There are many things that you must always keep in mind when it comes to taking good care of yourself. First of all, you must understand that self-care is not limited to physical health only. Keep in mind that no matter how much you drink vitamins or eat right, you will never achieve overall wellness. What is important is that you also find time to focus on your mental health in style.
Andrea M. Risi, LPC said “Put yourself first. It may sound selfish, but if you’re not healthy, you won’t be able to give of yourself to others. If you need to take a break, take it. Realize your limits and set boundaries with others.”
Not everyone knows this, but the reality is that a person suffers from depression or anxiety because he has a low level of mental wellness. If you end up becoming like this person, there is a high tendency that your life will fall into pieces. You may think that you no longer have a reason to keep going in life. As a result, you will become more interested in hurting yourself than getting better. Because of this, we want to provide you with a list of guidelines to remember so that you can start prioritizing your mental health.
Below are some of the things that you need to know:
Live A Healthy Lifestyle
Avoid having a sedentary lifestyle where all that you would do is to sleep the entire weekend or sit in the office all day. As much as possible, focus on becoming active. Find time to exercise despite having a hectic schedule. Remind yourself that exercise can improve not only your medical condition but also your mental health. The more you do physical activities, the happier you may become. If this happens for a long time, your mental awareness will keep on improving.
According to Casey Radle, LPC, “When we are in distress and lack feelings of safety, our thinking brain is hijacked by our emotional limbic system and we move into primitive drives to fight or flight.”
Walk Away From Negative People
One of the things that you must consider at this point is to filter your relationships with other people. Do not be afraid to determine those who deserve to stay in your life and those that you must let go as soon as possible. Take note that the kind of persons that you surround yourself with affect how you view life. As such, if you are always in a company of positive individuals, then there is a high chance that you will also end up just like them.
Be True To Yourself
Another thing that you must always instill in your mind is the importance of living life with a balance between ideals and reality. It is normal to think of several ideals, especially if you have so much positivity in yourself. Nonetheless, it is still best to remind yourself of the reality that you encounter daily. Stop lying to yourself because it can only make matters worse. If something is wrong in your life, accept it so that you can think of better ways on how to handle it. Otherwise, you will only end up running away from your problems. If this happens for a long time, you will get more frustrated each day until you suffer depression.
“It is about prioritizing our needs so we can be “fully present when caring for or connecting with others,” said Kirsten Brunner, MA, LPC.
Always prioritize your mental health. Start today so that you can reap its benefits!