Global Wellness Digest

5 Habits That Will Improve Your Mental Health

Dr Guy Winch, the author of the well-regarded book “Emotional First Aid”, postulates certain critical habits which could improve our overall mental wellness:

Protect Your Self Esteem. Self-esteem is the armour we wear to the “battle of life,” and yet when it is low, we often become self-critical and injure it even further. Even more concerning is that by weakening our emotional armour we make ourselves more vulnerable to things like rejection, anxiety, and stress. Practicing self-compassion and allowing your self-esteem to recover will give a great boost to your mental health.

Take Control After a Failure. Failure impacts our self-perception such that our goals might seem further out of reach and our competence seems questionable. As a result, we often feel helpless and lose our motivation. To combat those feelings, focus on those factors that are within your control. Then re-plan and re-start the process.

Distract Yourself from Negative Thoughts. Brooding over upsetting events only makes us feel worse and is also damaging to our mental health. When you find yourself in such situations, distract yourself by engaging in a task that requires focus and concentration. In general, engage in a different activity for the negative thought to recede and for your mood to recover.

Find Meaning After a Loss: Loss is a natural part of life and something none of us can avoid. Regardless of how painful or traumatic the loss, one aspect has been found to be extremely important for emotional recovery — our ability to find meaning in the events. Once you’ve begun to heal, think about possible ways in which you might derive some good from the situation. Remember, every cloud has a silver lining. Great leaders also possess great strengths and great weaknesses.

Recover Self-Worth After a Rejection: One of the reasons rejections are so painful is that they register in our brains like physical pain and damage our self-worth. In order to help your self-worth recover, remind yourself of what you have to offer. Make a list of attributes you know you possess and that are valuable in the arena in which you were rejected. Reminding yourself of the many personal qualities you have will help your self-worth rebound, ease your emotional pain, and improve your overall mental health – Global Wellness Digest