10 Practical Ways to Maintain Good Mental Health

Every year the world celebrates 10^th October as “World Mental Health Day” to underline the need and importance of maintaining good mental health for living a perfectly healthy, happy, purposeful and productive life. The theme of World Mental Health Day -2023 is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’ which clearly denotes that it is an opportunity to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “Good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being, yet one in eight people globally are living with mental health conditions, which can impact their physical health, their well-being, how they connect with others, and their livelihoods. Mental health conditions are also affecting an increasing number of adolescents and young people.”

Undeniably, there are a number of reasons which adversely impact our mental health; there has been a spurt in the number of persons with issues of mental health, particularly since Covid19 pandemic and ironically there is inadequate number of experts to advise us suitably how to cope with such issues.  However, it is equally true that through our determination, wisdom and research, we have been able to surmount every challenge and find suitable solutions. As such by practising the following ten prescriptions sincerely and regularly, we can easily maintain good mental health now and always.

Mind Management: Hundreds of thoughts, both negative as well as positive, travel through our mind daily, but a few stay there depending on our mind management skill. Repeated internal reminders that every problem has a solution too and that is not difficult to find through our own positive efforts in most of the cases can act well to manage our stress immediately. Moreover, if we can keep “Peace of Mind” at the centre and execute all our activities of life around it accordingly, we would be definitely less stressed most of the time.  

Present and mindful Living: It is rightly said that awareness is half the solution for which practising present living is a must. Living in the past with a sense of repentance or in the future with anxiety is bad for mental health. Focusing on controlling the controllable brings desired results most of the time. Mindful living with positive thoughts and actions works wonderfully. Yes, regular practice of yoga and meditation can help us significantly to improve our mental health.

Healthy daily routine: This is going to help us in many ways. By wisely managing our time – the most valuable asset, we can be more active and consequently productive in all places – home as well as work place, thereby ensuring less or negligible stress. Starting and ending our day with a positive mind set and knowing the art of using our gadgets – Mobile, TV Laptop etc. to add value to our quality of living and mental health, can prove to be a boon.

Regular exercise: It is a healthy engagement to keep our body as well as mind in good shape. Improvement in blood circulation, immunity, metabolism and feeling of wellness can very well be taken care of. Interestingly, while we exercise our body releases the feel good and happy chemicals like serotonin and endorphin into the bloodstream, reducing stress and anxiety. Studies have also shown regular, moderate-intensity exercise including brisk walking to be as effective as antidepressants in cases of mild to moderate depression.

Eat & drink healthy: Our eating and drinking habits affect our health greatly. Eating and drinking right at right intervals guarantee good mental health as well. It is good to include de-stressing food items like banana, chocolate, dry fruits, lemon or green tea, vegetable soup etc. in our regular diet.

Helping attitude: This is one of the most important human values. Contrary to counting our curses, if we review our present status, we shall find that we are far more blessed than millions of people. As such we are in a better position to help the needy in our society. So, it is good to reach out to help others in whatever manner we can and enjoy the feeling of happiness.

Family and social person: Sharing our pain or gain with our family members, mentor and close friends in our day to day life keeps us in good mental health. Family and social engagements are good opportunities to enjoy life and lessen the stress level, if any. Watching comedy shows with family members and listening to music are other good options.

Connect with nature: People, who spend time with nature, particularly when one feels more stressed, are the natural beneficiaries of a sense of freshness, calmness, coolness and joy. Obviously, mental health gets a good boost.

Sleep well: Studies have shown that people having quality sleep for 7-8 hours every night have experienced lesser chances of contracting stress related diseases sooner or later, than those who sleep for fewer hours. The science behind it claims that sleep calms the brain and facilitates the normal hormone secretion necessary for good mental health. 

Consult an expert: At times despite trying out the known prescriptions to keep our mental health in good shape, we are feeling unreasonably stressed continuously, then we should not hesitate to consult a doctor or stress management consultant forthwith. 

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