Mental and emotional health are often challenging to preserve in our modern-day, busy and hectic lives. To lessen the impact of stressful wear and tear, consider implementing some of these helpful strategies into your daily routine.
1. Maintain good physical health.
This point is so basic it’s often overlooked. Our physical health affects our emotional health much more than we realize. Make sure to eat well, exercise and get plenty of sleep.
As Virgil said: “The greatest wealth is health.”
2. Learn to release anger and let go of grudges.
Vent if you have to. Shake it off. Walk it off. Harboring anger or ill feelings builds emotional toxicity, which ultimately affects your overall health.
“For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness”. Anonymous
3. Be aware.
Look for the hidden message in negative or difficult situations. Learn from them. Experiencing adversity is meant to alert you to something or teach you a new skill.
“Life deals you a lot of lessons, some people learn from them, some people don’t.” Brett Favre
4. Keep your brain active.
Don’t let complacency or boredom set in. In order to feel alive and vibrant we need to keep our minds active by learning new things and challenging ourselves.
“If I had to live my life again I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once a week; for perhaps the parts of my brain now atrophied could thus have been kept active through use.” Charles Darwin
5. Stimulate your senses.
As well as keeping your mind active, enjoy beautiful art, listen to music that lifts your spirits or try a new gourmet dish. Our senses need to be reawakened every now and then too.
“Man has no Body distinct from his Soul; for that called Body is a portion of Soul discerned by the five Senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.” William Blake
6. Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Balance in life is important for maintaining emotional health. Too much emphasis on work causes stress as well as wear and tear on the body and mind. Take time off; go to the beach, the park or a movie to take your mind off your current quandaries. Chances are when you come back you will see things from a fresher, more productive perspective.
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it.” Jack Handey
7. Maintain supportive relationships.
Maintain good relationships with friends and family for much needed feedback, a shoulder to lean on or a different perspective. Often we get so caught up in our own problems and misery we can’t see the forest for the trees. Having an objective pair of eyes and ears can give you a whole new way of thinking.
“Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings”. Miles Franklin
8. Donate your old clothes, furniture or items you don’t use anymore to your local Good Will, Salvation Army or charity of your choice.
It will make you feel good, first by helping someone out and secondly by cleaning out your closets and basements of ‘stuff’ you haven’t put to use in a long time.
“For it is in the giving that we receive.” St. Francis of Assisi
9. Take some yoga classes, learn to meditate or incorporate a relaxation technique into your routine.
Besides having fun and not taking yourself too seriously, it’s a good idea to integrate another relaxation strategy into your routine for those times when life gets somewhat overwhelming. Having many methods to fall back on ensures emotional well-being.
“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun or relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it”. Herodotus
10. Learn to savor and appreciate the moment.
How many times have we heard that life is too short? We get so caught up in the whirlwind that we forget to live in the present moment. And in those times we’re not caught up in the whirlwind, we’re worrying about the future. It’s time to slow down and enjoy the now!
“Life is a memory except for the present moment that goes by so quickly you hardly catch it going.” Tennessee Williams
Take good care of your mental and emotional health. It can determine the quality and enjoyment of how you experience your everyday life.
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