5 Tips To Keep Your Mental Health In Check This Year

Mental health has been one of the most underrated topics even in present times. While people constantly work towards keeping themselves healthy physically, there is little or no discussion about mental health.

With recent cases of celebrity suicides and open talks about depression, some debates have been opened up. However, these discussions still do not touch the roots of the matter and stay superficial.

Many champions of mental health are working towards bringing to light the issues of depression, low self-esteem, and other issues. But there is still a large section of society that ignores the importance of keeping your mental health in check.

Let us check out the five tips that can help you keep your mental health in check this year!

Table of Contents: hide

1) 1. Be Open about Your Feelings

2) 2. Eat Healthily & Exercise

3) 3. Keep Family & Friends Close

4) 4. Reach Out for Help

5) 5. Do Things that You Like

6) Bottom Line

1. Be Open about Your Feelings

Mental Health Tips - 1. Be Open about Your Feelings

Society often teaches us to have a brave face even if we are suffering from inside. But how can we break this trend and be more open about our feelings?

I have learned with experience that if you are going through a difficult phase but suppress your feelings too much, it will only make things worse for you. Therefore, you must be open about your feelings and understand that it is alright to be NOT fine sometimes.

It was an important learning from my grandmother and I felt much lighter and better when I could express to everyone that I was disappointed with my life. Once I accepted the feeling of dejection, I was able to cope up better.

Here are some ways to be open about your feelings:

- Pick up the phone and call your best friend.
- Talk to your family.
- Express yourself if you don’t like something.
- Get help from a therapist if it’s challenging for you to express your feelings to family & friends.

2. Eat Healthily & Exercise

Mental Health Check - 2. Eat Healthily & Exercise

Eating healthy and keeping yourself hydrated is underrated when our mental health is not at its best, we often don’t feel like eating healthy.

I was going through a phase of depression when I started indulging in food rich in calories and sugar just to cheer myself up. But this does the contrary because it made me sluggish and low on energy.

That’s when I took expert advice and started eating more nuts & seeds and joined yoga classes. It helped me and drastically improved my energy levels. I felt the difference in my mental health and was more motivated about life.

Scientific studies show that healthy diet can directly affect mental health in the following ways:

- Healthy food enzymes raises the levels of serotonin in your body and improves your mood.
- It boosts your overall development of brain.
- The good Gut bacteria is promoted which helps in decreasing inflammation and thus, affects mood & cognition.

3. Keep Family & Friends Close

Support from family and friends is crucial when you are going through a hard time. However, when we don’t feel well, we try to shut ourselves from everyone.

If you are going through a similar situation, remember that there are people who really love you and care for you. Write down the names of people who have influenced your life positively and reach out to them.

“We all have a personal pool of quicksand inside us where we begin to sink and need friends and family to find us and remind us of all the good that has been and will be.”

This quote from Regina Brett sums up this point very beautifully and makes us understand the importance of keeping friends and family close to us!

4. Reach Out for Help

Mental Health Check - 4. Reach Out for Help

We grow up in a society where everyone wants to be self-sufficient, and asking for help is seen as a sign of weakness. However, this is not the case. Asking for help can be a great thing and can help improve your mental health immensely.

This help can be in the form of going out with a friend for a coffee and opening your heart out or a phone call to your siblings.

If you are not doing well mentally, you must acknowledge and work towards improving it. If you feel it is going towards an extreme, asking for professional help is also a great idea.

Mental health is often underestimated, but it is more important than you think.

5. Do Things that You Like

Mental Health Tips - 5. Do Things that You Like

Indulging yourself in hobbies and things that you like refreshes your body and mind. Therefore, you must take a break from your busy schedule and take time out for things that you genuinely like.

This could be –