We tend to focus on eating right as well as our physical well-being. While these are most definitely important we cannot neglect our mental well-being. People often do not know how to slow down or how to take a moment to be in the moment. Some people have never heard of mental well-being and perhaps npw is the time to give it a try! Summer is an excellent time to get on the right track for your mental well being journey. Most of us claim to be too busy to take “time out” for ourselves and that it is just another thing to remember to do! BUT to be mindful of your mental well-being is no joke. Without peace, calmness and serenity people quickly become stress balls, which as we all know stress is the cause of a lot of our diseases today.
Why try starting a mental well-being regime in the summer?
- The days are longer, therefore you will feel like you have more hours in the day to incorporate time for yourself.
- More day light hours usually translates into happier people because you are able to get more Vitamin D, if you are feeling happier you are more likely to have the desire to try something new as well as stick with it.
- In a lot of cases people tend to be on holidays in the summer therefore you will feel more relaxed to start a new regime, once you get a good hold of what works for you, you will be more likely to follow through in the the fall and winter with your mental well-being routine
What can you do to help your mental state?
- You can always try yoga which will focus on mental and still your physical well-being.
- Meditation can be simple. Don’t start with high expectations. Start small and work your way up. It can be something as simple as thinking about positive thoughts for 5 minutes a day. This can greatly put things in perspective for you. Repeating positive thoughts for 5 minutes in the morning sets you up for a productive day. When people say they do not have time for this, I say try setting your alarm clock 5 minutes earlier.
- Try to lay down flat on your back while listening to relaxing music. Start by relaxing your eyes, your nose, your checks, your ears and basically you work from head all the way to your toes, by really focusing on your body and nothing else.
- Be mindful all day long. What does this mean? This means look after yourself and your mental state all day long. Stress that you can cut out right away is stop “people pleasing”. People pleasing really messes with your mental state and can actually become quite dangerous to your body. Stay true to yourself! When we think of toxins, we often think of doing a cleanse to clean out all of the bad foods we have been eating, but never underestimate the power of toxic relationships! Get rid of them! We must always respect one another, but you do not have to make it your mission to love everyone and spend time with everyone that walks into your life. Set boundaries and learn how to say “no”. You can say things politely and with respect. Just remember, if you do not take care of yourself, no one else will… this especially rings true for your mental well-being. No one can read your mind and make all your stresses go away, only YOU can.
- You can try finding solace in spirituality. It does not have to be religious based. Find what ever works for you.
- Take a bath! Soak your feet or just take a walk.
- If you really truly feel bummed out there are safe and natural supplements that can definitely help. Fish oil with a high concentration of DHA essential fatty acid, vitamin D, a good quality multi can also do wonders!
Lastly, taking time to smell the flowers is never a waste of time. Repeat this over in your head three times. Life is a beautiful thing and while working hard is a wonderful trait to have there has to be a balance. It may not seem like it right now, but it catches up with us. I myself love to work and I love seeing the hard work pay off, but I notice how the quality of my work goes up when I take time for myself. At the end of the day there is no recipe for how to nurture your mental state, so just do what is best for you! As always we thank you for reading and we look forward to helping you at a location near you!