Daily Practices for Maintaining Mental Health
By Paul Rothbart
There is a greater awareness of mental health these days. It is finally starting to emerge from the "dark ages" when there was a stigma attached to mental health issues and sufferers were considered crazy. Let's face it, there is more than enough stress and anxiety out there to make anyone a little depressed from time to time. Working a job, making a living, taking care of a family. These are not easy tasks. When you add in the larger problems over which we have little control, not having mental health issues is in the minority. It can be a challenging world to navigate but maintaining one's mental health is not impossible. Here are some daily practices that can be very helpful in that regard.
Practice Mindfulness
Perhaps the most useful practice to mental health is mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to control and regulate our focus, placing our attention where we want it to be. This may well be the best way to avoid depression and anxiety. Controlling one's attention has many benefits. It's a great way to lessen worry and put focus on the positives in one's life. It can also stop procrastination and be overly critical of oneself. Spend some time each day working on placing your focus where you need it to be. It could be on your work, a project, or perhaps a hobby you enjoy. Over time, it will become easier to place your attention on the things that matter most.
Interval Training With High Intensity
Interval training, alternate short periods of high-intensity exercise with periods of a slower pace can be very helpful to mental health as well as physical fitness. A nice feature of interval training is that it is less time-consuming than other workouts. This is great for those on a busy schedule. Exercise has been proven to improve sleep, lessen anxiety, and make stress more manageable.
Consistent Good Sleep
There is nothing more important to good health, mental or physical, than good sleep. Develop a regular bedtime routine. Go to sleep at the same time each night, stay away from electronics the last hour before bed and do something relaxing. Bedtime is not the time for worrying or making plans. Reading is a good way to take your mind off the day and relax. This will make a big difference.
It can be very difficult to manage one's mental health. There is always something stressful on the horizon. By following these daily practices, you will be better equipped to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and avoid depression.
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