Maintaining A Healthy Mental Health - Tay Meets World

Maintaining A Healthy Mental Health

10:34:00 AM

It's August. Where did the year go? It feels like just yesterday I was writing down my goals for 2020 and planning all the things. No one could have predicted the crisis we are in. No one could have perfectly prepared for it. I'm a reflector - I frequently look at the past day, week, and month to see what I've accomplished, where I missed the mark, and where I need to go from here. As I'm reflecting on July I realize I'm the brink of either a brand new, exciting chapter OR I'm going to be checking my vibe laying on the kitchen floor wondering what's next. Mental health - it's a real thing - and it's something I've had to consciously work on this summer. I've not perfected it, every day I have to continue to work to maintain a healthy balance but there are things I do that can help pull me out of the depressing slump I find myself sinking into. 

1. Start With A Clear Mind: Last year, the only sense of relief I felt from my job and life was being outside. I started walking, then running, then running more and the more I did, the more resilient and centered I felt. Everyone handles stress, adversity, and trauma differently but one thing I encourage you to do is seek something that allows you to clear your mind. We cannot rationally approach problems, find solutions, or remain balanced when our mind is bogged down with a high level of stress - so, we need to train our mind to seek that one thing that will help rid of the cloudiness and start fresh.
There are times during the day, I have an overwhelming pull to go outside and run...just run. When I go for walks with Keetna, I focus on nature, the sounds, the sunlight, and truly try to meditate. While this in itself is no cure for mental turmoil, it helps me find my balance again. Your balance could be meditation, yoga, reading, running, swimming, hiking, taking a nap, listening to certain music, journaling, etc. - do what your mind is pulling you to do.

2. Gratitude / Prayer / Meditation: I'm going on 8 months being unemployed. I've searched for full-time work (in addition to my business + freelance), I've applied to endless options, and I've continued to keep pushing. One thing that I started doing in January was starting my day with gratitude. It's so easy to get caught up on what you don't have. I don't have a job, I don't have a stable source of income, I don't have a significant other, I don't have kids, blah, blah, blah. What do I have? I have a wonderful pup, a home that is mine and so much more. I challenge myself to always find the "silver lining" because there is always something we can be grateful for. I challenge you to start or end your day with gratitude/prayer/meditation. What will help center you and focus on the good and the haves? Not the bad and have-nots.

3. Take Care Of Your Body: In full transparency, I don't think I would be as mentally strong as I am right now had I not taken care of my body as I have the past 8 months. I nourish my body with healthy foods, replenish it with water, and give it exercise. You cannot have a stable mentality if your body is weak. This is easier said than done, I understand that. However, at the beginning of the year, I made commitments to working out 6x a week, drinking half my body weight in water, and eating healthy. Are there some days where I have a cheat meal or don't drink enough water? Yes - but one thing I won't do is break promises to myself. I committed to taking care of myself, that is what gets me up at 5:30a every day. Who are we if we can't keep promises to ourselves? 

4. Journal Or Talk It Out: When something is bothering you - you have to get rid of it. I always try to recognize what I can and cannot control. The things I cannot control, I put it in (an imaginary) pink balloon and send it up. I will journal, I'll call my closest person to just talk - it's just important to release everything you are holding in and to actually *feel* all of those things you are feeling. It's part of the coping process - the healing process - and it helps reduce anxiety! 

5. Take Your Mind On Vacation: Quite literally - take your mind on a vacation. For the past 4-5 summers, I have gone on what I like to call a "soul-searching" vacation. It's the vacations where you find your peace. I'd get up early to watch the sunrise and make sure to watch the sunset. I find the moments where life is the sweetest, listening to ocean waves, riding a bike along the coast, drinking coffee on the beach. It's a reset for your mind. You need to reset your mind. You need to take a vacation. I don't care where just do it. It's fuel for your soul and peace for your mind. Don't think this means you need a lavish vacation, go camping, rent the cheapest AirBnB, just go somewhere that's like a vacation and rest. 

You Might Also Like

0 comments