Your mental health is quite possibly the most important thing in your life. Of course, you have your physical health to look after and you’ve got your friends and family who you love, but your mental health is quite literally the nerve center. When you don’t focus on it, it can get rundown!
But in the new year, this is your chance to refine your priorities and put your mental health at the top. Being able to touch base with yourself and know where you are is invaluable, and it’s the best way to stay healthy going forward as you get older.
Get Off Screens
Screen time is fun, we all know that! However, we also know that spending too much time staring at screens can make us feel terrible. Scrolling through social media exposes us to all kinds of personalities and ‘lifestyles’, and that can cause us to start unfairly insulting our own.
We can trick ourselves into thinking we need to be different, or do something drastic to make things more ‘exciting’. And that’s no good for your mental health! So turn off your phone or your tablet and try to do something else from time to time. If you can cut screen time down by at least half an hour per day, you’ll soon find your life much more enriching.
Try to Be More Proactive
Being proactive is all about putting yourself first whenever you need to, and not feeling guilty about doing so. And sometimes that means taking a heavy hand on things! Whether it’s a friend who takes advantage or something serious regarding a traumatic situation in your life, it’s up to you to resolve it in the way you find most satisfying.
Of course, it takes courage to do this, but you don’t have to do it alone. You can find support from both close friends and family, as well as professionals in healthcare and the law. If an operation went wrong, Morris Bart law firm might be able to help with your case. If you lost someone dear to you, you can also work with a trained counselor. All you need to do is make the decision to reach out.
Come Up with a Bedtime Ritual
A bedtime ritual can get you in the mood for a good night’s sleep. If you’re someone who struggles to get to bed on time every night, or to fall asleep within the hour of going to bed, a regular routine can help foster the habit.
Try to start this ritual around an hour before you actually go to bed. Turn off loud, visual sources and get used to the silence of the night. Take your time in the bathroom unwinding in the shower or bath. Then get a book out and read a chapter! All these things will make you feel much more relaxed.
Your mental health deserves some focus. And it’s much easier to spend some time with it than you think!