Why do so many people neglect their mental health?
When it comes to mental health in general the main issue that arises is the acknowledgment of it in the first place, it is a hard topic to talk about, however it is a topic that needs to be addressed. In our current society we see a big emphasis on prioritizing the physical health, if people feel bad they will go out of their way to make sure they do not feel worse physically where the situation is more direct. But this isn’t the same for peoples mental. There is a lot of stigmas and biases towards people who put their mental health first, for example people who identify as a male are perceived as weak or delicate if they prioritize their mental health, because they should toughen up. There are two reasons I believe we came to this point in general. The first has to deal with cost, prioritizing mental health isn’t cheap, from my experience finding a mental health counselor/therapist is not easy when it comes to my insurance, in addition seeing a therapist out of pocket is a different story, with inflation increasing every year we see that outpatient therapy without insurance is skyrocketing in price overall. The second reason is time, prioritizing your mental health takes a lot of time and patience, you have to be committed to taking care of it, and it is not going to happen overnight, this leaves people very discouraged in general. However these factors should not limit an individual to take care as it is still possible to do so, even if the factors are against you.
The baby steps that add up over time.
When it comes to starting it can be a very overwhelming process, the best thing to do is start with small habits, and gradually progress into a heavier workload when you are able to. The first point I would like to mention is routines. Everyone has their own unique routines and habits, however these shape who we are, if we have a good routine and good habits then we will feel better, if we don’t then we will feel worse. Find what routines and habits make you a better person and stick to them. This is important because consistency is the most important thing that happens when you take care of your mental health, the more you do the better you make your chances. of your mental health improving. Another important thing that helps a lot is journaling, writing your thoughts opens a lot about yourself, and your are more in tune with yourself, the reason is because thoughts fade away, however when we write them done a mental note it creates and ingrains into our brian, when it becomes ingrained into our brain we apply that information to our daily lives.
Growing your confidence.
Confidence is a skill that takes time to develop, however this skill is not exclusive, anyone can have confidence. Some things that can help with your confidence are things like surrounding yourself with the right people, your circle determines your behavior, different energies of different people overlap to you, this can be said about people who are a bad influence. Limiting your negative self talk is another important one, the reason this is important is the fact that when you say something about yourself you tend to believe it most of the time, this is emphasized especially when you talk negative things about yourself, the more you do the more you are conditioned, and you slowly believe it over time. Getting out of your comfort zone is especially vital, because that causes growth and when you are emerged in different situations the ability to adapt increases.
Changing your lifestyle
Working out does wonders to the mind especially mentally, the main factor for this is that you practice mindfulness, when you are in the present moment and not thinking about the past or the future you are more able to control your own destiny. Improving your diet is crucial as well, you are what you eat. If you eat terrible food you will most likely will feel terrible, if you eat food thats good for you chances are you will feel better and have more energy overall. Personal hygiene is also important, same thing applies as mentioned with food, the more you take care of your personal hygiene the better you are going to feel.
Putting yourself as your number one priority.
When you put yourself first, it overall changes you as a human, you tolerate less, and you are more motivated to do what makes you feel good, in addition insecurities slowly diminish overtime the more you put yourself as number one.
Creating short term and long term goals.
In order to move closer to our goals we have to know what we want. Making sound decisions. Remember you are what you do daily.
Quick Reminders
-Learn to say no
-Ask for help when you need it
-Be one with nature
-Stay organized
-Spend time with people who make you happy
