A lot of people talk about self care; getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising, etc. But what about mental self care? Everything begins in our mind — thoughts turn into decisions turn into habits turn into who we are… which means your mental health is actually more important than you might think.
For me, mental self care is even more of a challenge than physical self care. Because, as awful as it sounds, you can force yourself to rest or do yoga or eat the right foods or drink enough water… but hitting the “refresh” button on your mind can be way more difficult. Like… where do you even begin?!
Not gonna lie: it’s tricky. It’s a practice, something you have to do again and again. Creating healthy mental habits (and positive thoughts) and getting rid of your unhealthy mental habits (and negative thoughts.) BUT GOOD NEWS: today I’m going to share with you 7 THINGS you can start doing right now to show yourself some mental self care. I guarantee these habits will refresh your mind and make you feel amazing, have clearer focus on your work/school/life, and just BE A HAPPIER PERSON IN GENERAL. Let’s go.
01. GRATITUDE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING
Studies have proven again and again that an attitude of gratitude (especially first thing in the morning) SKYROCKETS happiness levels in all people from all walks of life. Even if you feel like you don’t have much to be grateful for, there is always something. The miraculous ability to see these words and make sense of them. The sun in the sky. The water that comes out of your tap every time you turn it on.
Most people start their day by looking at what’s ahead of them in a negative light: they dread going to work or school, they aren’t excited about anything in the future. THAT’S JUST IT. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE. In fact, you need to stop living for the future. Live for right now. Think about what you have right now. Take nothing for granted. Wake up in the morning and toss those negative thoughts and emotions in the garbage where they belong — instead, think about just three things you’re grateful for.
02. NEVER LOOK AT THE NEWS
THAT INCLUDES TRENDING TOPICS, MY FRIEND. The thing about news is that it’s 99% focused on the negative. We don’t hear about the millions of flights that landed safely at their destinations, we hear about the one plane that crashed. Some people argue that you should know what’s going on in the world, but I have to disagree. Negative thoughts beget negative attitudes, and last time I checked? That only creates MORE NEGATIVITY.
I never look at the news, and I 10/10 recommend you do the same — whether it’s on TV, the radio, or your phone. Spend your time consuming INSPIRATION and POSITIVITY instead. Because the more you take in, the more you put out. Take in love, kindness, inspiration. Put out love, kindness, inspiration. The world doesn’t need more awareness of the darkness. We need awareness of the light.
03. A DAILY RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS
Nothing brightens my day quite like brightening someone else’s day. Kind of like how it’s more fun to give gifts at Christmas than to open gifts yourself. A daily random act of kindness is going one step beyond gratitude. Instead of just thinking about someone you’re grateful for, SHOW THEM you appreciate them. This could be in the form of a letter or DM, or even just doing something that you know will make their life easier (for people you know IRL.) There is always time in your day for a small act of kindness towards someone else.
04. SPEAK AFFIRMATIONS
What do you want to be true about yourself ten years from now? It might not be true yet, but you need to start acting like it is true. Speak what you want into existence. Olympic gold medalists started by imagining themselves on the top of the podium. So create some affirmations for yourself.
If you don’t have something specific in mind, like “I’m a bestselling author” start with things like “I am so happy and at peace, everyone loves to be around me” or “I have everything I need and I lack nothing.” Even if these things aren’t true at the moment — especially if they’re not true. Speak like your Future Self would speak. Thoughts are powerful, but words are even more powerful. When you say something out loud, your brain automatically thinks it’s true. And your subconscious cannot tell the difference between an event imagined and an event experienced.
OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES ON MENTAL HEALTH:
- How To Take An ACTUALLY EFFECTIVE Hiatus And Come Back New
- How To Create An Invincible Mindset (And Take On Every Challenge Life Throws at You!)
- 5 Things You Should Be Doing EVERY DAY To Stay Creative + Focused!
05. UNPLUG ONE DAY A WEEK
As many of you know, I have a habit of taking Sunday off. I’m self-employed, which means I’m able to take a whole day off every week and it is SO RESTORATIVE. But I recently thought, you know what would make this even more restorative? UNPLUGGING FROM THE INTERNET.* We all know the struggle: when we’re having a dull moment, we reach for our phones to scroll through social media and generally kill time. But what if we shut off our phones for one day a week? What happens when we reach for it, and it’s not there?
I’ll tell you: AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN. You go do something else, like write a poem or make a cup of tea or go for a walk or read a book or have a great conversation with a real live person. Try it!! You never know what you’re missing when your face is always in a screen, bro.
*btw I had this whole epiphany while reading Keira’s lovely blog and she inspired/inspires me greatly, you should go follow her asap
06. LAUGH EVERY SINGLE DAY
I don’t need to tell you how important laughter is for your mental health, do I??? IT’S IMPORTANT. Laughter is not only the best medicine, it’s the best prevention for an unhealthy mind. Laughter is so beautiful to me because it’s literally joy spilling over. It’s what happens when you can’t contain your happiness, there’s too much of it.
So, create some joy surplus in your day! Even if it’s just watching a cat video on YouTube or reading a funny story — LAUGH. A LOT. It’s like a negativity cleanse. It’s impossible for me to hang onto a bad attitude when something makes me laugh.
07. MEDITATE AS YOU FALL ASLEEP
Some people aren’t a fan of meditating as you fall asleep, but I FIND IT SUPER NICE. See, I hate sleeping. I wish I didn’t have to?? It just seems like such a waste of time???? Like I know it’s healthy and everything but it’s just so boring. So whenever I go to bed at night, my mind wants to start thinking. And I have to shut that down right away. Because if I start thinking, I could be awake all night.
That’s why mediating is so helpful for me. It calms me down and gets my brain ready for sleep. I don’t do anything special, really — I just focus on the sound of my breath and how comfortable my bed is. Sometimes I like to visualize a blanket of sparkling golden light covering me, protecting and restoring me. There are really no rules to meditation — the only rule is to be present. Don’t start thinking about things. Just be here now. It’s a really calming way to fall asleep and I always feel more refreshed when I wake up in morning. AND DO ALL THESE THINGS AGAIN.
TALK, BRO
What is YOUR favorite way to practice mental self care? Do you ever unplug from the internet for a day? (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT) What are some of your favorite affirmations/good things you can see in your future? TAKE CARE OF YO BRAIN AND YO BRAIN WILL TAKE CARE OF U.
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