Today’s Self-Care Saturday is coming to you… on a Sunday.
I’ll be talking about mental health and sometimes, you just need to take some time for yourself, hence these self-care blog posts. You may put your heart and soul into helping others and never feel like helping yourself nor do you have the time for it. Eventually, you’re working too hard and burning yourself out. That eventually takes its toll on you and that’s why mental health is important. Reward yourself, sweetie. You deserve it.
Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye fame really preaches self-care on the show and that in turn has an impact on your mental health. Of course, his thing is all about making the hero look pretty. All the experts besides Jonathan are all about helping that person better themselves and what they do helps that person improve their mental health and well-being.
Here are five steps that you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing. (Credit to https://www.nhs.uk)
1. Connect with other people
Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. They can:
- help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth
- give you an opportunity to share positive experiences
- provide emotional support and allow you to support others.
I did that today by tagging along with my mom and visiting my aunt and Ben at Children’s Hospital. My cousin is dealing with some health issues and is on a long road to recovery. We even got some fresh air outside for a few minutes and were greeted with a few more surprise visitors.
2. Be physically active
Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- raising your self-esteem
- helping you to set goals or challenges and achieve them
- causing chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood.
Starting this week, I’m going to get on a regular exercise routine to improve my physical health by going to the gym a few times a week and going for a walk as the weather allows me to.
3. Learn new skills
Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- boosting self-confidence and raising self-esteem
- helping you to build a sense of purpose
- helping you to connect with others
Even if you feel like you do not have enough time, or you may not need to learn new things, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life.
I took up learning a foreign language last year when I downloaded the Duolingo app on my phone. I originally started out by learning Spanish. Now, I’m teaching myself French, Italian, and German.
I’ve been working on this blog since the beginning of 2020 and have been writing long before that.
I want to get back into photography now that I have a laptop I’m able to store my pictures on.
4. Give to others
Research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by:
- creating positive feelings and a sense of reward
- giving you a feeling of purpose and self-worth
- helping you connect with other people
It could be small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community.
In the past, I’ve volunteered with another local church for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry that sends shoeboxes full of toys and other gifts to less fortunate children at Christmas. We fill up boxes of 15-20 shoeboxes each and load them onto a truck that delivers them all over the world.
5. Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.
Some people call this awareness “mindfulness”. Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.
Stylish 🍒 