There Will Be Better Times Ahead!

We are told by people of all walks of life to “be happy” or “have a positive mental attitude.” However, many people do not know what exactly goes into having good mental health and oftentimes it can be hard to determine what to do to reach that positive mentality. I know that used to be the case for me. Good mental health doesn’t just happen; it is something that needs to be worked on every day through therapeutic activities and sometimes different lifestyle decisions. Below are some tips of mine that have helped me keep a positive mentality.

A woman wearing a red jacket walking on a dirt road thinking about her mental health.

Tips That Helped Me to Improve My Mental Health

There are many things that you can do to improve your mental health. Here are a few ideas:

1. Exercise regularly. Exercise is a great way to improve your mental health. It releases endorphins, which can make you feel happier and more relaxed.

2. Spend time outdoors. Spending time outdoors can help improve your mood and reduce stress levels. Nature has a calming effect and can be very therapeutic.

3. Connect with others. Socializing with friends and family can help reduce stress and make you feel happier and more connected. Loneliness and isolation can have a negative impact on mental health, so make sure to connect with others regularly.

4. Get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep is crucial to maintaining good mental health. Not getting enough sleep can make you feel frustrated, anxious, and irritable. Make sure to get a sufficient amount of sleep every night.

5. Eat healthy foods. Eating healthy fruits and vegetables is an important part of improving your mental health because it will improve your energy levels and overall mood. In addition, eating too much sugar or unhealthy foods may have a negative impact on your mood and contribute to worsening symptoms of certain mental illnesses such as depression or bipolar disorder.

6. Limit caffeine intake and alcohol use. Caffeine in large dosages can cause nervousness, anxiety, jitters, and trouble sleeping so try cutting back on the coffee in the afternoons if you have these symptoms at night. Alcohol use can actually worsen some symptoms of mental illness such as depression or anxiety, so it may be better to avoid drinking if you have a mental health condition.

7. Avoid drugs and alcohol. If you’re struggling with a substance abuse problem, it will make your mental health worse in the long run because these substances can cause addictions that are very hard to overcome. In addition, many people develop mental illnesses after abusing drugs so you might want to avoid them altogether to improve your mental health.

8. Meditation. If you have never meditated before, I would recommend finding a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and sitting in a comfortable chair, while keeping your back straight. You should close your eyes at this point and take deep breaths until you feel yourself relaxing. This may take some practice — after all, if you have never meditated before you probably don’t have the skill mastered. This is a very important step to take when working on your mental health because it allows you to just relax and focus on yourself for once, without any outside influences or other problems that you might have going on in your life.

Please, Don’t Do This!

In addition, there are things that you should try not to do:

1. Don’t skip out on appointments or therapy sessions without telling anyone about it first! Missing therapy sessions can result in worsening symptoms and even hospitalization for some people. Even if you’re having a bad day, try to attend your appointments to reduce your risk of needing hospitalization because you are not coping well.

2. Avoid using alcohol or drugs to cope with problems “just this once.” You could end up developing an addiction that makes your mental health worse in the long run. Even one instance of drug or alcohol use could be dangerous.

3. Don’t make impulsive decisions! If you are feeling overwhelmed by stress or emotions, it may feel nice initially to quit your job, break off a relationship, or move far away from everything that is familiar but these types of decisions can cause more problems for your mental health in the long run and they probably won’t solve whatever was causing those intense emotions in the first place.

4. Don’t let yourself get too hungry! You may be more likely to make unhealthy food choices or eat foods that are not good for you if you are very hungry, especially late at night when most convenient stores are closed. Try planning ahead by packing healthy snacks to keep with you so that you don’t end up breaking your diet because of hunger pangs. Eating enough fruits and vegetables can also help improve your energy levels throughout the day and reduce snacking on junkier foods later on.

5. Don’t isolate yourself! When you’re feeling down, it can be tempting to stay in your room and avoid socializing with others. However, loneliness and isolation can have a negative impact on mental health, so make sure to connect with others regularly.

6. Don’t overschedule yourself! This can lead to feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, which is not good for your mental health. Try to schedule some “down time” into your day where you can relax without feeling like you need to accomplish something.

Emotional Tips

Also, remember to take care of yourself emotionally when you are feeling overwhelmed! Some helpful tips include:

1. Writing. No matter if it’s journaling, blogging, or even using an app like Evernote, allowing yourself somewhere where you can express how you’re feeling is never a bad idea — and taking some time out of every day to do this can really help improve your mental health.

I find that writing is a great way to deal with my emotions, especially if I am feeling overwhelmed and don’t know how to express them verbally. It also helps me to figure out why I might be feeling a certain way, which in turn can help me address the problem.

2. Take deep breaths when things feel overwhelming. Taking the time to slow down and focus on breathing deeply for even just five minutes can reduce anxiety and improve mental health overall.

3. Try to incorporate some type of exercise into your day if possible; this could be a fun activity that you enjoy or something as simple as taking a walk. You can also try meditating which is a way of clearing your mind and gaining some inner peace.

4. Whenever possible, surround yourself with friends and family who care about you! Having people in your life who support you will make it easier to cope with problems and setbacks because there will always be someone there for you when things get rough.

Yes, It Will Get Better!

Finally, it’s important not to be hard on yourself. No matter what happens in your life it is always important to address whatever problems you might have and try to keep a positive attitude about whatever situation you may find yourself in.

It’s good for everyone to remember that we are only human, and making mistakes will happen — we just need to learn from them and move forward stronger than before.