With so much going on in the world and our lives, it is not the easiest thing to maintain our mental well-being. Our mental health goes for a toss every time we experience change around us. People around us, the stress of our studies, career, family, peer pressure, and whatnot. Maintaining our mental peace is not as easy as it sounds, but there are certainly a few things that we could implement to improve it.
Before we start this journey, it is very imperative to identify all the things that are causing the strain and draining us. You will be surprised to know that the tiny, seemingly unimportant things that we ignore are the ones that affect us the most.
Pay attention to these small things in your everyday life:
> What is the first content you consume in the morning?
If Instagram is the first thing you go to in the morning and all you see is the "perfect life" of strangers, then I hate to be the one to break this to you, but that is not the way to begin your morning. Feeling jealous or unworthy is not the energy you want to begin your day with. The things and energy you start your morning with will always be playing at the back of your mind throughout the day. Meditate on how you want your day to look, or read an enriching book to start your morning.
>Whom do you avoid on a daily basis?
This is one of the most crucial things to focus on in our lives. The people we get an uneasy feeling about, the people who make us feel inferior about ourselves, people who downplay our achievements. These are the people you need to cut off from your life. It is okay to avoid toxic people in your life. Anybody who drains you mentally is just not worth it.
>How do you speak to yourself?
Negative self-talk is so harmful to our mental well-being. We can be the main source of our stress if we are not careful about our self-talk. How do you talk to yourself when you make a mistake? How do you perceive yourself? We need to be our own cheerleaders. Even when nobody is around to clap for you, clap for yourself. Make sure that you are not projecting unwanted pressure and negativity on yourself. Talk to yourself like you would talk with a friend.
>What makes you feel tired?
This is a key sign in identifying what is draining us. When we are doing something that we truly love, we tend to forget time and space. Things that excite us are not random, they are connected to our dreams and passions. But when you are forcing yourself to do anything that does not hold your attention or love, it will generally drain your energy. It is essential for us to make time for the things that we love, every single day. Just take out five minutes to dance, read, draw or paint. I assure you, it is going to make a huge difference to your day.
>Are you trying to do too much too soon?
One of the most common mistakes we all make, and one that I am guilty of too. As we have just entered the new year, it is common for most of us to try and rush to reach our goals. Trying to do too much or trying to make sudden changes in our lifestyle is ultimately going to tire us out too soon. It is all about envisioning and enjoying our journey to the end goal. Small steps and changes are what will ultimately take you to your destination with a heart full of satisfaction and gratitude.
>Are you lost in your thoughts too much to focus on the present?
Thinking about how it should have been instead of accepting it for what it is? Always thinking about what to do instead of actually doing it? I am going to be honest here and accept that this is something I am guilty of too. So many times we tend to get lost in our minds and lose the present moment. And ultimately thinking about all the lost time is what stresses us out. So don't be afraid to take that one step that you may have been avoiding. No better time than now!
>Are you worried about "not getting there in time"?
With the content that we consume every day, we put a certain pressure on ourselves to reach our goals by a specific time. We look at people earning 6 figures by the age of 22, and we want to rush to get there too. We see people having fun on vacations and having the time of their lives, and we want to get there too. But the thing is, social media is mostly a facade. Not everyone is as happy as they look. The journey to get where they are now is nothing that we know of. We need to stop worrying about the when, what and how of other people's lives and start paying more attention to ours. There is no specific timeline you need to follow, it is your life. You decide your time and pace.
If it makes you happy, it does not have to make sense to anybody else. -Anonymous
Comments