I always listen to people talking very proudly and fondly about their college life. To be honest I never had a fun college life as I spent the whole 3 years under the stress of back-to-back classes and follow up assignments, assessments and exams where i dint even care about my mental health. I also went through the most depressing breakup during this time as well. By the way, I also found the love of my life during this period as well, but it was never a happy time in my life as I had to endure depression, anxiety and chronic eating disorder. Some days I didn’t even find the motivation to get out of my bed in the mornings.
Quitting smoking, getting closure and developing a positive relationship with food was never an easy journey, but with consistent belief and determination, I managed to attain a positive attitude towards my life and get my life and dreams back.
HOW I MANAGED TO IMPROVE MY MENTAL HEALTH
One fact that I am always proud of myself is that, even though I was clearly depressed and didn’t even want to get out of my bed. I still believed that “ This is just a phase, this too shall pass”.
Journaling
Journaling for me doesn’t mean that i write about everything i endured and felt during the day, i mostly kept the journal to organise my thoughts and plan for the next day. This act gave me confidence that I am ready to endure whatever it may be that’s put forward.
Planning and writing down my to-do list for the next day actually helped me a lot in accomplishing my tasks for the day without any chaos.
Meditation
Waking up at 5 am to meditate can sound absurd to some of you, but believe me those 10 minutes had a huge positive impact on my life and helped me improve my mental health. Try to keep aside at least 10 minutes from your day to meditate and do breathing exercises.
Social media detox
Taking a break from social media can be a hassle for many of you. Some of you might also have a business that requires you to be online on social media multiple times a day, like me. Yet, trust me, if you take that risk to cut off your social media life for a while, it’s definitely going to bring a huge positive change to your life.
Take care of my body fitness
Being a couch potato myself, I am not sure how authoritatively I can fixate on this point to you guys, lol. Here is my experience: At those times when I hit rock bottom, I choose to workout inorder to release my stress and anxiety. When you workout regularly and see a positive difference in your body when you look at your mirror, you will feel good for yourself. That bliss is incredible, and I hope each one of you will experience that magical feeling.
Practice self care
Self care is not a luxury, feeling good about yourself is not selfish. Take a day off from work and get a manicure, pedicure or a full body massage and relax. As mentioned above, working out is also a form of self care as well. Spending a day with your loved ones i.e your family or your partner can also bring happiness to your life and as a result will improve your mental health.
Read a self-development book
Feeling down or having an emotional breakdown which leads to a very depressing state where you feel no hope is quite common among people now. One of the ways to reinstate the hope and positive attitude to your life is to read self-help and motivational books. Some of my recommendations are the alchemist, The secret and the new earth.
Learning a new skill
The process of learning a new skill or language can be very empowering and at the same time it can improve your mental health as well. Try learning a new skill when you are stressed and anxious. Learn how to play your favourite music on your guitar or violin, learn a language that has always amused you or even learn a whole new technology or programming language that could give you a new career base.
A budget travel might help
Weekend getaways are the best! Take a weekend off from your daily routine and travel solo or travel with your partner or family to a nearby place or staycation resort to unwind and give yourself the much needed vacation.
Trekking or trailing
I love trekking, I have always found my true self in the midst of naturistic mountain tops. If you find trekking through mountains hard and impossible for you, you could also try trailing through the forests or river sides. Nature has the power to heal deep wounds inside us.
Listen to your heart
The last and final point I want all of you to consider while trying to improve your mental health is to always listen to your heart. When you wake up every morning, make sure to choose what your heart says to you, stay true to yourself and consider how you feel that day, never force yourself too much to show up or stress yourself to do things if you don’t feel like it. Always stay happy, motivated and take care of yourself and improve your mental health. Read more wellness blogs
