Your well-being does not only define your physical health. It encompasses your mental and emotional frames too. This does not always mean the absence of sickness.
Mental well-being comes from overall satisfaction with life. It is when your state of mind is comfortable with who you are and what you have. The frame of mind for this state is contentment.
Everybody wants to be content, at the least. We all want the ability to attain a positive state of mind, body, and soul. There are practical ways to cultivate a state of mind that fosters wellness and being mindfully aware is a great start!
Healthy Relationships
Your relationships are vital for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It is the quality of a relationship that matters most, not the quantity. Healthy relationships have a lot of benefits and it’s important to nurture and care for them.
Your social connections help you manage stress and anxiety. Stressful situations can affect your cardiovascular health in a bad way, increasing your vulnerability to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and you know the rest. Stress and anxiety also impact your psychological well-being. They trigger severe mood disorders like major depression, eating disorders, emotional dysregulation, and so forth. It’s important to acquire skills that help you handle difficult circumstances or environments better. If necessary, do what you can to make changes to protect your well-being.
Studies show that social interaction counters anxiety by releasing feel-good biomolecules called endorphins, which inhibit hormones and neurotransmitters that regulate stress. Your friends and loved ones also provide social support by giving you a shoulder to lean on. They are also your accountability partners. Through your interactions and communication, you can easily build resilience against stress and minimize the risk of developing trauma.
Communication
A problem shared is a problem half solved. Talking is always significant in improving your mental and emotional well-being. It is an evidence-based technique fundamental in counseling.
Talking dissipates all pent-up emotions associated with your circumstances. The sensations may cloud your judgment and affect your ability to make rational decisions. Find someone you trust and talk your way out of stress.
Nutrition
You become what you eat. Your body gets nutrients from food to perform its metabolic functions. Without proper nutrition, many systems fail to work at their very best. There are plenty of illnesses and conditions resulting from nutrition deficiencies or over-consumption of certain foods.
It’s amazing how much our diet plays a role in this and can affect your mental well-being. Research shows the B vitamin complex, vitamin D, Omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc - to name a few - boost your mental health. Deficiencies contribute to depression, poor memory retention, inattention, and cognitive decline.
Exercise
Physical workouts are excellent for your physical and mental health. A good run improves your circulation, boosting the transportation of nutrients and oxygen to your extremities. It also helps you clear your head - especially when dealing with stressful situations.
Walking around the park can help you calm down and employ logic in your deliberations. Try cycling, jogging, or sign up for gym membership instead of irrational or impulsive reactions. Studies show exercising releases endorphins to help you relax, calm down and reduce your perception of pain. It’s really hard to get motivated sometimes to actually start a routine. I think we all know in the back of our minds that this works… So, let’s try to get moving sooner than later!
Mindfulness
Life is busy. Everyone is always moving to the next stage. You finish school, get marries, get a job, chase after a promotion, start a family, or move to a bigger house. Sometimes chasing the elusive makes you lose yourself.
Mindfulness techniques help you enjoy living. They enable you to live in the here and now, perform everyday activities purposefully - beyond merely existing or ticking a list. Mindful exercises are stress relievers, insomnia improvers, restlessness inhibitors, and thought controllers. They also alleviate mood disorder symptoms.
Mindful exercises include
- Finding joy in simple pleasures - enjoy the sound of birds, the cool breeze on your face, and sunrise and
- Be in the moment - savor the aroma of your food, feel the textures, and delight in your ability to Take pleasure in your friends and family. Notice the laughter, the flow of conversation, and listen.
- Enjoy your company - spend time alone, away from technology and other distractions. While alone, take care of your body, listen to yourself and attend to your
- Pay attention - enjoy the world around Notice the things that make life worthwhile. Be proactive in your engagement with loved ones. Do not take their availability for granted.
- Deal gently with yourself. The world is already hard enough. Sure, you have weaknesses - everybody Work on your flaws, but extend grace to your soul.
- Accept yourself - do your best with the card’s life hands you. Your experiences, situations, relations, decisions are a part of you. Embrace that and be okay.
Find Time to Sleep
Sleep is essential for your mental and physical health. Your body has an internal clock that regulates your sleep and wake time called the circadian rhythm. The sleep-wake cycle releases hormones and neurotransmitters vital for growth, repair, mood regulation, appetite, and mental function.
Disrupting your sleep pattern dysregulates these biomolecules, affecting your physical and mental well-being. Lack of sleep also interferes with your concentration, cognition, and rest.
We know that life is hard even when it’s easy… Let’s pick a few techniques that work for us and our lives to achieve a positive state of mind whenever we possibly can. : )