Self-care and mental health can go hand in hand. If you’re not preserving your mental health, then it’s likely that you are not indulging in self-care either.
The events of recent years have shown us that far too many people are working themselves to the bone in order to drive, and that running on the verge of burnout isn’t sustainable, nor should it be encouraged. Yet, still, so many people do this on a daily basis.
Self care can help you boost your mental health and avoid developing any issues, or it can be a way to reduce the symptoms you are experiencing and help you on the road to total health.
In fact, there have been many studies that have been carried out into the effectiveness of self-care for mental health, but while there have been positive results recorded, there has yet to be one definitive form of self-care that stands out above the rest as being more beneficial or makes the most improvement in people who do it. Instead, evidence shows its accumulation of different self-care activities, many of which are discussed below, and committing to making new habits and enacting change however that may come.
So, with all of this in mind, what does self-care for mental health look like, and how can you incorporate it into your day?
Physical Self Care
Prioritizing your physical health is a great way to help you prioritize yourself and support your body the way it needs. If you are neglecting your physical needs, then chances are you will be feeling under the weather or exhausted from the weight of your mental health concerns.
To start off, you can make sure you are visiting your doctor and keeping up with all of your healthcare appointments. Talking to your doctor about your physical health can give you an excellent place to start when looking at options for physical self-care for mental health.
On top of this, you need to take definitive action regarding any specialized help you might need. Talking to a therapist, taking medication, enrolling in a drug and alcohol treatment program, or even using mobility aids to support your ability to move more and live your life.
Other physical self-care options include exercising, eating a healthy, balanced diet, and drinking enough water. All of these options will give your body the physical support it needs to function each day, as neglecting these basics can negatively impact your physical health, which in turn affects your mental health.
Regardless of the current state of your mental health, keep on top of these factors to help you sustain good health and support your body and mind the way it needs you to.
Spiritual Self-Care
Many people find solace in the spiritual part of their lives, and even if you don’t class yourself as a spiritual or religious person, you can still gain benefits from employing spiritual practices in your life.
If you are religious, you can lean on your faith to help you get the support you need at this time to help you on your journey to recovery from mental health concerns or to express yourself freely and give your mental health the care it needs.
As well as this, you can also use different practices to help you find spiritual fulfillment without having to commit to a religion or align with spiritual beliefs.
Deep breathing techniques and meditation are valuable tools in helping to preserve and maintain good mental health as well as being instrumental in your recovery as coping techniques should you have current mental health problems or conditions.
Start by giving yourself 10 minutes to clear your thoughts and practice deep breathing techniques. From here, you can move to meditation and practice the art of completely clearing your mind of thoughts and placing yourself in the present; this can take time and practice to master completely.
Alternatively, you can indulge in yoga to help you increase activity levels and connect with yourself on a deeper level while improving posture, flexibility, and mobility.
You can do all of these alone at home or connect with local communities or classes that can embrace you and help you practice spiritual self-care.
Social Self-Care
Social interaction is the one thing that ends up getting neglected when people are struggling with mental health. However, social interaction is an integral part of our lives and the connections we make with others. Even for introverts who don’t like engaging with others, socialization plays a massive role in making life meaningful.
This is often why people who are struggling are told to talk to others to help them share their worries. But talking to the right people is just as important as talking altogether. You need to be able to share how you feel and what you are thinking with people who can understand what you are going through or what you are feeling and are supportive and compassionate.
Great ways to connect with other people include finding a group you can join that is based on any interests you have, such as a reading club, joining a dance class or sports team, making plans with family and friends.
An important point here is to be mindful of social media.
People on social media rarely share every aspect of their lives, only what they want others to see. Not everything is perfect for everyone all the time, and it can be tempting to compare yourself to other people’s lives, but don’t. This will be detrimental to your mental health, and you should try to take everything you see online with a pinch of salt. If you feel it’s affecting you too much, remove yourself from social media for a short period of time or commit to a digital detox, unfollow accounts that don’t make you feel good about yourself, and be mindful of how much time you spend online and how you spend your time and who you engage with online.
Emotional Self-Care
Taking care of your emotions to address your emotional self-care means you need to understand what you are feeling and why to address this and cope with them in healthy ways. Bottling things up will just make you feel as much worse and impact your mental and physical health.
It’s essential to allow yourself to feel a range of emotions and not to suppress anything you might be feeling. In the first instance, you need to observe your emotions and your day-to-day life and look at what makes your emotions change and why. How did you feel when you woke up? When did this mood change, and what changed it? From here, you can then journal to track your feelings; there are journals that are specifically designed for you to do this, or you can create your own chart to help you track how you are feeling.
Suppose you feel you are struggling to control your emotions or cannot regulate your feelings. In that case, it’s worth looking into emotional regulation skills and coping mechanisms that you can gain from signing up for therapy or talking to your doctor to help point you in the right direction for resources to assist you.
Mental Self-Care
You might wonder what you can do if you are already struggling with your mental health, but being able to practice mental health-based self-care actions can still be undertaken. Getting up and getting a wash or a shower or brushing your teeth is a form of mental self-care, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Mental health and mental fitness are about always keeping your brain active and engaged and challenging yourself. Learning and challenging your mind is the best form of self-care as you are investing in yourself and pushing the boundaries of what you are capable of, and it shows you that you aren’t giving up on yourself.
What you do is entirely up to you, but listening to podcasts, reading, learning something new, playing an instrument, etc. The more you learn, the better your brain health and the more pathways you will be creating which can support your mental health. The satisfaction and achievement you gain from being able to do something new can be an excellent serotonin boost and get your creative juices flowing.
Other tips include
- Doing puzzles
- Crosswords,
- Playing games, both digital games via apps on your phone and physical games
- Knitting or creative tasks,
- Using art.
Conclusion: Self-Care for Mental Health
Self-care for mental health isn’t simple. It needs to be done specifically to give you maximum benefits when you need them. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, and self-care for one person might be totally different from someone else’s idea of self-care.
But the main thing is to make sure you are proactive; even getting a good night’s sleep can support your mental health if you’re not able to do much more.
But the last thing you should be doing is giving up on yourself. Talk to people, find a self-care option or options that work for you, and give yourself the best chance of recovery or staying healthy physically and mentally.