Hi, I’m Lisa. I love to write about things I love. When I’m not working, You’ll find me reading about books on self-care and mental wellness. I have contributed to many self-care and wellbeing blogs.
Recent times have turned the world upside down. We all were led to a lifestyle which we never thought of. It has stretched us to our maximum limits. It is during this time that we understood how essential it is to be mentally healthy.
Mental health is a term that has been hyped by a large number of individuals. But what do they mean when they say mental health or mental wellness. Let’s try to understand.
What is Mental Wellness?
Mental wellness is a positive state of an individual’s mental wellbeing. Many mistake it for the absence of mental disorders, which of course is not the truth. Being mentally healthy means that your mind is in your best interest.
It takes care of your overall order and functioning. It allows you to think, feel and behave in ways that enhance not only your physical but also emotional and social wellbeing.
What does Mental Wellness do to an Individual?
Mental wellness promotes better regulation of thoughts, emotions and behaviour. It brings you closer to the balance you always wished for.
It enables individuals to tackle the challenges and shortcomings of life and be able to make the best out of each and every moment they experience. It leads life towards positivity, self-assurance and happiness.
Being mentally well helps an individual to explore and realise his/her abilities. It also enhances the coping skills of people which in turn helps them deal with the daily stressors of life.
When all the chaos is sorted, there is more room for productivity. Not only that, a mentally healthy person can even give back to the community in various ways.
Lockdown and its Effects
Mental wellness has enormous benefits, and its importance is especially realised in difficult times. Lockdown has been one such challenging time period for most people. It has been a complete shutdown which led all of us to be confined in four walls.
Research has proved that lockdown has provoked distress in everyone’s lives. The extent of distress has even led to disorders like depression and anxiety. Suicidal ideations have also been observed at a more significant rate during this time.
On one side, it has been the demand of the situation, and on the other, it has affected people in strange ways. Mental fitness has been the need of the hour ever since then.
Of course, it is easier said than done. Being mentally fit is not a one-time thing. It is a lifelong process that one learns with time. However, a general guideline to stay mentally fit will surely help.
How can one stay mentally fit?
Every individual has a different set of practices that help them gain mental fitness in life. Some common ones include:
- Practice being at peace with self
The lockdown brings several restrictions. You are stuck in a particular situation in one place. Your life becomes monotonous. Studying from home and work from home is the new normal.
When everything around you is a mess, it is essential to be at peace with yourself. It is well established that the mind is where one resides most of the time, and the place you are for most of your time should be peaceful. So find your peace, not in others but yourself.
Introspect and explore who you really are. Have an understanding of what makes you happy and practise it frequently. Know more about what is in your control and what is not and then make peace with what you cannot change.
Identify your potentials and abilities and build on them. Identify your weaknesses and work on them. There is room for personal growth, and this is the best time to put it into practice along with self-care.
- Get it out of your system
Staying with people or alone, you are of course going to face something or the other that bothers you. You have no clue as to how long the uncertainty may continue. When that is the case, why make it more difficult for yourself?
Feeling a certain way? Express it. Want to talk to someone, go for it. Unable to clear the clutter of thoughts? Pen it down to get it out. Pay utmost attention to your needs and wants, and try your best to make sure you meet them.
- Set goals and achieve them
Remember that crash course for learning French or the bedroom wall you’ve been wanting to paint for ages? Yes, here we are referring to all the things you’ve been wanting or meaning to do for some time, but haven’t yet gotten round to doing.
Well, now, you have the time to complete all your desired tasks. Make a list of all the things you wished for and accordingly set SMART goals and of course, make sure you consider the current scenario while doing so. It will add on to your productivity and happiness.
- Preach a healthy lifestyle
Just because we are confined to a place doesn’t mean we have to laze around all day. If you do so, it will have adverse effects on your life, and you don’t wish for that for sure.
So make sure you indulge yourself in various physical activities to keep you active throughout the day – starting with sufficient sleep for example.
Having proper meals will give you enough strength to get through the day. It will also increase positivity in your life. Now is also a good time to tackle harmful behaviours and habits, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
“What?! But what can I do for a treat??” I hear you shout. Try doing things that not only make you feel good, but are actually good for you…and for others too. Take a hot bath (and go all out, bubbles, candles and all), read a book, meditate, phone an old friend you haven’t caught up with in ages (it’ll brighten their day as much as yours), write a letter or do something creative – you could try some of these upcycling ideas for example.
- Stay connected
Luckily we all belong to a generation where technology has advanced enough for us to stay close to each other even when we are miles away.
Spend time with your family members and friends. Catch up online or over the phone and do it regularly. They need it as much as you do.
One of the nice things of the world grinding to a halt is that people actually have time, they’re home and you can reach them pretty much anytime – we’re not longer too busy for one another. Make the most of that 🙂
- Ask for help when needed.
Sometimes a situation can get overwhelming and too much to bear. Our own coping skills may not be enough to help us function well, and we might find ourselves struggling to get our chaos sorted. Never forget, this is something that we all go through at some point in life. What we are experiencing in that moment is normal, and we’re not alone in feeling the way we do.
When you get to that point, reach out for help! Connect to a professional as soon as you can. If your body was in pain on a daily basis, you’d go and see a doctor, so don’t delay if you’re hurting on the inside. After all, there is nothing above your mental wellness. It impacts every part and moment of your life, so be sure to take good care of it.
Conclusion
Lockdown is a hard time for everyone. Each one of us has battles to fight. Mental wellness is not a fancy luxury, it’s a necessity, a life essential. Make sure you make your mental health a priority because you matter, and so does your mental wellness. Be well and stay well 🙂
