Self-care is something that is often overlooked when there are “bigger” tasks to take care of like preparing meals for a family or going to work. It can often feel selfish to take time for yourself, to recharge, relax, or simply have some time alone to do what you enjoy. This is not selfish when done with the right intentions! Mental health and psychological well-being are just as important as physical health. 

Out of the global population living with disease, 10% are mental, neurological, or substance abuse disorders. 

Listed below are some of the best preventative care tactics for mental health as well as coping tactics if you are currently struggling. Remember, it is not only okay to take time each day to do these things, it is imperative in order to best support those around you as well! Think of these methods as maintenance for putting you in the best position to continue living your life now and in the future.

1. Create a Routine

Try and get up by a certain time and go to bed at a certain time to make sure you get enough sleep. Set time aside to eat 3 times a day, even if it is just a snack. Schedule time for yourself – allow yourself to have a hobby, take time to reflect. Do one fun thing a week – meet up with a friend, go to the park, or make your favorite meal.

2. Set Realistic Goals

A good goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and trackable. For example instead of “I need to get better at money” try “I want to automatically transfer 550 AMD per paycheck to my college savings account for the next year.” Check out our goal worksheets for more ideas. Setting goals is especially great before starting a new endeavor or chapter in your life, like going to school, starting a new sport, activity, or job, or even at the beginning of the new year!

3. Listen to Music

Create a playlist of your favorite music, and listen to it either while resting or doing another enjoyable activity like cooking, making art, or exercising. Experiment to see what works best for you!

4. Personal Hygiene

Simply take a shower or wash your face. Keep your surrounding area clean. Every little bit helps – if it seems overwhelming, set a timer and do what you can in 15 minutes. And if that is too much, open a window or spray your favorite scent in the room. The act of tidying up your external life can have calming effects on your internal well-being. See the sanitation & water page for more detail on keeping clean.

5. Exercise

Exercising releases endorphins that can help you feel better. If exercising is too overwhelming, try to go for a walk or sit outside for 20 minutes. If space is a concern, there are lots of ways you can be active in smaller areas like stretching or doing body weight exercises. Check out our exercise cards for ideas!

6. Journaling

Keep track of the good and bad days. You can use prompts to self reflect or just write freeform. You can get fancy by creating bullet journals with a calendar and goals – the sky’s the limit! Writing down thoughts can be a great way to vent if you aren’t comfortable talking to someone about them yet.

7. Happiness Tracker

Write down the little things that make you happy and the accomplishments that you make. Store them in a box or jar and read them during harder times. To support a friend during hard times you can use the same techniques and write the things you appreciate in them. 

8. Meditation

Set time aside on a regular basis to sit and reflect. Take a deep breath. Are you holding tension in your body? Unclench your jaw, roll your shoulders, stretch out a little bit. Focus on how your breaths move through your body. There are many good breathing techniques to use:

• Diaphragm: Place hands on chest and belly, and focus on filling your belly with breath instead of just your chest
• Alternated Nostril: Close one nostril with one hand, breathing in slowly, then switch and close the other nostril to exhale – do this for each nostril 5-10 times
• Intermittent Breath Retention: Also called square breathing, start by exhaling all the air in your lungs out of your mouth, hold your breath for 3-5 seconds, then inhale through your nose completely, hold for 3-5 seconds, exhale through mouth, and continue

Resources

For more ideas, Shine is a website and a mobile app containing many resources for meditation, motivation, and calming anxiety and stress. See how people all over the world deal with their own stress in this article. 

For deep relaxation and inner peace, here are two other techniques you can try. If you are interested in meditation and want to explore more, here is a good place to start. 

Of course, these are only a couple suggestions of what you can do to improve your mental and emotional well-being. If you are still looking for some other ideas, here are many more suggestions. 

References

31 Tips to Boost Your Mental Health. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2020, from https://www.mhanational.org/31-tips-boost-your-mental-health

SMART Goals: – How to Make Your Goals Achievable. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm

10 facts on mental health. (2019, October 2). Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/mental-health

Majsiak, B. (2019, April 26). 5 Ways to Practice Breath-Focused Meditation: Everyday Health. Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://www.everydayhealth.com/alternative-health/living-with/ways-practice-breath-focused-meditation/