Like the food we eat affects our body, the things we experience every day affect our mind. And just like the physical disorders which require specific preventive measures or treatment, mental disorders also require some preventive habits or psychological treatment. Even the most normal emotional thoughts such as sadness, disgrace, grievance, disappointment, envy, etc. continually shape our mental health trigger negativity in our behaviour which snowballs into severe mental disorders like depression and suicidal tendencies.
Preventing negative effects on your mental health is a process which requires your faithfulness and diligence towards positivity-boosting habits. To begin with, here are some essential positive habits to starting inculcating in your routine lives to subdue the effects of negative thoughts:
Maintaining Physical Health:
More than you can believe, your body controls your mind. Your mind, in the end, derives its energy and enthusiasm from the body. Hence, lethargic and unhealthy humans are more prone to develop depressing thoughts than the ones who exercise and eat healthily.
This doesn’t mean you are to go on a hardcore workout and “protein shake” routine. Start simple.
Maybe don’t have deep-fried dinner, and go for a walk the next morning. Which brings me to the next point-
Walking In The Sunlight:
It is actually important that you walk or jog in the morning sunlight as the Vitamin D from the sun helps release chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin and boost our overall mood for the day.
Be it winter or summer (or sunny days during monsoon), going out moves your body enough to wake up the rest of the brain and improves its blood supply.
Being Social:
The thing about anxiety is, it prevents you from doing the exact things which can defeat it, like sleeping, exercising or simply talking to someone.
You can start with your old friends who you would listen to if talking to your parents about personal problems is difficult. You can chat or video call them if you don’t feel like leaving your house for now, but an honest face-to-face is always more satisfying and real than a virtual conversation.
Practising Kindness, Gratitude & Contentment:
If it’s hard to feel good about yourself, feel good for others. Try to help someone out with your skillset.
Focus on small acts of kindness, like feeding a dog or donating to an orphanage if you can, but count them as a kind gesture.
Try to be happy with what you are and stop seeing yourself as someone seeking social approval, no one is born perfect, and all of us are allowed to have our ways of helping the society.
Introspecting Your Desires and Emotions:
Decide on achievable and realistic goals instead of flooding your brain with the calculations of everything you want to accomplish in life first thing in the morning.
Start with the hardest one, or complete a few easy ones if you’re feeling down for the day. The key is to avoid lethargy and piling of work which can cause more anxiety in the future.
Sound & Sufficient Sleep:
If you don’t sleep sufficiently, you’re tired; if you’re tired, you can’t work properly; if you can’t work properly, you’re anxious; if you’re anxious, you can’t get sufficient sleep; it’s a vicious cycle.
Even if you’re unable to sleep for 6 to 8 hours at night, find time to rest during the day. You don’t have to fall asleep, just try to rest your body and brain for a while.
If anxiety is what keeps you up, try listening to white noises, sleeping melodies or take natural sleeping tablets which have proven to help many people sleep.
A well-rested mind is energetic and less prone to making mistakes and having negative thoughts during the day.
People who haven’t experienced severe anxiety may keep telling you that it’s easy, but as someone who has suffered from depression and anxiety for long, I know that it’s not. And more often than not, a professional can guide you through your thoughts and feelings better than anyone else. And if you think your anxiety is escalating into other mental problems and you need to talk to a psychiatrist in California, feel free to reach out to Dr Kulwant Singh anytime you want. Being one of the oldest and the best mental health doctors in California, Dr Kulwant Singh will surely help you conquer your problems and see the better side of yourself.
