HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY MENTAL WELLBEING?
Mental health is something that isn’t visible, however it is just as important as your physical health. If you are feeling down, whether it’s due to the tough year we have all had, or a major life event that has affected you deeply, your feelings are valid and they should all be attended to. This past year has affected us all in a number of different ways and checking in with ourselves and our mental health is something that we should all be doing regularly. Below are a few steps that you can incorporate into your lives, to check in with yourself and attempt to transform any negativity into a more positive mindset.
1) Laughing
Many studies have proven that laughing can improve our mental health. According to an article published in the Tokahu Journal of Experimental Medicine, dopamine and serotonin levels can be altered by laughter. Dopamine and serotonin directly impact our mood, and it is believed that these levels are directly correlated with depression. In Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), laughter can be used as an intervention called “opposite action” which can help regulate our emotions. Laughing decreases stress, elevates our mood, and creates an opportunity for happy memories.
2) Practice Gratitude
We are bombarded with negative news daily which impacts our mindset. Practising gratitude ensures that the negative things “around us” do not “consume us.” Gratitude allows us to feel a peace of mind that no situation or person can take it away. When we shift our thinking and find the spark of light in dark situations, we take charge of our emotional health. Practising gratitude does not mean that we will not feel negative emotions, however, it ensures that we do not live in those negative emotions and that what happens “to us” does not have the power “to consume us.”
3) Be Introspective
We cannot achieve personal growth without introspection. When we take time to evaluate our thoughts and feelings, we gain a deeper sense of self. We improve our mindset when we identify feelings and thoughts that are detrimental to our mental health and create an opportunity to make changes that foster positive emotional growth. Taking the time to examine our own thoughts and feelings is the gateway to personal growth. Remember, introspection must be free of negative self-judgment to be helpful. Introspection is an opportunity to examine, explore and grow, not judge and critique.
4) Accepting Your Emotions
Feelings are not right or wrong, they just are. The actions that accompany emotions can be either helpful or hurtful, however, the emotion itself cannot be judged. Suppressing emotions can result in poor mental health. Allow yourself to accept the emotion, then decide if holding on to that emotion will be helpful or harmful. This is the most important part and is often overlooked. If an emotion is helpful, why get rid of it? If an emotion is harmful, we must dig a little deeper into that emotion as we may need to heal from an emotional wound.
These steps are only a few in your journey of improving your mental health, but they are practices which can be easily incorporated into your day to day life. For more fun and easy tips to help improve your mental wellness, take a look at my Mental Motivation Challenge.
If you are seriously concerned about your mental health, I urge you to seek professional support from a therapist or counsellor.
Miyume McKinley LCSW is a Psychotherapist based in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from XULA, Miyume founded her inclusive practice Epiphany Counselling. She is also the host of Epiphany Radio and founder of The Healing & Hope Foundation.