If you have mental health issues or want to improve your well-being, protecting mental health should be your top priority. Better mental health is like radiating positive rays, and it can boost the well-being of you and the people around you. 

Life is full of things that can harm your mental health. Sometimes, it is natural to fall victim to helplessness in your fight against the devils of everyday anxiety and stress.

Therefore, it is vital to make mental health care strategies, so you must know what to do to stay sane under all these adversaries. There are pretty easy ways to guard your mental health with apps like Yours App without spending a dime on counselling therapies. 

5 Habits to Protect Your Mental Health

Mental health is as important as physical health, if not more. It is necessary to build habits that can promote a healthy mind. We probably know things we should do to maintain physical health, like plenty of exercise and a balanced diet, but protecting mental health is not that simple.

Below are five practical habits that can work as a shield to protect your mental health. 

1. Getting Plenty of Sleep

One-third of our life is spent sleeping. It is a vital necessity, just like eating, drinking, and breathing. Only a couple of days without sleep can disturb our mental balance and expose us to stress, irritability, and fatigue.

Usually, eight to ten hours of sleep is considered optimal for good mental and physical health. Sleeping is the recovery method for the body to recover from physical, emotional, and psychological fatigue. 

People with mental health issues are often asked to get up and do something to feel better, which is a total misconception. In reality, only a good night’s sleep can mitigate the effects of stress and addresses many physical and mental health issues. 

Make sure to keep your bedroom comfortable and free of distractions. It should be screen-free and if you have difficulty sleeping, read a book rather than scrolling through Facebook. Make a sleep schedule and stick to it no matter what. 

2. Eating Healthy and Staying Physically Active

A healthy body keeps a healthy brain is no secret. If you feed your body with the wrong type of fuel or let your joints rust, physical health will deteriorate along with mental health.

It’s not like you have to maintain a strictly organic diet regime and hit the gym seven days a week. Avoid junk food, cut on saturated fats and sugar, and add something green to your meals. Try to get into the kitchen more often and cook your favourite recipes every chance you get. 

For physical activity, start by going out more often and walking around the block. Sometimes a small walk, a little bit of fresh air, and a change of scenery can have colossal health benefits. 

3. Taking a Break

Life is too fast nowadays. We are constantly bombarded with information and respond to it emotionally while on the go. However, it is convenient to stay updated and keep tabs on your friends and family wherever you go.

It is also overwhelming and causes stress and anxiety of being available constantly. It is necessary to take a break now and then for self-care.

Log out from social media, reduce screen exposure, go into the wilderness, and enjoy solitude. Remember, you have to do the things that make you happy and relax, no matter what those are. 

4. Starting a Hobby

Start a hobby to keep your brain healthy, active, and occupied. If you already have a hobby and don’t feel like keeping up with it, it is time to start a new one. Anything that makes you happy and keeps your hands full is worth doing.

Learning a new instrument, creating a small garden, or writing couplets can be a fantastic creative investment. You can also join a local club or community with similar hobbies to widen your social circle.

Don’t worry if you don’t like being more social, because there are plenty of hobbies that can be done on your own. 

5. Practising Mindfulness

Mindfulness can be a panacea to all your mental health problems. It is a simple way that disconnects you from the autopilot and makes you more aware of the present. It reconnects you with your body, mind, and surroundings.

The evidence suggests that practising mindfulness techniques can help us pay attention to life as it occurs rather than lingering in the past and thinking about the future. There are simple mindfulness exercises that can be practised daily without much difficulty. 

• Breathing Exercise. This is one of the most basic mindfulness exercises. Sit or lie in a comfortable position. Now, focus on every step of breathing. Such as air travelling through the nose or mouth, up and down movement of the chest, and exhaling air out. This will calm your heart and make you more mindful. Try Yours App for breathing exercises. 
• Observe Someone. Remember, this exercise is not to judge someone but to observe someone near you without passing judgments. Observe what that person is wearing, body language, and appearance. Pay attention to the actions. Logic is to be aware of what’s happening in front of you instead of ignoring everything. 
• Slow Down. The aim is to slow down and think about the present. Stop jumping from one thing to another without much attention. 
• Close your eyes and observe. The eyes are sources of distraction because it is not just seeing but a complete mental process. We think about the things we see. This exercise aims at minimising distractions to the eyes. It lets you start connecting with the surroundings by using other senses. 

Final Thoughts

Everything depends upon mental health, and it is vital to take control of protecting your mental health. Several simple habits can guard your mental health and promote well-being. If you ever feel like your mental health is too overwhelmed, download the Yours App and regain your mental peace.