A strong mental health isn’t only the absence of major mental illness. It is much more than not feeling depressed, anxious or having other psychiatric condition. A mentally healthy person has the emotional and mental resilience to cope with adversities, stay focused, be productive and embark onto life adventures with self confidence and hope. If you struggle to build fulfilling relationships, deal with stress, find meaning in life and work, or just find it hard to push through a day, do not give up on yourself thinking “this is just the way I am”. This may lead you to succumb to maladaptive behaviors, such as substance abuse, social isolation and procrastination, as coping mechanisms.

Instead, try make an effort by integrating few of the following practices in your daily life:

• Exercising – Even a light workout routine in the morning can improve your mood, energy levels, increase circulation and encourage a good lymphatic function. 20 to 30 minutes everyday is a good place to start.
• Staying hydrated – Getting dehydrated can make you easily irritable and lower your ability to concentrate. So sipping through water and other healthy beverages all through the day keep you in a good mood.
• Volunteering – Studies have shown that performing any random act of kindness can improve self-esteem.   According to Harvard Health, a trusted prestigious medical blog,  volunteerism contributes to lessening loneliness and depression.
• Limiting social media usage – Limiting daily social media dosage will allow you to interact to people face to face more often and reduce many feelings of FOMO (fear of missing out) and inferior complexes. This way, you can make a more meaningful relation with people and preserve your self-confidence.
• Making a routine – Planning in advance gives you more control over your life. Doing a simple brain dump of essential tasks and prioritizing them can significantly increase your productivity.

Just as maintaining a good physical requires effort , regulating a healthy mental and emotional being requires us to pick up a good habit or two. However, the aforementioned habits are no one-size-fit-all solutions. If none of the unsolicited advices work for you, do not hesitate to seek the help of a licensed mental  professional. Remember, as a person, you are entitled to live your best life and be your best version. Never settle for anything less.

Contributor
Nushin Nawar
Student, Mastermind School