Mental Health Matters: Self-Care Practices for a Happier Mind  

There is increasing discussion about mental health and self-care, and this is no coincidence, as the two are invariably linked. Being mentally healthy means more than just the absence of mental illness; it involves enjoying emotional and mental well-being and has a significant impact on our quality of life.

Self-care is a major factor in maintaining mental health. That's why today we're examining a topic that concerns each of us. It's time to unravel the mysteries surrounding this ever-so-trendy term and understand its meaning. The goal is clear: to learn to take care of ourselves, to love ourselves, and to value our mental health.

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health recommends several activities to aid in this care:

✅Physical activity plays a key role in maintaining our mental health. The American Institute recommends that we exercise regularly and take walks.

✅Eating healthy, regular meals and staying hydrated. Yes, the quality of our food affects the quality of our lives. It's also a golden rule to limit caffeine and alcohol.

✅Prioritizing sleep. To this end, it is advisable to turn off screens in the evening, put down the phone, computer, or TV, and enjoy a restful sleep.

✅Engaging in relaxation activities. What better rest than meditation, relaxation with music, reading... We just need to choose an activity that calms us and make time for it.

✅Setting goals and priorities. It is important to choose correctly what needs to be done now and what can wait. Sometimes, we can also afford to refuse tasks if we feel they are becoming too much.

✅Practicing gratitude. A daily reminder of what we are grateful for improves our quality of life and mood. We can choose to write down things we are grateful for on a sheet of paper or in our phone, or simply list them by heart. The important thing is to be consistent.

✅Focusing on the positive. The ability to isolate negative thoughts is extremely valuable and can be mastered. It just takes practice and persistence.

✅Being connected. It's good to take time for ourselves, but it's also valuable to connect with friends, loved ones, and family who give us emotional support.

All these recommendations are easy to follow, but the hard part is remembering to do them and make time for them. For some people, this is easier when they follow a specific plan. That's why I've drawn up this sample plan to make the process easier.

Self-Care Planner

Every Day:

Realize that every day is a gift. Yes, we are overwhelmed with tasks and deadlines, but all of this creates stress and saps the joy out of life. That's why it's so important to "steal" a few minutes for ourselves every day, without exception:

Fun every day. Allow yourself between 5 and 30 minutes each day to do something enjoyable. Here are just a few examples:

• 5 minutes for your favorite game on your phone/tablet/computer
• 10 minutes reading an inspirational book
• 15 minutes of sport or some kind of exercise
• 20 minutes of meditation or relaxation with music
• 25 minutes in the bath
• 30 minutes watching an episode of your favorite TV show

*You can complete this list with absolutely anything that comes to mind, such as a conversation with a loved one, dancing, cooking, a hobby, writing, walking, etc. The time you spend on these little joys also depends on the circumstances and the day. But try to keep it to at least 5 minutes.

👉Gratitude every day. This is another practice through which you can reinvent your world. It's extremely easy to do, takes under 5 minutes, and you'll be surprised how well it affects your mood. Try doing it in the morning and/or evening. If it's in the morning, choose by heart or write down at least 3 things you are grateful for. Here are some examples:

• I am thankful for the sunny morning
• I am thankful for my warm blankets
• I am thankful for my health
• If it's in the evening, think of or write down at least 3 things from the day you are thankful for. Here are some examples:
• I am thankful for the great job I did today
• I am thankful for the delicious dinner I made
• I am thankful for the time I spent with my loved ones

Every week:

Plan an activity each week that brings you joy and fun. There are countless options, but you only need to spend a little more than half an hour. It all depends on the activity you choose. Here are just a few ideas:

👉Sport twice a week

👉Take up a hobby once a week (drawing, writing, attending an interest club, dancing...)

👉Meeting with friends, family, loved ones, children, etc. No matter the person you choose, try to plan at least one outing or activity each week. Whatever you choose, the important thing is to spend time with people who make you feel good. It will reflect well on you.

Every month:

👉Try something new. Clearly, starting something big every month can be overwhelming, and at most, you'll end up with 12 projects started and unfinished at the end of the year. This is about allowing yourself to step out of your comfort zone each month, to challenge yourself with something you really want to do but never do. Here are a few examples:

• Sign up for a course
• Invite your crush on a date
• Go to the theatre/cinema/opera etc.
• Do a long-delayed detox
• Go for a massage
• Take up the thorough cleaning you've been putting off
• Cook that nice recipe you've been dreaming about
• Buy those expensive shoes you fell in love with at first sight

Or to put it another way, allow yourself some courage... At least once a month.

Every year:

👉Travel. Try to travel at least once a year. It doesn't matter if you go on holiday to Bali, on a trip to France, or travel to a neighboring city to relax at your friend's villa. The important thing is to set aside time to change your surroundings. Nothing recharges like travel.

👉Dream and make it come true: Surely you have a whole bunch of New Year's resolutions of set and unmet goals. No problem, we all have them. Try something new. Set just one dream for next year and put all your efforts into achieving it. Even if you don't succeed, you're sure to learn a lot by following your dream.

👉Learn something: Nothing stunts the brain like monotony. Challenge yourself every year with new knowledge. It doesn't matter if you try to learn a foreign language, enroll in an interesting course, pursue professional retraining, or learn a new dance choreography, the important thing is to keep evolving.

Activity Bonus:

Here are a few more ideas on how to give yourself some much-needed care:

🌟Give yourself me-time, time just for you

🌟Remind yourself what it's like to have fun without any care. Allow yourself to laugh out loud at a funny movie, with nothing else mattering at that moment.

🌟Choose the people around you carefully. Spend time with people who appreciate you and make you feel good.

🌟Learn to let go and move on. Let go of the people who don't want to be around you, let go of an old dream that no longer has a future. Don't fixate, let life happen and embrace it with open arms.

🌟Rediscover yourself and learn to stand up for yourself. Remind yourself what kind of person you are. If you have to, sit down and write down all the qualities you like and all the flaws you want to eradicate. And then start working on building the best version of yourself. And stand for it.

🌟Do good every day! Try something small and see how easy it is. If you don't succeed every day, at least every week. Make kindness your defining quality, your reflex. Nothing makes a person as happy as the fact that they caused another person to smile.

When to seek professional help:

All of the tips above work great if we want to be happier and learn to take care of ourselves and our mental health. However, in some situations, this is not enough. The U.S. Mental Health Institute advises seeking professional help if we experience severe or distressing symptoms that last 2 weeks or longer, such as:

❌Difficulty sleeping

❌Appetite changes or unplanned weight changes

❌Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning because of mood

❌Difficulty concentrating

❌Loss of interest in things we usually find enjoyable

❌Inability to complete usual tasks and activities

❌Feelings of irritability, frustration, or restlessness 

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