Hi, I’m excited to share with you a new topic on Health guide.
Let’s talk about Mental Health!
It’s very natural and normal for us to take care of our physical health, the way we look and dress, but let’s take few minutes to look at ways we can take care of our mental health, because we would all agree with me that no matter how beautiful or handsome someone is, we definitely do not want to be around them if they are mentally unstable. I know right. Now let’s take a look on how to take care of our Mental health!
1: Value yourself & be yourself; Did someone just say, huh, huh, which one is value yourself again? Yes, value yourself, know your worth. Treat yourself with kindness, know what you want and what you do not. Avoid self criticism develop your self-esteem, carry yourself with pride, do what you love, never let someone stop you from doing what you love (what you love that will have a positive impact on your general health.) Be you, never you pretend just to be on someone’s good book, it’s stressing your brain and mind to be what and who they are not, it’s telling them to take on the personality of someone else and sooner or later, they would break down.
2: Set aside some ‘Me’ time; Yes, set aside sometime for yourself, for you and you alone, that time, you come first, it’s not pride, it’s simply maintaining a stable metal health . Know that except in cases of extreme emergency, nothing can take you away from you during that time. Yes set some time aside just to dance, watch a movie, surf the internet read a novel and just be you.
3: Practice meditation; I know someone didn’t know meditation is a way of exercising the brain, set aside some time for meditation, some time to exercise your brain, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day. Meditation helps relieve anxiety and tension generally.
4; Set realistic goals; Ever heard of short terms and long terms goal? Yes, set realistic goal. Be SMART(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic amd Time bound). Be specific about the goal you are setting, is it something measurable, significant? Is it achievable, are you not just deceiving yourself? Is it realistic, is it not just some sort of fantasy or fairytale? Is it time bound, can it be achieved within the time you set for it? That’s why there’s a short term and long term goal. Set a short time goal you know would help you achieve your long time goal. Break your goals into stages.
5: Give yourself some excitement and learn how to deal with stress. Yes, change that routine you are used to, that routine everyone has identify you with. Yes, change that route you take to work everyday, try a new restaurant, try a new food, take a walk in a different street, try a new hairstyle, try that new dress. In short, break the chain, lol.
6: Create time for others; Do I hear you say but I work 24/7? who says you have to work 24/7? Have you forgotten tip number 2? Set aside some ‘Me’ time. As you are setting aside some time for yourself, set aside some time for your family and friends. Being around people that love you and those you love has a way of helping the mental health. Yes, that’s meeting the need of ‘Love and Belonging’ which is one of the human needs.
7: Express gratitude and be happy; Say thank you for little things, it’s a way of training the mind to see the good in everything, training ourselves to be positive, to stay positive in everything. And be happy. Someone said “Be happy, not because you have a reason to be, but because you do not need a reason to be.” Do you think your happiness should be based on your partner? your job? your family? No, no, no. Your happiness should be based on you and you alone. Be happy because it aids your mental health, because you do not need a reason to be. Your partner, job, family and other factors should be a bonus and not a reason.
8: Take care of your physical health ; Yes, drink less and eat healthy. Drinking has a way of messing with people’s health and sleep. Excessive drinking has a toxic reaction on the brain and this bring about a decline in mental health. Instead of drinking, eat more healthy foods, protein, carbohydrates, fats(less fat)e.t.c and fruits, they help much more than drinking.
9: Say no to drugs; You might say, oh drugs makes me feel high, makes me feel good and in high spirit. Oh, it boost my confidence! but did you know it does have a negative effect on both your physical and mental health? Drugs just like drinking causes a toxic reaction on the brain especially when it’s abused (not used for therapeutic purposes) Paracetamol as harmless as it is has a negative effects on the brain when it’s not used as a therapeutic regimen.
10: Get Adequate sleep; The brain also need to rest, and there’s no way the brain can rest if you decide not to sleep. Sleeping for few hours won’t make you lose that exam, it won’t make you miss the deadline for that job. Actually, when you deprive yourself of sleep, you weaken the brain, and you end up performing poorly, because the brain is tired and cannot comprehend all you have stored in it.
11: Say it out; Contrary to be opinion that you don’t want people to pity you or stigmatize you, say it out. Talking generally has a soothing effect on the mind, it makes you feel important and cared for and it’s a way of relieving the mind of stress and freeing the mind from the bondage it’s in.
12: Ask for help; Now, I know a lot of us find it difficult to and other for help, but we can’t do it all by ourselves, which is why God created us amidst others and not in a desert or somewhere odd. Seeking help is actually a sign of strength not weakness.
Thank you for stopping by for some Health Guide with – Oyebisi Oyelami
IG – @queenitee
See you next time.
