Maintaining good mental health is just as important as keeping good physical health. But in the hectic modern world, we frequently neglect setting aside time for ourselves in favour of working excessive hours or taking on too many commitments at once.
Prioritizing your needs, engaging in interests and activities that make you happy, and having the guts to set boundaries, even when it’s challenging, are all examples of practising self-care. Here’s how to make self-care a higher priority in your life in order to prioritise your mental health.
Practice What You Love
Making time for the activities you enjoy doing is essential, whether it’s relaxing with a nice book, engaging in a game of cards hearts or classic klondike patience, or watching your favourite show on Netflix.
We prevent our nervous system from relaxing when we spend too much time working or running errands, which causes chronic inflammation and stress.
Don’t overextend yourself by attending too many activities; instead, set aside time to do the things you enjoy. Even setting aside just 10 minutes for “you time” each morning or evening can have a significant impact.
Say No
Overcommitting to plans is occasionally one of the main causes of stress. And it can be very tough to say no when people we love or respect ask us to go to events with them or run errands for them, especially when you don’t want to disappoint anyone.
The issue is that these feelings of guilt and humiliation that we experience when we say no might make us persons who have trouble establishing and maintaining boundaries.
But when it comes to safeguarding your mental health, setting limits is an absolute must. Picking and choosing how you spend your time helps you prevent burnout, even if you shouldn’t immediately say “no” to everything.
Make Slumber A Top Priority.
The connection between sleep and mental health is cyclical. In addition to aggravating sleep issues, poor mental health can also result from persistently getting too little sleep. People need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, so if you frequently get less than that, you’re more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
Making sleep a priority is essential in light of this. Create a nighttime regimen that allows your body to unwind before bed and avoid caffeine after midday. Your general health will quickly start to improve.
Think Positively
Even while it’s best to steer clear of toxic optimism, attempting to see the positive side of things might help you maintain perspective.
A fantastic technique to cultivate a more optimistic outlook is to practise thankfulness. Make a daily or weekly list of all the things you have to be thankful for, and read it often to stay positive.
You can put preventative measures in place that promote your mental health – even in times of crisis – by incorporating these suggestions into your regular routine.
