Mental well-being in America is at an all-time low. Studies have shown that nearly 1 out of 4 Americans will be diagnosed with a mental disorder every year. This is a HUGE societal issue that often goes unnoticed; a problem that will only grow unless we make drastic changes in our lifestyles.
It’s important to understand that there are three kinds of well-being:
- Emotional well-being
- Mental well-being
- Physical well-being
Our mental well-being is in perfect parallel with our physical and emotional well-being. They are not separate entities, but they’re interconnected. If our emotional well-being increases, so does our physical and mental well-being. Therefore, if there’s an imbalance, it affects all areas of well-being.
These 7 restorative ways to improve your mental well-being incorporates this alternative approach to mental well-being and will teach you helpful techniques and understandings that can benefit you and the people around you for the rest of your life.
1. What do you consume?
Take a moment to think about your consumption. By consumption, we mean not only what you had for breakfast, but especially what you feed your SOUL — your mental and emotional food.
Everyday, you make around 35,000 choices. These “minor” choices add up to the sum of your life. They ultimately define the man or woman you see when you look in the mirror today. Most of us aren’t even aware of half of these decisions; they happen subconsciously and automatically because we are on autopilot. We do not think about our thoughts and we do not we do not pay attention to what we’re paying attention to.
It’s crucial to our mental well-being that we take ownership of our habits. If we let habits created in unawareness determine our path in life, that leaves THE REAL , EMPOWERED YOU completely powerless. That is not what the precious gift of life was given to us for. Fortunately, this awareness alone allows us to make the choices that benefit where we want to go.
Do you do the things that MAKE OR BREAK you? Do you choose to take 15 minutes for yourself to meditate? Do you choose to spend quality time with a loved one? Do you choose to challenge yourself instead of always taking the easy way? You get the picture.
This relates to mental health, because all the little things contribute as well. When you take full responsibility for the little things (and thereby your habits), you can align them with where you want to go in life. If you want to improve your health and happiness, WONDERFUL — then feed yourself with the things that are in alignment with this. Eventually, whatever you feed, will grow.
2. Put an end to sleepless nights
Sleep is the FOUNDATION of mental well-being, and just like anything else in life, if your foundation isn’t solid, it’s going to be hard to build on top.
We have all experienced how a couple consecutive nights of little sleep affects our mood and clarity. The best way of describing this is walking around with “brain fog”; many of us are literally sleep walking.
There’s plenty of scientific evidence proving that there’s a close relationship between sleep and mental health, but yet, so many people struggle getting good sleep. In fact, no less than 70 MILLION Americans suffer from a chronic sleeping disorder making ‘sleep’ an ENORMOUS factor in the mental health crisis. Improved sleep = Improved mental health which brings us to the question: How to improve your sleep?
We could write an entire blog post just on this topic (which we have), so we invite you to explore these 12 alternative sleeping tips to become a sustainable sleeper. We encourage you to make a difference and share them with people in your life with sleeping problems or poor mental health.
3. Express yourself: Journal
One of the most underestimated mental well-being tools is journaling. Journaling allows you to open up a space of unrestrained self-talk; a free space where you can be BRUTALLY HONEST with yourself and not worry about others’ judgement. Like on a blank canvas, you get to express your thoughts and feelings and create something that holds meaning to you.
So, why is journaling so beneficial? Glad you asked. Journaling is beneficial because it connects the person that walks around all day working, parenting, grocery shopping (or whatever you do) with the person “behind the scenes”; the one who’s in charge of your feelings and overall happiness. It connects your outer identity with your inner self. The journaling process activates your inner voice and helps you find perspective and gratitude which is FUNDAMENTAL to mental well-being.
Remember, what we don’t EXPRESS , we SUPRESS which makes pen-to-paper such a powerful, simple tool. Your writings do not have to be neat or organized, they just need to contain your raw, unfiltered thoughts and emotions. Whether they are positive or negative — GET THEM OUT .
NOTE : Instead of merely jotting down your daily doings, shift your attention to how these daily doings makes you FEEL . What made you smile or laugh? Were you at any point emotionally triggered, feeling angry, sad, jealous, or resentful etc.? How did you release this feeling afterwards? Most importantly: Do you actions today align with where you want to go in life? Try to put today’s “insignificant” events into a bigger picture.
4. Find nourishment in social interaction
By nature, human beings are social animals. We were given the wonderful ability to communicate and connect with each other because we are meant to help each other grow.
To some people, social interaction comes easy while to others, it may seem like an exhausting chore. Some people are energetically fueled by interaction while others feel drained. But, one thing is for sure: Social interaction prevents loneliness and boosts your mental well being.
Experts recommend that you aim for 6 hours social time a day, but in our opinion, it’s more about the QUALITY rather than QUANTITY of your social time. Spending quality time with people you hold dear and who support the person you want to be is a true blessing. Ultimately, surrounding yourself with the people in your circle who FUEL your purpose is what contributes to your mental well-being.
We could write a book on this topic, but let’s keep it simple. Ask yourself these 3 questions about your social circle:
- What is shared quality time to you? Dinner? Walks? Exercise? Café conversations?
- Who are the people in your social circle? Who do you spend the most time with?
- Are these people in alignment with the person you want to be? Do they support your vision?
5. Meditate
Meditation is such a powerful tool because you practice being present. In our fast paced lives, we constantly shift our focus from A to B to C from the moment we open our eyes in the morning to when we go to sleep. But when you meditate, you are BEING IN THE NOW.
Meditation is an eye-opening mindfulness tool that grounds you and gives you a sense of inner peace which, of course, is essential to your mental well-being. Not enough people use this remarkable tool, probably because of some general misconceptions.
People tend to think that meditation requires great focus and is only for Buddhists and yogis. It’s often associated with monks and Buddhists sitting in the Lotus position, humming, and swaying, but it doesn’t have to be a complicated, spiritual experience. In fact, meditation is the simplest mindfulness tool there is.
If you haven’t tried meditating before, THIS is your chance to try something new that can only help you. There are no downsides to meditation, so what’s the harm in trying?
When meditating, allow whatever feelings that arise and accept their presence. If you feel distress, then acknowledge that this is merely a feeling and it cannot hurt you. Stay in the feeling, close your eyes, and take deep, long belly breaths. Repeat this exercise for 20 minutes twice a day and feel the results in your mood, motivation, and energy level for yourself.
6. Your kind of exercise
It is no secret that physical activity increases your mental well-being. Your mind and your body are connected, as one, which means that if you give nourishment to your body, you also nourish your mind (and the other way around).
As humans, we are not meant to live in stillness because we are DYNAMIC creatures. However, in today’s modern society, it’s easy to get caught up in hours of home entertainment on phones, TVs, and tablets or maybe working in an office space requires that we’re sitting down for long periods of time. But, if we become physically stagnant, our mental state becomes stagnant too, decreasing our ability to handle stress and obstacles in life. Exercise is VITAL to being in a solid state of mind.
Many of us hear the word “exercise”, cringe, and say: “Sorry, but that’s just not for me”, and maybe it isn’t. But we tend to associate exercise with running, intense competition, heavy lifting, and being drenched in sweat (and maybe tears). The truth is that exercise can be A LOT of things. Here’s a short list of alternative kinds of exercise that might inspire you:
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Roller blading or skate boarding
- Fast walking
- Obstacle courses
- Hula hoop or jump rope
- Trampolining
- Bike rides or spinning
- Paddle boarding or kayaking
- Stretching and yoga
- Dancing
- Fun, home-made competition
The bottom line is that exercise gives you a POWER and an ENERGY that benefits both mind and body. Even if you don’t think that exercise is particularly fun, we highly encourage you to try it and stay with it. Observe how your mental capability grows stronger in accordance with your physical.
7. Try new things
When we continuously repeat the same cycle of actions day in and day out, it’s easy to caught up in our own heads. Repetition can make us a little numb which is when we experience lack of motivation and excitement. The cure, as you might have guessed, is being willing to try new things with an open mind.
If you have the financial wiggle room to travel to foreign countries and explore the horizons, that’s wonderful, but altering the little things might have a similar positive effect on your mental well-being; whether this is taking a different route to work, adding a different spice to your pasta, or surprising your friend with a tray of cookies. Every out-of-the-ordinary action has the ability to boost your well-being with new insight and perspective.
It’s important that you choose new experiences based on JOY ABOVE PLEASURE . The difference? Although they can be easily confused, a good rule of thumb is: Pleasure is temporary, joy lasts forever. Pleasure is winning a bet or eating a fat, juicy steak (sorry vegans), while joy is sharing a meal with a loved one watching the sun go down in the horizon. Pleasure feeds your physical body while joy FEEDS YOUR SOUL .
Food for Thought…
Now, to get the most out of this writing, grab a pen and some paper and write down your thoughts. What little changes can be made in your daily routine to improve your mental well-being? What behaviors should you probably minimize? What types of exercise do you want to try?
Mental well-being is an umbrella term for how we REALLY FEEL on the inside, and as mentioned before, we’re currently living in a mental health crisis. This means that millions of people are walking around, holding onto a whole lot of pain. Sadly, many of us think that this pain is a natural part of life. We think: “That’s just how life goes”, but that’s not true.
YOU have the ability to heal yourself and reclaim YOUR power using resources like this. Therefore, we encourage you to spread the word and help others by sharing this information with your friends, family, and the people who need to hear it.
As always, thank you for your time.
– Guides for Growth