When it comes to self-care, taking care of our outside is one of the most talked about topics. For example, you’ll find blog posts galore exploring how self-care should include face masks, painting your nails and exfoliating. And although these can undoubtedly help, there are some ways in which we can help our mental health with self-care…
Everyday Self Care
Self-care for some may mean locking themselves away with a good boxset, new PJs and enough candles to last them a lifetime. For others, self-care means incorporating tasks into your everyday life in order to maintain a constant level of care. This can mean purchasing a pillbox, such as those from Millercare to ensure you’re taking your medication. It could also mean taking breaks throughout the day to make time for yourself and your thoughts. When your mental health is bad, it’s easy to forget that we need time to heal and process thoughts, whether they’re rooted in anxiety, depression or more complicated mental health disorders such as OCD.
Meditation & Mantras
For some, meditation and mantras world to help keep the flow of stress and depression at a minimum. It takes practice but creating affirmations for yourself can do wonders for your self-image, your perception on life and so much more. Make a list of mantras that you find online and that you relate to. Say one a day each morning when you wake and truly believe in what you’re saying. If this isn’t your style, why not try some meditation techniques? There are tonnes of apps in the app store you can choose from, and many offer 20 minute or longer sessions where you can let your anxiety melt away. You can also find more specialised apps for OCD, Eating Disorders and more.
Targeted Help
If you know that you need targeted help with your mental health, try and introduce small steps to helping yourself into your everyday life. For example, why not try and keep a mood diary. These are great for seeing the overall picture of how your mental health is shaped over a couple of weeks, and you may be able to see some triggers for stress and anxiety that you may not have seen before.
Looking After Your Body
One way you can improve the symptoms of depression is to look after your body. It has been proven that exercise can ease the symptoms and improve sleep. It also helps to eat more healthily, get enough sleep and make time for these things in your everyday life. At the end of the day, taking care of yourself is a daily occurrence, and making time to take small steps towards bettering your mental health.
