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How to love your mental health
The gateway to everything lies in our mental health – it’s the linchpin that allows us to either succeed or fail.
Studies have shown that when people’s mental health improves, they are more likely to thrive in their relationships and careers and adopt healthier habits. People become more productive, find greater meaning in everyday experiences and are better equipped to cope with change and adversity when they feel mentally well.
Committing to take better care of your mental health in the year ahead may mean re-engaging with, or starting to talk to, a therapist, or other licensed professional. If you’ve been in therapy in the past, the start of the year is an excellent time to schedule a catch-up session.
In addition, the following may support your mental reboot for 2024:
- Rethink your social media use – reflect on whether you want to continue with the same online habits this year. Do you want to set some boundaries for yourself? Are there people you need to unfollow? For instance, you could limit yourself to just 15 minutes on social media per day, delete the most time-consuming apps from your phone during the working week, or challenge yourself not to check on social media when feeling down.
- Reconnect with a long-lost friend – make new friends, but keep the old. Loneliness affects physical and mental health, while deep social bonds are a soothing balm. Messaging with a “miss you, thinking of you” type note is a brave and worthwhile step to making a change here. What have you got to lose?
- Stop ruminating about work – if you’re spiraling over how much work you have to do and how you’ll never get it all done, recognise that this is a ruminative thought. The problem-solving version of this is a scheduling question: when can I find time to tackle this thing that’s bothering me? What can I move or reprioritise? These questions will help ease the stress and distress, enabling you to invite a solution, as opposed to fixating on the problem.
- Find your “fab four” for the week – (a) do something pleasurable, whatever you class as fun in your world – maybe sing along with your favourite band – “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, works wonders for me! (b) do something that makes you feel you’ve achieved a task on your to-do list of errands (c) connect with family or friends so that your sense of belonging remains intact and (d) do something physical to get your heart rate going.
So, in this month of LOVE, how about giving our mental health some much-needed love, too? Happy St. Valentine’s Day, one and all. Let’s continue to make the world go round!