Many people already realize the importance of physical health, but many also ignore mental health. Research proves that good mental health will improve physical health and resistance to emotional disturbances so that our lives feel more enjoyable. In order to be truly healthy, try to take care of your physical and mental health.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Coping With Stress
Step 1. Do physical exercise
When experiencing stress, the brain will release hormones that instruct our bodies to prepare for threats. Severe stress can interfere with mental health and cause physical problems. Exercising is one way to control stress.
- Exercise and other physical exercises can help relax tense muscles.
- Exercise also triggers endorphins in the body. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that make you feel good and prevent your body from responding to stress. In addition, endorphins also help improve your mood and make you feel calmer.
- Do activities that you enjoy or that make your heart beat faster, for example by practicing yoga, walking, dancing, and exercising.
- When you are stressed, you may not like to exercise because you have other more important things to do, but exercising regularly is very beneficial later in life.
Step 2. Adopt a healthy diet
You can relieve stress by following a good diet and eating pattern by implementing the following suggestions:
- Reduce caffeine consumption and don't drink alcohol that triggers anxiety. Drinking alcohol can be addictive and make it harder for you to deal with stress.
- Use mealtimes as an opportunity to enjoy a calming and relaxing moment. Don't be in a hurry to finish your food.
- Don't overeat or use food as a way to deal with stress.
- Nutritious foods and drinks make your body more resistant to stress. Nutrients found in avocados, bananas, tea, whole grains, fatty fish, carrots, nuts, yogurt, and chocolate can help reduce stress.
Step 3. Get in the habit of getting a good night's sleep
A night's sleep is an opportunity for the body to make repairs and be free from stress that has accumulated since the morning. In addition, the brain can also rest while you sleep. At this time, you can relax your body and muscles that are tense from being used throughout the day.
- A good night's sleep keeps you stress-free and prevents serious stress responses, such as anxiety, from developing.
- Get in the habit of getting enough and quality sleep at night. Turn off the sound source so you don't wake up repeatedly throughout the night. To reduce stress, get into the habit of getting 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
Step 4. Do mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation is done by focusing attention on the present. During meditation, you only focus on the experience and do nothing else.
- Doing mindfulness meditation for 30 minutes every day can improve behavior and thought patterns. It also helps you reduce emotional reactivity, anxiety, and depression.
- Start meditating by finding a quiet, distraction-free place. Sit comfortably and pay attention to your thoughts. Be aware of every thought that comes up and let it pass.
- Focus on what you are experiencing right now and pay attention to your breath. Observe what you see, hear, and feel while recognizing where your body feels tense. Accept any thoughts, worries, or emotions that arise and let them go away on their own.
- If your mind starts to wander or gets carried away by problems, refocus your attention on the breath.
Method 2 of 4: Building Self-Esteem
Step 1. Question your self-critical thoughts
You have to feel good about yourself in order to maintain mental health. Worry and negative thoughts make you weak and unable to feel the best of yourself. Self-doubt also causes negative stress (distress). Get rid of the habit of self-criticism and worry by doing the following exercises:
- If you start to feel worried and/or think negatively about yourself, ask the following question: “Am I getting better by thinking this way?” or “Are my thoughts right?” or “Would I say the same to anyone else?” The answer to this question can overcome self-doubt.
- Change negative thoughts to become true and good thoughts. For example, if you think to yourself: "I can never do a good job." Change this thinking by making statements that contain truth, for example: “Sometimes, I don't work well, but I can also work with satisfactory results. I realized that I couldn't do everything and I'm proud of my abilities."
Step 2. Focus on your strengths
When faced with adversity, focus on the skills that can help you overcome the challenges of everyday life.
- For example, if you think: “I wonder what will happen. What if something bad happens?” think about your strengths and then say to yourself: “I wonder what will happen, but I've dealt with unforeseen events in the past. I feel confident that I can overcome all challenges.”
- Acknowledging what you value in yourself reminds you that you are worthy of respect. It is very necessary to maintain mental health. Appreciating strength is a way of reminding yourself how reliable and competent you are.
- Write or keep a journal to record the things that are your strengths. Start by asking the question: What makes you feel strong? Is it because you did something or because of certain conditions? Describe how you felt when you realized the power you had, did you feel confident? Proud? Write down 5 things that are your strengths. Which is the most important? Why?
Step 3. Do self-affirmations
Self-affirmation is an exercise in reminding yourself that you are worthy of respect by saying and writing down things you like or admire about yourself. Acknowledge the traits you like to build self-esteem.
- Say aloud the things you like while looking in the mirror. Do this short exercise over and over again every time you get a chance to build self-esteem.
- Example of an affirmation: “I like myself because I am a good friend and I am proud of the way I treat my friends.”
- Another example: “I love having curly hair because it makes me look different. Today I feel happy because I like my hair.”
- Research shows that self-affirmations also help relieve stress and improve creative thinking skills when you're dealing with a stressful issue.
Method 3 of 4: Controlling Negative Emotions
Step 1. Make time for yourself
Dealing with negative emotions is not easy, but it is a part of everyday life. The ability to control your emotions and overcome the suffering you feel is very necessary to maintain mental health. For that, make time every day so you can do fun things.
- Everyone experiences pleasure in a different way. Maybe you enjoy doing activities that put you in control of your emotions.
- Other examples: chatting with friends, going for a walk, listening to music, or doing a relaxing activity, such as meditating.
Step 2. Practice self-awareness
Be aware of your emotional response to what is happening. Think in advance how you would react to a difficult situation.
- Instead of reacting immediately to a negative event, try to mentally distance yourself for a while to recognize your emotional response. Many are helped in this way, for example by taking several deep breaths or counting to ten before reacting.
- Observe how you feel for not judging. This gives you the opportunity to prevent impulsive reactions from occurring so that you can be tactful.
- Being aware of your emotions will help you a lot in communicating and building relationships.
Step 3. Write a journal
You can use a journal to control your thoughts and feelings. Apart from making you aware of your emotional reactions, journaling also benefits your mental and physical health by boosting your immune system and reducing stress. Start journaling by answering the following questions:
- How did this incident affect my feelings? Or, it has no effect on how I feel?
- What do I know about myself and my desires through these feelings?
- Do I judge the emotional response I give? What assumptions do I use to judge?
- Keep a journal for at least 20 minutes every day.
Method 4 of 4: Establish Healthy Relationships
Step 1. Know the characteristics of a healthy relationship
Social support is needed in difficult times. Friends, family, and coworkers will provide emotional support and help you deal with stressful issues. Social support also makes you feel welcome and safe. Find the following aspects of your relationship:
- Mutual trust. Mutual trust is necessary for a healthy and lasting relationship. Trust sets us up for vulnerability when we reveal our true selves.
- Mutual respect. Mutual respect in a relationship means being willing to accept the opinions, desires, and limitations of others. Mutual respect also means not giving responses that hurt, insult, and belittle others.
- Listen to each other. Listening is a way of showing respect and concern for others. Try to listen actively by allowing the other person to speak without interrupting. Pay close attention to what he says and the way he speaks. Do the same for everyone.
- Give each other freedom. Giving freedom in a relationship means letting the other person enjoy time for themselves. You also have to give other people the opportunity to socialize in everyday life. This way, you both give each other the opportunity to express your wishes without any consequences.
Step 2. Know the signs of an unhealthy relationship
Unfortunately, there are relationships that are unhealthy or even involve violence. Violence that occurs in relationships is usually in the form of behavior that controls the other person physically or emotionally. A person is considered violent if they exhibit the following behaviors:
- Embarrassing you on purpose
- Over-criticizing you
- Ignore or leave you
- Be emotional and often unpredictable
- Determines where you go and limits who you meet
- Saying "If you don't _, I will _."
- Using money to control you
- Checking your phone or email without permission
- Being possessive
- Shows excessive anger or jealousy
- Pressuring, blaming, or forcing you to have sex
Step 3. Reconsider your relationship
After understanding why relationships are said to be healthy and unhealthy, take a look at your social life and the people in it. Observe what a supportive relationship and a violent relationship look like.
- If you are experiencing violence, you may need to talk to the person concerned about his or her behavior. Also consider whether you need to cut ties with him, especially if he ignores your problems. People like this can damage your mental health.
- For the same reason, it's a good idea to make friends with supportive people.
Step 4. Demonstrate good behavior for a healthy relationship
Positive relationships can exist not only because of the behavior of the other person, but because of your behavior as well. Follow some of these suggestions for a healthy relationship:
- Know what you both want out of this relationship and individually.
- Express what you want and try to understand the needs of the other person.
- Realize that you can't find perfect happiness from just one relationship.
- Find common ground and learn to negotiate to reach an agreement.
- Accept and appreciate the differences between the two of you.
- Show empathy by trying to understand each other's perceptions and points of view. If there is a serious problem, talk it out honestly and love one another.
Tips
- Use a journal to express unpleasant emotions, such as sadness, loneliness, or feeling neglected. You should do this exercise before bed.
- Get into the habit of positive thinking to keep you motivated and inspired.
