When it comes to our mental health, there is never enough that you can do to take care of it. During the recent pandemic, the importance of taking care of both our minds and bodies has become apparent. However, you do not need to be experiencing mental illness or be struggling to take care of your mental health. Instead, there are things that you can do to try and keep your mental health in good shape so that you do not reach a crisis stage. So, what can you do to take care of your mental health?
Try therapy
Despite the common misconception that you need to be in a crisis or suffering to attend therapy sessions, anyone can go to them. Therapy can be an excellent opportunity to talk through your emotions and any problems you are experiencing in your life with a professional to help you better understand them. Although, sometimes, therapy is not about finding solutions to the problem; often, just talking about these issues will make you feel better and help you to move forward in your life. If you have a busy lifestyle, you can even speak to a therapist online. This is a good way to make sure that you are allocating some time during your week to talk about your mental wellbeing without even having to leave your house!
Don’t put pressure on yourself at work
We all need a little bit of pressure in our lives. It can help motivate us and give us a sense of purpose. However, too much pressure can negatively impact your mental and physical wellbeing, so you should not be so hard on yourself if you do not meet all of your targets at work. Workplace wellness is essential for every employer because if an employee is unhappy and experiencing burnout, then they will never do their work to the high quality that employers expect.
Some employers are now even allowing employees to bring their dogs to work with them. Dogs are great for keeping people calm and bringing a little joy to the office, so if your boss allows you to bring your dog to work, then go for it! Just be sure to take enough toys and food to keep your dog occupied for the day so that they can occupy themselves when you need to be working.
Take time out to do something you love
With commitments like school and work keeping us busy, it is easy to forget to take some time out to do something fun. Whether that is exercise or watching a movie on Netflix, you should always allocate some time to have fun and relax. If you do not like taking too much time out because it makes you feel as if you have been unproductive, then you could do something that, while it is fun, is still productive, such as coloring in or going for a walk with friends. Taking some time out will allow you to recharge and allow you to go back to work or school well-rested and ready to work. This will prevent burnout and ensure that any work you do after is the best it could possibly be.
Reach out to loved ones
This is particularly important if you live alone, as often, a lack of interaction with others can exacerbate mental health issues. Therefore, you should try to reach out to friends and family and ensure that you meet with them regularly, even if that is just for a quick coffee on your lunch break. If you cannot meet up with your loved ones because they live too far away, then a call on Skype or Zoom is the next best thing available to you. While this is never as good as seeing someone in person, it will give you a chance to catch up with each other and some time to talk to someone that you would not have got otherwise.
Get out of the house
It can be easy at the moment to stay inside of your home all day, especially with so many of us still working from home. However, getting outside is essential for good mental wellbeing, so you should leave your home every day, even if it is just for an hour. This could be in the form of a walk after or before work, or you could incorporate morning jogs into your routine. If you live in a warm climate, then you could even set up your office outside and complete your work in your garden, that way, you are out enjoying the fresh air but still getting all of your work done.