Our mental health is essential and plays a major role in our overall wellbeing. It affects our thoughts, feelings, decision making, relationships, and how we cope with life. As promised in the five dimensions of wellness to explore post I did recently, I wanted to expand on the topic and give you 10 self-care tips for mental health and wellbeing.

The last few weeks have felt like years. The uncertainties happening across the globe have heightened my anxiety and it has not been easy to cope. But I am hopeful that things will change for the better. As a highly anxious person, I have had to take the time and necessary focus to care for my mental health at this time and I wanted to share some of my recommendations with you.

Here are my 10 Self-Care Tips for mental health and wellbeing:

1. Talk About It

There are many stigmas about mental health that often hold many people back from having conversations. It could be a difficult topic to address because it requires vulnerability. Nonetheless, there should be no shame in having these necessary conversations that allow us to maintain positive overall wellbeing.

By talking about this, we can create space for everyone to seek guidance and deal with things that affect mental wellbeing. So I encourage you to have these conversations with your friends, your loved ones, family, and/or experts in the field.

If there is anything I can tell you from my personal experience, knowing the depths of your vulnerability can enable you to realize the magnitude of your strength.

2. Give yourself grace

Don’t be so hard on yourself. There is a lot going on right now, we are all adjusting to the new normal. It’s important to be patient with yourself. It’s okay not to complete everything on your to-do list, it’s okay that you haven’t been able to get around to a task you set out to complete weeks ago. All of our journeys are unique to us, we don’t all cope with life in the same way.

You too are deserving of the grace you freely extend to everyone else.

3. Start your day by Journaling

How we start our mornings is instrumental. Journalling shifts perspective. Many studies have shown that journaling is helpful to improve mental health.

According to the University Of Rochester Medical Center, journaling can help:

• Manage anxiety

• Reduce stress

• Cope with depression

I have seen the first-hand benefits of journaling. Writing down my thoughts and feelings has brought me so much clarity. It’s a simple step to implement into your daily routine and can be a great benefit to your mental health. You can try this 30 Day Journal to start.

I started by using a gratitude journal. Challenge yourself to write down three things you are grateful for each day. I sometimes share mine on social media using a gratitude journal template I created. If you use this template, tag me on Instagram so I can repost you.

4. Affirmations

Speak positivity into yourself. Validating yourself is powerful. Affirm yourself.

Affirmations are positive statements that help shape our thinking patterns, help us overcome negative self-talk, and break self-sabotaging habits. The things we say to ourselves have a profound effect on our minds, therefore it’s important to be kind and gracious to ourselves.

Think of things you want to manifest in your life and speak into existence then repeat them often.

5. Get Active

Things we do for our physical health can directly benefit our mental health. Especially in a time when most of us are staying in the house all the time and getting minimal movement, a few minutes of moving around can make a huge difference. Physical activity is proven to enhance cognitive function, reduce the risk of depression, and reduce feelings of anxiety.

Personally, this part has been difficult these past few months. The majority of the exercise I’m getting has been my speed walks to the refrigerator but I’ve been participating in challenges these past few weeks that have been holding me accountable.

Make some time for some physical activities during your day. Do workouts online, participate in monthly challenges, or take a walk or run outside while following social distancing guidelines of course.

6. Take a digital detox

Being bombarded with current events and everything happening across the globe is taxing. Sometimes it’s nice to take a little break offline and take time for yourself. It gives you a moment to unplug and get other things done. It doesn’t have to be an insanely long amount of time, just whatever it takes to help you maintain a healthy balance.

7. Meditation

Our thoughts can be so consuming, especially at the time like this. It’s helpful to build the muscle to help navigate negative emotions and feelings. Meditation is a great tool people use to train their minds. A few of the many benefits of Mediation are increased happiness, improvement in memory, and reduction of stress.

A few resources are apps like Headspace or Liberate Meditation and podcasts like The Daily Mediation as well as Balanced Black Girl.

9. Therapy

In an alternate world, therapy would be available to everyone. However, in this world, it’s a privilege that is afforded by a select few. In addition to the costs, there are stigmas that prevent many people from seeking the help they want and/or need.

The benefits of therapy could be life-changing. It can be a great resource to navigate the ebbs and flows of life, heal trauma, manage things that disrupt inner peace, and more. We are each responsible for selecting the ways we care for our wellbeing, thus I would encourage each of you to go against stigmas.

For some resources, check out Talk Space, UCLA Online, this long list of options on All Kinds Of Therapy, and the CDC’s article on mental health resources.

10. Get creative

Creative outlets are known to improve brain function and overall health. Doing something for yourself that doesn’t have any performance metrics attached is freeing and helps calm your mind. Take on a new hobby like painting, coloring, decorating, sewing, photography, or coming up with choreography for your favorite song.

I hope you find these self-care tips for mental health useful as you continue to care for yourself. If you have any other tips that are working for you, lets me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading.