Foundations of a Good Mental Health Routine

Mental Health: An Introduction

Let’s start with the basics. Mental health is defined by the World Health Organization as a state of well-being wherein an individual can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and contribute to their community.

 

Unfortunately, there remains a stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. Many people believe that having “good mental health” means not having any diagnosable disorders or conditions related to mental health. This is simply untrue! In fact, one in five Americans experience some kind of mental illness or pain in their lives each year! While this statistic may seem shocking, it also means that we are all affected by someone who has a mental illness at some point in our lives.

Why Is Mental Health Important?

Mental health refers to the way you feel, think and act. It’s important to take care of your mental health and develop healthy habits because it can influence how you feel, think, and act. Healthy habits can help you feel better about yourself, think more clearly, and be more productive. Good mental health means that it’s easier for you to manage challenges, resolve conflicts and make decisions. People who have good mental health are generally happier and healthier than those who do not.

 

The best way to improve your mental health is by developing a routine that works for you and incorporating activities that directly impact your mood.

How To Build A Good Mental Health Routine

In building your mental health routine, you must also be aware that it’s not a magic fix. Building a good mental health routine is about being consistent and mindful of what works for you. You can start out small, with one or two things at first. Then, as you go along, gradually add more activities to your routine until it’s complete. The main idea is to make sure that whatever activities you choose are always enjoyable. As with any habit or routine, it takes time to build and stick to something new. So don’t pressure yourself too much into doing everything all at once! It’s perfectly fine to make mistakes along the way; we’re all human after all! Just forgive yourself when these mistakes happen and keep going on your path towards better mental health!

What Are Some Good Habits That Promote Mental Health?

There are a lot of habits that can help promote mental health. Here is a list of some great ones to try:

 

• Meditate every morning and evening.
• Take a walk in nature.
• Journal to process your thoughts and feelings.
• Make healthy food choices like more vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains, and less processed foods, sugar, and alcohol.
• Take a break from social media for 24 hours to allow yourself the space to focus on what’s going on inside you instead of outside the world around you.
• Read a book as an easy way to relax without any stress or pressure from anyone else involved (other than yourself!)
• Try out new hobbies that give you an outlet for creative expression or just something fun to do with friends! You’ll never know where these paths lead until you take them first hand so why not see what happens when those doors open up?

Creating A Routine Out Of Healthy Practices Is The Cornerstone Of Self-Care

The first and most important step in creating a good mental health routine is to define what your routine will look like. Many people make the mistake of setting vague goals, such as “I want to be mentally healthy” or “I want to feel better,” which makes it hard to know if you have accomplished anything at all. You may have heard the phrase “in order to get what you want in life, you need to ask for it clearly.” This applies when defining your mental health goals as well:

 

• Be specific about what exactly you are looking for in terms of feeling better mentally
• Be realistic about how long it will take before those changes happen

Once you’ve defined what you’re looking for and set a realistic timeline, it’s time to create a schedule and start working toward those goals! A great starting point is choosing one thing from each category below (sleep, exercise, mindfulness). This will ensure that all areas of mental health are being addressed rather than just focusing on one area alone like sleep or exercise- both are equally important! Once these habits have become ingrained within your lifestyle then slowly add more things into each category.