How do I improve my mental wellbeing?
Improving your mental wellbeing is not what you first think. If you’re wanting an instant solution, you may be disappointed. They are as useful as fast food is to nutrition!
When I started practising these things, after lots of research and discussing with colleagues, I was underwhelmed by their initial impact. If you decide to do them, give them time and keep it consistent. 21days is an average for forming a new neural pathway, and about 63 days to begin a habit. My joy at the depth and breadth of their efficacy – and many of my clients have made this their daily habits successfully too – can be lifechanging.
Also, remember you are a human being not a human doing. If you are reading this to be efficient and use your time well, then this won’t work. This fear-based, scarcity thinking just doesn’t work. Fear, and feeling that you’re a failure, add to mental strain.
So what does work, and why is working on your mental wellbeing important?
Can you imagine sitting all day and doing little but eat and watch the world go around you? Equally, neglecting wellness practices can change the quality of your life through slow degeneration. We all have come across grumpy negative people. Some of them are that way because they haven’t cared for their mental wellness.
Here’s 10 goodies to make sure you’re not that guy:
Think about what you’re thinking. If you can pause regularly, aware of your- self talk, then this is a quality step in your wellness. If you can take a breath and realise what thought is driving what you’re doing, and then changing it or enjoying the moment, then your wellness can improve. The more moments you pause to enjoy or change thinking, the better your wellness.
Quality sleep. Fundamental to wellness both mentally and physically is enough deep sleep. Between 7 – 10 hours is what we mostly need. Do you know how much you personally need? And when? I need to wake up about 8am and go to bed about 11pm. Unbroken is best – almost impossible if you have small children, but a sleep deficit contributes to having a brain that works like a slug. No blue screens (phones and computers) 90 minutes before bed helps a lot. Make sleeping one of your most important tasks.
Drinking enough water. Your brain is about 75% water. Our brain suffers like it’s a brown wizened pot plant without it. Women need 2.7 litres a day and men need a litre more. 20% comes from fruit and veg, if your diet is good. Neglect water and brain fog, fatigue and lack of focus reign. Sip, don’t skull, boosting intake before thinking tasks. Sip enough water every day for clear accurate thinking.
Start you day with a positive focus. It took me a long time to resist the negative thoughts that sprung into my brain when I first woke. When I learnt that some of my best thinking is as soon as I wake, which in turn sets up my day, I deliberately started thinking of good things I wanted to happen. I’m not talking about toxic positivity but accurate focus. Think about the good as soon as you wake.
Re-set your mindset with your afternoon break. Our conscious mind is always looking for what’s wrong to keep us safe. To give our conscious mind a balance boost will recharge it. If you can remember two or three things that went well during the middle your day, you’ll feel refreshed. However small, pause to remember the good.
Eat for your gut brain. I recently heard of a colleague who was treating a small angry boy. As soon as his diet changed, he stopped lashing out and started to sleep well, too. Foods with good bacteria like locally made sauerkraut, kefir, and yoghurt, plus kiwifruit, kūmara, and salmon really help. Chuck out sugar and alcohol, too. Improve calmness, analytical thinking and recall while decreasing stress, with good gut food.
Stay connected. Loneliness has been equated with smoking 20 cigarettes a day. And it’s not just being alone at night, because clicking a hundred likes on socials just doesn’t count with what our brains need. Meaningful conversations, even just one a day, and eyeballing a safe person you enjoy the company of is an important wellness practice. We are wired for connection. Make time to connect well to your village.
Do things you enjoy. Who cares if plate juggling/tap dancing/stamp collecting isn’t cool? If you love it, your brain fires differently. It builds resilience, lifts sadness and decreases stress. Watching, where you’re a passive passenger, doesn’t work the same way. What do you do to enjoy yourself? Switch on the active good vibes of creativity and enjoyment regularly.
Volunteer. Even if it’s an hour or so at a dog shelter, campaigning for a political party or cooking for a family under stress, doing something where you give without thought of getting back for something that’s important to you, gives your wellness a big boost. It uses many of your physical, emotional, and mental faculties at once. Generally, research confirms that volunteers are able to improve their energy and enjoy an overall better quality of life. Giving to others gives you back more.
Love you right here, right now. Are you your own best friend or worst critic? Being hard on yourself has been shown that your brain thinks it’s similar to a physical attack. This criticism can be a core driver behind many mental health conditions. Instead, think kindly of yourself through something you’re doing that may have gone wrong. If you’re kind and curious about what you can learn from it, this can release feel good chemicals and create the safety you need to grow from it. Kindness not criticism grows you best.
Choose 2 or three that appeal the most and practice them for 2 months. Tell us how they go.
