How to overcome mental health problems
When someone gets injured, it’s natural to immediately ask for help because he feels pain and wants to feel better. However, if someone is struggling with mental illness, depression, has loneliness, anxiety, isolation, or hopelessness, or someone is judging them due to their mental illness, many people hesitate to ask for help in these cases.
Unfortunately, in this case we will discuss about many who suffer from a mental illness, such as anxiety, PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or schizophrenia. There are many reasons people keep quiet and don’t ask for help. Some examples are when people worry about what other people may think of them, they will be judged by their mental illness, or struggle with unhelpful thoughts. Perhaps people believe seeking help from others may show that there is something wrong with them. Messages people receive from the media, their society, and from themselves often cause much worry and anxiety and can hinder recovery and seeking help.
In this article we will discuss how to overcome mental health problems.
Why is mental health important?
Positive mental health is necessary now-a-days, as it affects every aspect of our lives. It can impact our actions, thoughts, and interactions. It empowers us to face challenges, make best decisions, and build useful relationships. Good mental health helps you to become stronger and help others.
Mental health can affect our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It also helps us to handle stress, relate to others in a better way. Mental health is very important in every stage of life, from childhood to adulthood.
Ways to improve mental health
Get Treatment
Firstly you should get treatment for your mental health issues. Just like if you broke your leg or got sick, you’d schedule an appointment with your doctor to get better, you should get treatment of your illness for your loved ones.
Treatment is essential to bring relief and reduce symptoms that interfere with work and personal life. As you or your loved ones seek treatment, you should remain kind and gentle with yourself and them.
Don’t let stigma create shame.
Stigma doesn’t come from others. You may believe that your condition is a sign of weakness or that you should be able to overcome it without help. Seeking counseling, educating yourself about your condition and connecting other people with mental illness can help you gain self-respect.
Don’t isolate yourself
Mental health illness leads people to isolate them from their family and friends. People with mental health problems can get the support they need by reaching out to people they trust such as family, friends, religious leaders or coaches.
Educate yourself and others
Educate yourself about symptoms and treatments of mental illness. Being informed is the first step for someone in getting the proper treatment that he needs for emotional wellness.
In addition, educate others that mental illness is a disorder that can be treated just as one would treat any other health issue. Provide them with information to replace much of the rumors surrounding mental illness.
Join a support group
Some local and national groups offer local programs and internet resources that help reduce mental health disorders by educating people, their families and the general public.
Joining a mental health support group can help you deal with feelings of isolation and make you realize that you are not alone in your feelings and experiences.
Speak up against stigma
Whether you are with a group of friends or in front of a large audience, express your opinions in a confident manner. Educate others respectfully about mental illness, to create a change. Remind that people wouldn’t make fun of someone suffering from heart disease, lungs disorders, diabetes or cancer. Making fun of someone with mental illness is harmful, and it increases stigma, and promotes discrimination.
Speaking up for mental illness will not only educate the public and help reduce stigma, but it could also give courage to others facing a similar problem, and help them to seek help. Remember that self-care during this process is very important. Reach out for help, and remember that self-care is a gift we all need to open daily.
Take healthy Diet
Our brain, body and all other systems are affected by what we eat or drink. Snacks and drinks which contain high amounts of sugar can give us a temporary sense of comfort but this feeling is not permanent. But they soon leave us feeling exhausted. Caffeine in coffee, tea, and other so-called energy drinks can also have this effect.
A balanced diet with lots of vegetables and fruit is necessary to maintain physical and mental health.
The way we eat is also important. Taking meals with other people can help to form new relationships with family, friends, partners, and colleagues. It makes sense that what we eat also affects our mental health.
When you stick to a nutrient-rich foods diet, you may have fewer mood swings and an improved ability to focus. Studies have found that diets that contain mainly whole, unprocessed foods, can help to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Keep moving
There is a strong connection between our mind and body. That means if we take care of his physical health it also helps us prevent problems with our mental health.
Cycling, dancing, walking the dog, sports and games, home cleaning and going to the gym are physical activities that are great ways to improve your mental and physical health.
Exercise causes the release of “feel good” hormones that reduce feelings of stress, depression and anger. Regular exercise helps us feel better about our bodies. It can also improve our sleep quality. Some research on stress, anxiety and depression shows that psychological and physical benefits of exercise can control mood swings thus help to cope with many mental disorders.
People don’t have to be professional athletes, to get the benefits of exercise. Walking, dancing, playing basketball and going to the gym are the best exercises that someone can enjoy.
Get more from your sleep
If someone is struggling with depression or anxiety, lack of sleep might make these disorders worse.
For many people, sleep is often the first thing that suffers when they are struggling with mental health issues.
Studies show that adults almost need between 7 and 9 hours of quality sleep a night. Sleep helps to maintain cognitive skills, such as learning, memory, and emotional regulation.
If you’re struggling with your sleep, you should make a few simple changes.
For example:
- Turn off screens because blue light on ourphones, computers, or TVs can affect sleep.
- Avoid caffeine because Coffee, sodas and tea make it harder to fall asleep.
- Meditation can help relax your mind and body to promote quality sleep.
Some additional tips to improve mental health
Following are some tips to improve your mental health:
Connect with other individuals
There are many things you can try to build closer and relationships:
- If possible, spend some time with your family everyday, for example, try to take dinner together
- Arrange a day out with your friends you have not met for a long time
- Switch off the TV or keep your phones aside to talk or play a game with your family, children, or friends
- have lunch or any other meal with a colleague
- Visit your dear one who needs some company or support
Be physically active
Being physically active is not only beneficial for your physical health and fitness, it also enriches your psychological health by:
- raising self-esteem
- helping you to set challenges and goals and achieve them
- causing many chemical changes in your brain that can help to change your mood positively
Learn new skills
Some studies show that learning new skills can improve your mental well-being by:
- raising self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
- helping you to build sense of purpose
- helping you to connect with other people
- If you think that you don’t need to learn new things, or you do not have time, there are many ways to achieve learning in life
Give to others
The acts of kindness and giving can help boost your mental well-being by:
- creating sense of reward and positive feelings
- giving you feeling of self-worth and purpose
- helping you connect with other people
- It can be small deeds of kindness towards other people, or larger acts like volunteering in your community.
Example to things you should do to give or help other may include:
- saying thank you to people for something they have done for you
- asking family, friends, or colleagues how they are and carefully listening to their answer
- spending time with relatives or friends
- offering help to a person you know with a DIY or a work project
- Collaborating in your community, such as helping at hospital, a school, or care home
Mindfulness
Paying attention to the present moment may improve your mental health. This includes your feelings and thoughts about your body and world around you.
Many people call this awareness “mindfulness”. Mindfulness helps you enjoy your life more and understand yourself in a better way. It can change the way you think or feel about life and how you react to challenges in a positive manner .
Summary
Mental health plays a vital role in our overall betterment. It affects our thinking, emotions and interactions. It empowers us and helps us to face daily life stressors. So, mental health has a very important place in our life.
By developing changes in our daily life habits and routine, we can improve our mental health. The tips and ways that have been discussed above help you to boost your mental health.