Your overall wellbeing depends on your health, spanning your physical, social, and mental state. But, unfortunately, while many of us take care of our health physically and socially, our mental well-being tends to take a back burner. According to TSA, 1-in-5 people every year will experience a mental health condition in some form.
When we take care of our mental well-being, we can successfully deal more efficiently with ups and downs in our lives and become more productive in our use of time because we have more control. In addition, there are physical benefits of improving our mental health, such as getting better sleep and eating healthier. Bringing more value to yourself involves finding more value out of life and feeling that you have more purpose, so it’s a vital aspect of your health and wellness.
Here are some simple things that you can do to help improve your well-being on a mental level and find more control in your lifestyle.
Create a Simple and Effective Morning/Evening Routine
Many of the most successful and productive people say that they have a specific morning routine that they follow every day. However, when you start each day with a simple routine that includes practicing some gratitude, possibly by journaling or creating a “to-do” list for your day, you can help create a more valuable mindset for yourself.
A couple of other suggestions would be to wake up early before anyone else in the household, have your coffee out on your porch and prepare yourself for your day. Take time to appreciate the morning, write down positive affirmations, and put your mind at ease.
Like starting each day, you should also work to create a simple, manageable routine for yourself every night. Then, you can assess your day’s activities with your thoughts or journaling and embrace the power of ending your days with positivity, finding all of the good things that the day brought you. The result provides you with the ability to be more mindful.
Say “NO” More Often
Being more mindful enables you to evaluate and assess when certain situations or events do not serve you. Many of us feel we have to put others before ourselves, but that affects our mental well-being and turns into not being able to be there for others or ourselves in the end.
Wearing yourself too thin or filling up your schedule can be good. Still, you have to set some boundaries and know when to say “no.” Overwhelm and burnout are huge factors affecting our mental health, and to be the most productive, we have to practice being mindful of when things become too much.
Sometimes saying “no” might be in the form of taking a break from your screen or other distractions. It helps if you can set yourself up with a timer as you work to be more effective during the time allotted. Also, take breaks more often to give yourself time to breathe or take a walk so that you can relax your thoughts.
Meditate or Exercise
Bringing yourself into focus by being “in the moment” is best done through meditation or exercises, like yoga. When you are more mindful, you can hone in on your mind and body in tandem. Meditative or yoga exercises practice breathing and creating that focus, which aids you in controlling more stressful or anxious situations.
Understanding immunology to boost the immune system is another helpful tool that coincides with exercises. When you become more mindful, you are more aware of your immune function, which can help you to identify when your immune system is at risk.
Organize and Create Peace In Your Environment
Whether you work at home or in an office somewhere, creating a peaceful and organized environment can go a long way to assisting your mental wellbeing. Conversely, clutter and messiness tend to increase stress levels because the chaos of the area is also brought into our minds.
Take some time to clean and organize your area, and have things that help you feel calm present. Pictures, mini zen or waterfall gardens, plants, candles, or aromatherapy diffusers are all helpful tools to help you feel more peaceful in your environment.
If it helps to take it a step further, you can create an area within your home that is made for relaxation. This way, you have a place that you can escape to after a stressful day at work, or if you work from home, a way to separate your workspace from your calm space.
Take Your Time
Slowing down in many areas of your life can help you become more mindful and more productive. Many people work with the false idea that being faster makes you more efficient when taking things at a steady pace and focusing just on one task at a time. The idea being “multi-tasking” tends to make people more stressed out and overwhelmed.
When you go for a walk, take time to appreciate things in nature. Focus on each of your senses and take in the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and feelings around you. Also, listen more actively to friends and family and strengthen your relationships and connections because your support system is integral to your mental well-being.
Though you may feel challenged to find opportunities to be more mindful, you will reap the benefits of seeing more focus. Rest your mind and your body, and you will find yourself being more productive in many aspects of your lifestyle.
Words – Nicole McCray
LinkedIn
