mentally, adding some exercise to your routine is a great place to start.


4) Spend time with loved ones


Having strong social support is essential for good mental health. Spend time with family and friends, or join a club or group to meet new people. Doing things you enjoy with the people you care about can help reduce stress and improve your mood.


In addition to spending time with loved ones, it's also important to find ways to connect with your community. For example, volunteer for a local organization or attend community events. These activities can help you feel more connected and engaged, which are both important for good mental health.


In conclusion, there are many things you can do to feel your best mentally. Get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise, and spend time with loved ones. These activities will help improve your mental health and well-being.

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These Tips will Help you to Relieve Stress and Anxiety at Home

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Do you feel as though your home life could be less stressful? Maybe you are just concerned about the amount of stuff you have going on and you want to try and find healthy ways to deal with stress without having to worry about taking it out on your family. Either way, there are numerous ways that you can deal with these kinds of emotions and if you follow this guide, you’ll soon find that it becomes easier to manage everything.

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Try Guided Imagery

The great thing about guided imagery is that it is a vacation for your mind. You need to try and imagine yourself somewhere happy, whether it is being on a beach or even listening to the sound of the waves as they crash against the shore. You can do guided imagery with a recording, and if you do this someone will be talking you through the steps you can take to get to your happy place. You can also do it alone and with your own thoughts. Either way, if you can do things like this, then you will soon find that it is easier for you to achieve a true sense of peace. Guided imagery can also help you to become more present and in the moment, and this is very good to say the least.

Meditate and Focus on Yourself

Meditation is ideal if you want to try and take advantage of short-term stress relief. It can also provide you with a ton of benefits. There are many types of meditation out there and each type can give you many benefits. It may be that you develop a mantra where you take slow and deep breaths or that you simply take a few minutes to practice mindfulness every day. Either way, if you can pay attention to what you can hear, see and smell, then this will help you to get into the right mindset. When you are focused on the here and now you may find that you become less focused on what is going on all around you, and this can work in your favour more than you realise.

Learn the Technique of Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation helps you with every muscle in your body. If you want to practice this kind of relaxation, then you will start by taking a couple of deep breaths. You can then focus on relaxing every muscle group in your body. You will need to start with your forehead and then you will need to move right down to your toes. If you follow this practice, then you will need to learn how to recognise the tension that you feel, and you will also need to take steps to counter this. If you can do this, then you will soon find that things end up working out for you and that the stress melts away. Although steps like this can help you to unwind, it’s also important that you deal with the source of your stress. If you have a family member who you are looking after, and this is too hard for you, look into long-term senior care. If you have a child who is ill, consider seeking external support.

Take a Walk

Exercise is a brilliant way for you to relieve stress and the best thing about it is that it only takes a few minutes to reap the benefits. Taking a walk gives you the chance to enjoy a range of scenery and this can get you in a good frame of mind. It doesn’t matter whether you take a stroll around your office or whether you are just seeking a break from an infuriating task because walking is one of the best ways for you to rejuvenate your mind and your body. It also gives you the chance to soak up your surroundings as well, so keep that in mind.

Give a Hug

Physical touch can work wonders if you want to relieve stress. Giving a hug, or receiving one from a loved one can help you to feel the stress melt away. When you hug someone, you will get a boost of oxytocin, this is known as the cuddle hormone. This is associated with way higher levels of happiness, and you may find that you experience less stress as a result. This also causes a huge reduction in blood pressure, so if this is something that you tend to struggle with, it’s wise for you to keep this in mind.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is one of the best ways for you to feel energised. You may even find that it helps you to feel more relaxed and that it helps you to feel in the present moment more. Emerging research has shown that certain scents can change your brain wave activity and it can also help you to dramatically decrease stress. It doesn’t matter whether you enjoy candles or body products because good smells are certainly one of the best ways for you to get the biggest benefits.

Get Creative

Getting in touch with your more creative side might have been easy when you were a child, but if you don’t feel as though that is the case anymore, then now is the time for you to change that. If you feel as though you have lost your penchant for art, then it is never too late for you to try and pick it up again. If you do not feel into drawing or painting then you should consider picking up an adult colouring book. Colouring is one of the greatest stress relievers out there and you may find that it helps you to move past the stress you are experiencing. Try and find something that appeals to you and then use it to your advantage. If you can do this, then you will soon find that things work in your favour.

Eat a Good Diet

A good diet can help you to have a lower reaction to stress overall. Emotional eating and choosing to go for foods that are high in both fat and sugar might give you a temporary sense of relief, but it will do nothing but cause you more stress in the long term. Consuming a good diet can help you to eliminate stress as well. Some of the best foods out there can include eggs, avocado and even walnuts. This will help you to support mood regulation and it can also help you with balancing your energy more. If you need some help with your diet, then you might want to consult a dietician. When you do this, you can then count on them to give you the help and advice you need to make good decisions.

Make Time for Fun

Leisure activities can be a very good way for you to eliminate stress. That being said, some people feel as though they are just far too busy to have fun through hobbies or even games. If you can build it into your routine however, then you may find that you are able to reap the benefits in no time at all. You should try and get your family involved in your fun as well if you can because if you do, then you may be able to help them to unwind and you can also support their mental health. If you can, find something that interests everyone so you can make a really good day out of it. This is a fantastic way for you to reap the benefits.

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How To Journal For Mental Wellness

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Photo by Jess Bailey Designs from Pexels


A journal can be whatever you want it to be. For some people, it’s a record of each day. For others, it’s a creative outlet. For others, it’s a way to manage their mental wellness. Journaling for mental wellness has gained a lot of focus over recent years (especially since the pandemic). If you’re thinking of trying it, here are three points to consider.


Journal on paper


You can journal electronically if you really want to. It is, however, a good idea at least to try paper journaling. Many people find it a very different experience from journaling electronically and a better one for mental wellness.  


Apart from anything else, journaling on paper, by definition, takes you away from screens. It can also help to force you to slow down. Even if you’re a slow typist, using a keyboard is still often much quicker than writing. That’s fine if you just need to get a job done but sometimes there’s a case for going slowly and mindfully.


Journaling on paper also provides a high degree of privacy and security compared to journaling electronically. You don’t have to deal with tech fails or cybersecurity issues. There’s also less danger of you accidentally publishing something you meant to keep private.


Balance structure with freedom


Even though the names are similar, bullet journaling and regular journaling are different. You can, however, draw inspiration from bullet journaling. In particular, you could look at its balance of structure and flexibility as a guide for your journaling. For example, you might want to include prompts and trackers alongside blank space for you to use as you wish.


You can also keep a “temporary” journal as well as a proper one. Your temporary journal can essentially be your “catch-all” for whatever thoughts you want to record. This can literally mean anything from basic to-dos to your thoughts on the Yelp extortion issue. You would then distill these down into your proper journal.


This approach is particularly useful when you’re still figuring out what you want from your journal. Even once you do have an established journaling process, it can still be handy to have an “overflow” notebook.


Push your creative boundaries


As previously mentioned, your journal can and should be whatever you want it to be. If, however, you’re journaling for mental wellness, then you may find it very helpful to push your creative boundaries. At the very least, it’s worth trying and seeing how you feel about it.


Pushing your creative boundaries will mean different things to different people. Basically, it will depend on where your starting point is. If you’ve never considered yourself to be creative then you might want to start with the likes of stickers and stamps and doodles. If you are more artistic, then use your journal to try out new techniques.


Regardless of your previous artistic experience (if any), you might want to try exploring neurographics. This is a technique for drawing out your inner feelings and expressing them on paper where you can address them. Many people find it very soothing and relaxing.


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What Are The Best Ways To Practise Self-Care?

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What Are The Best Ways To Practise Self-Care? 

Self-care offers many benefits, making it important to prioritize. Indeed, it helps to improve your physical health while reducing stress and the risks of developing anxiety and depression. What's more, it boosts your confidence and self-esteem, leading to happier relationships and increased daily productivity. It's no wonder that WHO considers self-care as an effective aspect of national health systems. Here are some helpful ways you can prioritize self-care. 

  1. Prioritize exercise 

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An inexpensive yet effective way to practice self-care is to exercise daily. Regular exercise comes with many perks that improve your life significantly. It triggers changes in the brain parts that regulate anxiety and stress, for starters. Besides, it boosts the production of endorphins that induces positive feelings while increasing your brain's sensitivity to norepinephrine and serotonin, which combats depression. Furthermore, it increases your energy levels, tones your muscles, and aids weight loss. That said, you'd want to include working out in your daily routine if you haven't already. 

Fortunately, several workouts are specifically designed to address certain areas, so keep this in mind. For instance, exercises like walking, gardening, dancing, pilates, and circuit training effectively reduce stress. Likewise, push-ups, lunges, sit-ups, arm raises, etc., are effective at toning your muscles. As a tip, choose the activities that you're comfortable with to prevent working out from becoming a chore. You can also get a workout partner to make the experience more enjoyable. 

  1. Don’t skip sleep 

Sleep is a crucial aspect of daily life that helps your mind and body recharge. This leaves you feeling refreshed and mentally alert for the day. Besides, people who have enough sleep are less prone to illnesses and chronic diseases and can maintain a healthy weight. What's more, good sleep helps you make better decisions, as your mind is more active. Therefore, you might be doing yourself more harm if you haven't been sleeping well. The CDC recommends that adults sleep for at least seven hours nightly

Fortunately, you can take practical steps to ensure that you don't skip sleep. For instance, it's best to avoid consuming caffeine late in the day, as it can stimulate your nervous system, preventing your body from relaxing. You also want to avoid taking long daytime naps if it constantly messes with your night sleep. As a tip, prepare your room by decluttering and reducing noise. By all means, avoid using your smart devices before sleeping, as they emit blue light that prevents you from falling asleep. 

  1. Go for regular check-ups

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Your health is paramount, and going for regular check-ups is a sure way of ensuring your wellbeing. Regular check-ups help you detect and treat potentially life-threatening diseases earlier. Moreover, it limits complication risks by constantly monitoring existing conditions, increasing your lifespan ultimately. Routine check-ups depend on your age; people aged 19-21 can go once every two to three years, while those aged 22-64 can go once every one to three years. Adults aged 65 and above can go once annually for the best results. Therefore, it's best to consult with your OBGYN and other health providers to create a suitable check-up routine for you. 


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How to Focus on Improving Your Health in the New Year

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The new year is often when most people set resolutions and vow to improve their lives over the coming twelve months. Many of these resolutions involve losing weight or earning more money. But aside from improving their appearance or their bank balance, there is one meaningful resolution that is well worth making this new year. Focusing on improving your health in 2022 is a new year’s resolution that will make a significant difference in your life. Here are some of the ways you can focus on improving your health in the coming year and make some really positive changes in your life:


Identify Your Goals


It is hard to reach your goals if you are not entirely sure what you want to achieve. Deciding on specific areas of your health you hope to improve will help make it easier to focus on achieving this. Simply saying you want to get healthy can make it hard to measure your progress and challenging to see measurable results. But, setting specific goals such as exercising three times a week or breaking free from an addictive habit will ensure you have something clear to aim for, which will help you to stay on track.


Understand What’s Holding You Back


Often new year’s resolutions are goals people want to achieve throughout the year but keep delaying. Thinking about why you have been holding back on your resolutions is an excellent way to break through the barriers preventing you from taking action. Once you have identified what is preventing you from reaching your goals, you can establish methods to overcome these barriers. When you know what has been holding you back in the past, you should find it easier to commit to successfully reaching your goals.


Make a Plan


After deciding what you hope to achieve from your resolution and identifying the barriers holding you back, it is time to begin making plans. With a clear plan, you can work towards your goals, making steady progress along the way. Thinking about the practical methods you can use to achieve your goals will provide you with a road map to get started and guide you toward achieving them. Sometimes, getting started on your journey towards achieving a goal is the hardest part. So, putting an action plan in place should help you to start and then continue onwards towards realizing your goal. Maybe you plan to beat an addiction, so taking a look at rehablist.org is a great starting point when making your plan, or perhaps you want to take a physical exam at your doctor’s office and make your health plans based on this. Whatever your situation, making a plan with a clear starting point is valuable. 


Seek Support


Trying to commit to something as important as improving your health can be challenging, so it is helpful to seek support. Finding the proper help will make it so much easier for you to commit to focusing on your health in the new year and beyond.


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What Is Enough? How Do You Know When You Have "It"?

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Over a month ago was my birthday and I wrote a post On the Verge of 40. In it, I describe my feelings of insecurity, doubt, worry, and generally being unsure.  My vow was to focus on feeling that I am enough as I am.  I have actually, to my surprise, thought of this every day and tried to squash out those feelings of inadequacy whenever they pop up.  Or I've tried to figure what the root cause of what that feeling is and attempted to rectify it.  

Journey to Finding Life's Purpose - Part 1

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Do you wake up each day dreading the idea of spending another day at work? You might even feel the need to be a part of something bigger and more meaningful. If you’ve failed to discover and build your life around your life purpose, you might feel dissatisfied with your life. Determining the purpose of your life can be a simple process.


Self-Sabotaging Thoughts That Hinder Happiness

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Most people go through times when they have trouble getting their thoughts to align with their intentions. When that happens, it will hinder your happiness. Your thoughts can get in the way of your happiness because these types of thoughts are focusing on what’s wrong, what’s missing, or the negativity of the situation instead of the positives. 

Success Does Not Fuel Happiness

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It’s easy to simplify happiness and claim that it’s obvious that successful people are happy. However, if you really interviewed 100 successful people, you may be surprised that a large percentage of them are not as happy as you think they ought to be. The fact is, you can be a millionaire, have a wonderful spouse, great kids, and everything you think you want and still not be happy. The truth is happiness fuels success.

·         Happiness Leads to More Productivity – When people are happy with the work, they do they tend to be willing to do it a lot more, even for free. Assuming other needs (food, shelter, health) are met a happy person can find joy doing the most mundane things because they can focus on outcomes instead of just what they are doing.

·         Happiness Leads to Higher Profits – In companies that keep their employees happy by offering a living wage, benefits, and a flexible schedule the profits tend to be a lot higher. One reason is that when a person feels respected in their job even if the work is hard, they are happier about doing it.

·         Happiness Leads to Stability – When people are happy, they tend to be a lot more stable, stick to tasks longer, and are more likely to complete an assignment. In addition, they tend to job hop a lot less. This is one reason smart employers know that by making work a happy place they can reduce turn over.

·         Happiness Leads to a Better Work Ethic – Most people think of work ethic as something you must suffer to experience, but for happy people, they tend to stick to their jobs longer and work even harder. The main reason is that they have the energy to do it and can envision the outcomes more positively.

·         Happiness Is Not About Wealth – Everyone knows someone who has plenty of money but is not happy and maybe even hateful. They seem to have everything but happiness. Because of this fact, it’s clear that being happy doesn’t always directly correlate to the circumstances you find yourself in regarding your bank account balance.

·         Happiness Colors the Lens by Which You See Life – The surprising truth about happiness is that if you practice happiness it will begin to affect how you see everything in the world. You’ll be able to pick out the most positive things no matter the situation.

·         Happiness is About Today – Happiness is really all about today. If you’re happy today, you’re more likely to eat right, move more, get your work done, and do everything well. Naturally, that is going to affect the future too.

·         Happiness is a Mindset – It’s hard to imagine it is true, but it is. Happiness is about your mindset. Thankfully, with work, you can train your mindset to be happier and more positive despite your current circumstances.


While bad things do happen to good people and can bring them down, the truth is, happiness can be experienced by most anyone regardless of where they are in life right now in terms of their success. It just requires that you accept that you can be happy, right now, without anything changing while also developing plans to make changes.

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Easy Ways to Start Looking after your Mental Health

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If you know that your mental health is suffering because of your job, the stress of home or anything else of the sort, then you will understand how important it is for you to make a change. After all, if you don’t then the problems you are experiencing will only get worse.

Workout

There really are many advantages to exercising. It can help you to boost your energy levels and it can also help you to use up any excess energy as well. This is a fantastic way for you to regulate your sleep pattern and your fitness. Another great bonus of working out is that it can help you to manage stress, and it is also great for boosting your confidence too. This can work wonders for your mental health, and it is also great if you want to try and help yourself to be more outgoing.

Nutrition

Nothing can quite compare to having a balanced diet. When your diet is balanced, this can help you with your energy levels and it can also help with weight control. This has a knock-on effect when it comes to your self-esteem and it is also a great way for you to feel better in yourself. If you want to get some help when it comes to your mental health or if you feel as though your diet is doing nothing for your state of mind then why not consider talking with someone from Bluesky Psychology?


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Relax

It is very easy to become overwhelmed with life, to the point where you can’t seem to find time for yourself. You have to know that this is completely normal. It is essential however that you find time to look after your mental health, and that you also relax in a way that relates to your lifestyle. This can be watching a movie with your loved one, or even practicing yoga on your own. Either way, it can really help you to take back control of your life and your stress levels.

Sleep

Sleep is so crucial for your physical and your mental health. Sleep helps you to become re-energised and it also helps your body to heal. Another bonus of sleep is that it keeps your memory working properly. If you don’t feel as though you are getting enough sleep in the day then you really do need to try and avoid stimulants where possible. You also need to try and make sure that you stay in a good routine, and that you go to bed at the same time every day. When you are able to get yourself into some good habits, you can then begin to feel better and you can also make sure that you are giving your body the rest that it needs.


Of course, sometimes the stress of life gets too much, and this happens to everyone, but by making sure that you are looking after your mental health, you can be sure to help yourself stay healthy and positive during this difficult time.

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