From year to year, our mental health can fluctuate greatly based on the occurrences of our daily lives. Work, school and home all play a role in our mental health, with some days being a struggle and other days being much more peaceful and relaxed. Once the end of the year hits, however, it’s not out of the ordinary to feel a bit burnt out and tired.
Even if New Year’s resolutions aren’t your thing, there are still healthy habits you can consider adopting to give your mental health a boost and give you a fresh focus on taking care of yourself.
Finding a fresh focus
You might know exactly what in your life needs a revamp; or, you might feel like you’re in such a rut you aren’t even sure where to start. Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can take charge of your life and experience the benefits of good mental health.
Pinpoint the unrest
There are likely areas of your life that feel a little restless, uncomfortable or not quite right. Maybe it’s a relationship you are in; perhaps it’s your job; maybe your living situation isn’t bringing you peace; could it be a looming transition in your future?
Taking time to identify those places of unease is the first step in bringing a fresh focus back into those areas and increasing your mental health overall. If your job is the source of burnout, maybe it’s time to find another one; if you are struggling in a relationship, maybe putting some distance between the two of you could offer a fresh perspective.
When you find the source of the unrest, you then have the unique chance to either breathe new life into it or, on the other hand, allow it to come to a close as it’s no longer benefiting you or your mental health.
Take the necessary steps
When you discover those “problem areas” in your life, it then becomes your responsibility to address those areas for your own self-growth and improvement. This not only provides you with a clear understanding of the changes you will need to make but can help you lay out a roadmap for how you want to make those changes.
Maybe you’ve been struggling a lot this year with a mental health condition that is both difficult and overwhelming. When you identify this, you can then make the necessary steps to improve your mental health by seeking out a counselor in your area or online who can walk with you as you navigate this obstacle.
If you identify the school as your biggest hurdle in reestablishing mental health, it might be time to visit with an academic advisor and see if they have suggestions to help mitigate or navigate your workload. Maybe you can take matters into your own hands by building yourself a set study schedule to practice good time management habits.
Whatever you determine to be the cause of a robbed sense of peace and stability, take the steps necessary to reestablish good, healthy habits and create a fresh focus to benefit your mental health.
Find a guide to help
It can feel intimidating to start the journey toward mental health, but it’s not as hard as it might seem. There are numerous habits you can begin incorporating into your daily life to help benefit your mental health including:
- Exercising daily for 30 minutes or more
- Practicing good sleep hygiene through a bedtime routine and regular sleep and waking times
- Meal prepping to provide you with healthy, nutritious meals throughout the week
- Take time each day to pray or reflect and focus on the things you’re grateful for, and the things you’d like to see a change in
- Using your free time to engage in a hobby
- Setting goals for spending more time outside each day
The New Year is the perfect time to begin adding new routines and habits into your daily life, and the perfect excuse for focusing more on your mental health.
If you feel like this journey is an intimidating one to take alone, or you’d simply like an accountability partner in this process, consider the benefits of working with a therapist. With established methods of healthy coping and techniques for getting back on track during the harder moments, routine meetings with a therapist can provide you with these skills and more.
To get in touch with a therapist today, reach out to Silvermist Recovery by calling our offices at 724-268-4858.