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If you’re juggling lots of responsibilities, you might feel you have little to no time to focus on your mental health. But it’s important to prioritize your mental health in everyday life. In the long run, neglecting your mental health can lead to depression, anxiety, and burnout. Taking steps to care for your mental health daily can boost your mood, increase your energy, and improve your overall outlook on life.
Thankfully, practicing strategies to maintain your mental wellbeing does not have to be time-consuming. Here are a few simple yet powerful lifestyle changes you can easily incorporate into your schedule. Don't underestimate how powerful a few small changes can make.
1. Stick to a Routine
If you wake up every day without a plan or outline for your day, your stress levels will rise. Knowing what to expect means that you won’t have to make snap decisions about your schedule. Instead, you can stay organized and keep on top of everything you need to get done. Structuring your days around predictable routines can support your mental health.
Routines don’t have to be boring, either! For instance, if you want to develop a morning routine to start your day on the right note, choose a few activities you like. This could include reading a good book while sipping your morning coffee or going for a walk to get some fresh air.
Routines don't have to be rigid! In fact, flexibility is a sign of good mental health! Aim for enough structure and routine to give you a solid foundation and scaffolding, with enough flexibility to meet the ever changing and emerging needs of the moment. For example, maybe you stick to the same wake-up time every day, but vary whether you read, meditate, or exercise for 30 minutes as your self-care item on the agenda.
2. Get Enough Sleep
When you’re exhausted, it’s hard to get through the day. You feel sluggish and unmotivated. Maybe you even get cranky or get upset about minor issues. Getting an extra hour or two of sleep can completely change the course of your day.
Instead of feeling exhausted, you’ll feel upbeat, and you’ll realize that it’s easier to deal with mistakes and mishaps. There is a point of diminishing returns that no matter how much longer you stay awake and try to work, you are not going to make much progress.
Aim to get about seven to eight hours of sleep every night to feel your best. And remember that it is almost impossible to "catch up" on lost sleep. Trying to pull an all-nighter to get ahead on work cannot be balanced with a night or two of sleeping in for an hour. The more consistent your sleep schedule can be, the better (Read more here for sleep tips).
3. Relieve Stress
Sometimes, you need an outlet for stress relief. It helps to pick up an activity that is naturally intended to relieve stress! For instance, you could try meditating for a few minutes every morning or evening. You might be interested in signing up for yoga classes or doing yoga at home several times per week.
Journaling daily is another great option. You can vent about anything that’s stressing you out in your journal to get it off your chest!
Volunteering for a cause that is important to you or your community can help shift your focus away from your stress and towards making a difference in a meaningful way.
4. Exercise
Exercise is hugely beneficial for your mental and physical health. Working out is a win-win for your body and mind! You don’t need to work out every single day for the sake of your mental health, but exercising at least three or four times per week is enough to see positive changes.
This kind of exercise is less about burning calories than it is about tapping into your body's natural "fight or flight" response that is triggered when we are under stress. You may find yourself more fidgety and restless, or sluggish, but your body was designed to MOVE when stressed. So don't watch the heart-rate monitor or step-counter and just focus on moving your body to burn off the stress hormones that are circulating and need an outlet.
Have you tried to start a workout routine before, only to feel discouraged because you didn’t enjoy it? Choose a form of exercise that you like to stay dedicated to! Everything from dancing to pilates to swimming is an option. It doesn't even have to be traditional exercise - I have even had clients vigorously clean their house from top to bottom, or work in the garden weeding and pruning. Anything that gets you moving count!
5. Cut Back on Screen Time
You might notice that your mood feels brighter when you put down your phone for a few hours. Sometimes, staring at screens and scrolling through social media can have a negative impact on your mental health. (See more here).
Block off an hour or two each day when you can unplug and relax without screens. For example, you might want to designate the hour before you go to bed as “screen-free” time. Or maybe you could commit to not checking your phone until after you’ve had your coffee in the morning. Reducing your screen time can work wonders for your mindset!
It is easy to become somewhat addicted to checking social media, but this is a relatively new social phenomenon. Try living "old school" for a few hours to remember what life is like outside the latest post and tweet.
Contact Me
If you’re feeling like you need help identifying how to support your mental health, please contact me. Together, we can find ways for you to live out your true values and gain more peace and life satisfaction.
I know how stressful and demanding it can be to make changes in your life, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Some of the benefits of individual therapy include:
- Having a safe, confidential space to work through life’s struggles
- Speaking openly with a highly-trained professional
- Learning to be curious about oneself and become more mindful about your choices
- Identifying relationship patterns that are helpful, or existing patterns that are interfering with your growth and wellbeing.
- I offer online therapy (video conference style of therapy), which provides an increased level of comfort as you could meet with me from the privacy and comfort of your own home or other location.
You can request a specific appointment time that fits your schedule. Once confirmed, you can complete all New Patient Intake paperwork online as well.
*** The tips offered in this article are for general information and should not be considered medical or psychological advice. For more personalized recommendations appropriate to your individual situation, please contact us or obtain professional guidance.
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