The everyday hustle to the work, imbalanced work-life and limited ‘me’ time can snowball into chronic stress copping blows to the mental health when left unchecked. A mental problem is a far more a threat to us than any other physical problem for the reason that most of the people do not take it seriously enough. Instead, they resort to easy routes, picking up harmful habits like smoking alcohol consumption or narcotics along the way.
It is estimated that close to 1 billion people around the world live with some kind of mental problems and most of them do not seek professional medical help. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns imposed is not helping the cause too.
So this year’s Mental Health Day 2020 is far more important than any year, given the aggravated cases and this blog we chose to alleviate these problems by offering 5 simple tips. Here the activities you can do to fortify your mental health avoid the mental health blues:
Exercise:
In addition to the myriad ways exercise can help improve the physical health, exercise is a pillar that stands tall to improve the mental health effortlessly. The blood pump and circulation caused by the exercise regimen keep both your mind and body, happy and healthy. It does not have to be a strenuous form of exercise, simple aerobic activities like walking, jogging, swimming are found to improve mood, boost sleep, and enhance sleep, energy levels and mental alertness. So, dedicate 30 minutes every day for these activities to reap benefits.
Healthy Social Interactions:
The COVID-19 has just made us realize how important our social life is, for a healthy life. We, humans, are hardwired to connect, communicate and strive on social relationships we make. Time and again studies have shown that the healthy and satisfying relationship with friends, family and community are key for having a long and healthy life. Given the lockdown scenario, you may not be able to have a regular social life but don’t let that stop you. We advise you to have a healthy social life and you can jump on phone calls and video calls with you family kith and kin to unwind yourself which helps others too.
Meditation & Deep Breathing:
We saved the most important for the last: meditation and deep breathing. Thousands of books have been written since centuries reverberating the importance of meditation for mental health and we still fall short of having a right bout of the meditation. Meditation combined with deep breathing is one of the most efficient ways to combat stress and anxiety to keep your head cool & calm. Regular mediation with deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to head keeping you in a relaxed state ready to get on with everyday life. A simple 10-minute meditation with deep breathing can deliver instant relief from stress and anxiety and we advise at least 10 minutes daily to reap more benefits.
A minimum 8 hr sleep, exercise, meditation and healthy social life can ward off 80% of the mental problems. But the most important takeaway from this article is to consult a month health professional in case you continue to face stress and anxiety even after you adhere to the above activities. It is also our responsibility to spread awareness about the importance of mental health and consultation and on this World Mental Health Day let us take a day to do our but to spread the awareness.