June 3, 2021

Amping Your Self-Care for Better Mental Health

When you engage in activities that positively impact your emotional and physical well-being, you naturally lower your risk for mental health issues and increase your ability to deal with life’s daily challenges as well as physical and psychological health concerns.

Because how you define self-care may be different from others, it’s up to you to discover the practices that best support your mental health.

Here are some tried and true self-care techniques for your consideration.

Grounding

Grounding or earthing is the act of walking barefoot on dirt, sand or grass. Many studies have explored how simply connecting with the earth’s natural energies stimulates health benefits like reducing stress, boosting immunity and regulating sleep. Grounding works best when you’re purposeful in finding inner calm and connecting with nature.

Meditation

Along with grounding, meditation is another form of spiritual self-care. The mental health benefits of meditation are backed by decades of scientific research and observation.

By training your mind and redirecting your thoughts to focus on positivity, you can manage your moods, feelings and overall outlook. Mindful meditation helps lower stress and increase coping abilities as it heightens awareness. For beginners, rather than focusing on the length of your meditation, aim for meditating consistently.

Yoga

Yoga has been linked to emotional and psychological healing for decades, maybe even centuries, as the method has been around for thousands of years.

While yoga may seem like a purely physical activity composed of stretches and flexible poses, the practice aims to align mind, body and soul. From controlled breathing to purposeful posing, yoga promotes discipline and mindfulness. And when the body and mind are in control and empowered, you’ll enjoy lower levels of stress hormones that disturb sleep and increase the risk of depression and anxiety.  

Hobbies

Having a purposeful activity or hobby improves your mental health because it is mentally engaging. When you’re engaged in a favorite pastime, your positive mood increases. Whether it’s fun, challenging, physical or relaxing, your hobby can move your focus away from stressors that may cause mental health issues.

Here are some hobbies to consider for your mental health:

●      Photography

●      Volunteering

●      Gaming

●      Traveling

●      Dancing

●      Gardening

●      Competition

●      Playing an instrument

●      Studying

●      Baking or cooking

●      Art activities

●      Reading

●      Learning a new language

●      Hiking

●      Camping

●      Writing

●      Sports

Socializing and Support Systems

Social interactions are crucial to keeping our brains active and healthy; engaging in social activities and building support systems is also vital to our mental health. Relationships with others give us opportunities to express ourselves.

For introverts, social interactions don’t require you to go beyond your comfort zone. Socializing doesn’t necessarily mean attending big parties or events and forcing conversations with strangers. It’s the quality of the social interaction that is most crucial; interacting with one person or a small group of people you trust with your feelings and thoughts is beneficial. You should feel energized rather than drained.

If you’ve been struggling to connect with people or worry about your mental health, Communicare is here to help. Please take a look at our services and don’t hesitate to contact us! You can call our 24-hourCrisis Line at any time for mental health emergencies.