Mental health often gets neglected. A lot of times, we don’t even realize our mental health is suffering. The reason is that we use our brains to conceptualize our world. We naturally can’t see our own issues from the perspective of an unhealthy mental state. We can’t seem them until we grow out of them. We look back and say, “Wow! I can’t believe I used to think that way!”
So, how do we measure our current mental health?
We can’t simply base it on happiness. I know a lot of happy yet mentally unhealthy people.
We can’t base it on success because success in one area doesn’t necessarily mean another, more important area isn’t being neglected.
So what is it? How can we judge our own mental health?
I think we need to emulate the actions of mentally healthy people. We need to look at our actions and results… a practice at the core of Define My Day and make positive adjustments.
There are basic actions that healthy people do every day to maintain or improve their mental health.
Here are five things you should be doing every day to optimize your mental health:
1. Sleep well. Sleep changes everything. Without a good night’s sleep, you’re making everything harder. If you aren’t sleeping well, fix that ASAP.
2. Diet. Garbage in, garbage out… We can’t expect to put subpar food in our bodies and get optimal results. From energy to clear headedness, good food helps your mental health.
3. Exercise. Exercise has been shown to improve cognition, energy levels, and assist in overcoming depression.
4. Reading. I don’t think anything has helped me more, other than Define My Day. Reading helps us be mindful, develop focus, and learn new ways of thinking. All of this equals brain growth.
5. Meditation. Speaking of mindfulness… meditation has been shown to actually grow your brain in as little as two weeks. Similar to physical exercise, the harder you find it to meditate, the more you may need to do it.
So that’s it! My big five for mental health. Surprised Define My Day isn’t on this list? LOL… me too. But I look at Define My Day as a tool to be more mindful and help me do these things.
If I were to add a sixth action to take, it would be to be intentional about your time. Take stock each day and be sure that you invest your time and energy in what is best for you. When you do that, you will make meaningful progress in whatever you choose to do. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time… and that has a huge negative impact on your mental state.
Keep moving forward,
Nick
