“The days that break you are the days that make you.”
The whole sole purpose behind everything that we do in all our waking moments is just one thing – we want to be happy.
From the time we are born, we are protected, guided, and mentored by our parents, our teachers, and our well-wishers at every step of the way to make sure that we get the easiest way out in every situation with the least possible struggle or pain involved.
And we learn to do the same for our youngsters.
Yet, how is it possible that everybody is so much under pressure and mental torment? So much that some people inflict pain and hurtful remarks on others. And some inflict pain even go to the extent of taking their own lives!
Today we will talk about some key factors on how to improve your mental health, so, you can approach this life more positively and optimistically.
Sadhguru says, you need to find the right access to this life, in order to live it fully.
“If your body becomes pleasant, we call this health. If it becomes very pleasant, we call this pleasure. If your mind becomes pleasant, we call this peace. If it becomes very pleasant, we call it joy. If your emotions become pleasant, we call it love. If they become very pleasant, we call it compassion. If your energies become pleasant, we call this bliss. If they become very pleasant, we call it ecstasy. If your surrounding becomes pleasant, we call this success.” – Sadhguru
Some Alarming Facts About Mental Health
As good as 14 percent of diseases worldwide are attributed to mental health issues, substance abuse, and neurological disorder with the highest propensity up to 75% in low-income countries.
- According to a 2018 report by WHO, as much as 800,000 people kill themselves every year.
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death within the age of 15-29.
- 50% mental health issues start at the age of 14.
- Unfortunately, less than 1 percent of global aid is allotted to mental health.
- The cost of mental health issues of $2.5 trillion a year is expected to reach $6 trillion by 2030.
Identify The “Cry For Help”
An African tribe has an accountability practice that treats people’s harmful behavior as a ‘cry for help.’
They believe that every human being is born to be good. However, in pursuit of things they make mistakes.
As a ritual, they come together and surround the person and help him to ‘reconnect with his true self.’
The use of two words Shikoba Nabajyotisaikia – is a beautiful way to reinforce gratitude, worth, and values of bonding with each other creating a path for that person to come back.
Going by the above information, we should wake up to the fact that any person who is behaving rudely with us is actually seeking for help.
Instead of a befitting retort that we may have an instant impulse to give him, we should rather treat them with compassion and hope that they get to heal themselves.
Sister B K Shivani from Brahma Kumari explains this beautifully:
When people are rude to us or ignore us, we have 3 options to respond –
- Treat them in the same way. – We reflect on their energy.
- Get upset or feel disrespected. – We absorb their energy.
- Understand their pain and be nice to them. – We transform their energy.
However, this is easier said than done.
You need to have a very strong mind to treat people with flowers when they are hurling stones at you.
But it is the need of the hour for us to wake up for ourselves and for people who matter to us.
Mental health issues are affecting each one of us in some way or the other. And, for that, we have to make ourselves mentally robust.
Let us see how we can make ourselves mentally strong and invincible.
Tips to Improve Your Mental Health
These super healing tips is all you need to improve your mental health pleasantly and always keep it in check.
1. First Heal Yourself Before Helping Others
As much as I remember, the words like emotional stability, mental strength made sense to me, when I was holding my kid for the first time.
I couldn’t agree more that I wanted to raise an emotionally strong child. But was I emotionally strong myself?
You should ask this question before you set out to help anyone else. First, heal yourself before trying to help anyone else.
Start by forgiving yourself for being rude to others.
Seek forgiveness and also try to forgive people you have ever crossed path with, the remembrance of whom leave a sting in your heart.
2. Take a Deep Breathe
Take a deep breath and let go. Whenever any thought makes your heart heavy, come back to your breath.
A few deep inhalation and exhalation will help you feel light in no time. Learn some powerful breathing exercise to reduce unnecessary tensions and fatigue.
3. Focus on Your Key Strength
Focus on your key strength and make efforts to hone them to perfection. Every human being is gifted with some inherent quality that makes them unique.
Identify your unique streak and nurture it. This will lead you to perfection and success, eventually helping you to rise above the rest.
Also, keep you away from jealousy or unwanted comparisons and competitions.
4. Count Your Blessings
Be grateful for all the love you have received. Try to build a stronger bond with your family.
“Family – one bunch of people who were like a net for the circus you did. Whichever way you feel, there was somebody to hold you for some moments.” – Sadhguru
Essentially, our familial bonds have been the basis of our mental and emotional stability. But now a majority of peoples start living alone right from the time they start working.
5. Change Your Perception
Our life is indeed shaped by our own perception. Hence, we must learn to see opportunity in every given situation no matter how adverse your situation is.
6. Stay Away From These People
At any point in your mental distress, stay away from these two sets of peoples –
The first, the soft targets – they are people who love you unconditionally but do not have the power to be hard on you if the need arises. Unfortunately, in most cases, they are either your child or partner.
The second set comprises of toxic people who are so full of bitterness themselves that they will end up demoralizing you even if they intend to help you.
7. Practice Meditation
Practice meditation to get connected with your inner-self.
It will help you to derive the basic experience such as pleasantness, peace, joy, love, compassion, and bliss, that nurtures our mind.
This is the best healing thing you can do to improve your mental health to stay calm in stressful situations.
8. Exercise Regularly
According to a 2018 study on 1.2 million people in the USA, it was found that people who practiced physical exercises reported lower rates in mental health issues up to 1.5 fewer days in a month.
Practice some morning yoga for most physical and mental strength.
9. Include Anti-Depressant Food in Your Diet
As per the study, the highest anti-depressant score in animal-based food is found to be in oysters at 56% followed by poultry giblets, clam, mussels, octopus, and crab at 31%, 30%, 28%, 27%, and 24% respectively.
The best scores for plant-based food are found in watercress at a whopping 127% followed by spinach, mustard, and lettuce at 97%, 93%, and 99% respectively.
Almost all the fruits and vegetables have a very high anti-depressant score the lowest being strawberry at 31%.
10. Take Care of Your Chronic Auto-Immune Ailments
Most of the auto-immune diseases such as diabetes, thyroid, or hypertension have a profound impact on our mental health.
Keeping the numbers in check often proves to be quiet a stress buster.
11. Focus on Tick Mark Instead Cross Mark
Try to focus on the tick marks instead of the cross marks while evaluating your accomplishments.
A simple change of approach while marking assessment sheets for kids – is to highlight what they have done right instead of emphasizing on where they have gone wrong.
It encourages and incentivizes their propensity to do things right and keep repeating the same. The same applies to every stage of life.
Do it for yourself if there is no one else to do it for you. Instead of brooding over a lost deal, pat yourself for the hard work you put in it and keep repeating it.
12. Take Medical Help
After trying all the above measures, if you still feeling sad or restless, do not deter from taking medical help.
It is easy to sideline mental illness as a passing mood swing or sorrow, until we see a doctor, we won’t even get to know the depth or graveness of the matter.
The ailment is so deep-rooted that it requires medication. We don’t know what exactly we need that will help us to feel better. Hence, just rule out the stigma attached to mental health and see a doctor.
Sometimes we just need to empty our hearts, while sometimes, some assertive or kind words give us a strength that we can avail through a counseling session.
Lastly…
Mental ailment is extremely painful, not only for the person who is suffering from it but also for the people who live with that person.
It has several direct and indirect impacts on health, relationships, professions, and society at large.
It is high time we learn to remove the stigma attached and raise awareness about mental health.
What you do to improve your mental health?
If you have more empowering mental boosting tips to come out from bad situations to calming, then share your story with us to enlighten and inspire other readers.
Featured Image: Freepik