Keeping good mental health is no easy task. Our sleep, diet, genetics, and daily life all affect our mental health. I myself know the struggle all too well of trying to stay positive when your brain is telling you to call it quits. I am writing some tips that help me with the daily battle to stay mentally strong. And my hope is if you are reading this and find it helpful you will pass it along. So please give it a read, add feedback and share this knowledge to make a difference in someone’s mental health.
Exercise is so damn important for my mental health. Because when I have that daily physical challenge to overcome, I have to first find the mental strength to overcome it. Then I actually have to carry out the actions of completing the workout. And I might hate it some days or I might love it but usually, when it is over I feel a sense of accomplishment. Whether it is a new goal reached or just because I got off the couch, I accomplished something! Be proud of any type of exercise you do, because it is easy to be lazy. If you have a hard time sticking to a routine workout, I suggest to you Yoga With Adriene. It is free, easy to follow along, and the instructor is really motivating.
I talk to myself… a lot honestly. I find it really helpful when I am having a bad day to talk to myself and cheer myself up. It probably sounds crazy but if I don’t do it, who else can? I repeat motivational phrases and mantras to myself until I have tricked my brain into believing it! I mentally yell at myself when I start thinking negative thoughts. Because it pulls me out of that mental space just like actually getting yelled grabs someone’s focus. On my good days, I remind myself to show appreciation for everything. And I question how I can be better than the day before. It is important that we remember that we are in control over our brains and we can guide them towards better thoughts and better states of mind.
Surround yourself with positive influences, at least that’s what I do. I follow motivational speakers, influencers, people I envy on social media to be constant visual reminders to be strong. I spend time with like-minded friends who remind me to stay strong even when I can’t. Because I find the more I engulf myself with positive messages, people, ideas, the easier it is to stay in a natural state of positivity. And it only gets better the longer I continue.
Life is about learning and evolving to be a better version of ourselves. And that is hard for one to do alone. We should be helping one another if we ever want to see a change in our mental health and the mental health of others. I hope you found these tips helpful and encouraging. I am sure there are better tips out there so I ask of you one more time, add your tips, share it with your friends and family, and spread the knowledge of how others stay mentally strong!