Why do you need a mental health self care day? As women we wear many hats…wife, mother, employee, homemaker, meal cooker, and on and on it goes. We give and give to others and tend to put our own mental and physical health last.
Sometimes we forget that we are only one person. We will not be able to solve all of the worlds problems today. Yet, often we feel the burden, the weight, of all the things around us that we want to fix, or that need done, that it seems like only you are equipped to handle. I find this especially true when it comes to our families.
The problem is that sometimes you need to stop to refill your own engine or you are going to run out of gas, and then you will be no help to anyone. Below is a list of 10 Self Care ideas for mental health. Ways you can fill up your tank so that you are able to go on giving to others.
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- 1. Put down your phone, turn off the TV, close your lap top. In short disconnect from anything electronic. The point of this day is to bask in the healing that comes from quiet. From disconnecting from all the noise all around us all of the time. It’s a day to ignore the disturbing images on the news, the opinions and politics on social media, and make room for your own thoughts. To hear yourself.
- 2. Now that you are connecting to yourself again grab a journal/notebook and pen. Begin to write out these thoughts on paper. This is affectionately known as a “brain dump.” It doesn’t have to make sense. It doesn’t have to be in order. All that matters is that you are taking all of these thoughts that are jumping around in your head and putting them on paper. You are releasing them, letting go. Do this for as long as it takes for you to begin to recognize that quiet and calm have taken over where the noise had been.
- 3. Create a Vision Board. Here you are, listening to your own thoughts, more at peace than you have been in quite some time. This is the perfect time to create a vision board. What are some goals you want to set for yourself? What is something you want to achieve within the next six months? Do you want to plant a garden, sew a quilt, go on a really long hike, start a new job, lose weight? Whatever it is, make a plan and lay it out visually for yourself. You can add inspirational photos, quotes, anything that inspires you. Seeing this vision board every day will help you to stay on track. To remember what your goals are so that you are more likely to stick to the plan for whatever it is you are working towards. It brings clarity.
- 4. Write a list of things you like about yourself. Be generous. This may be a difficult one for you if you are not use to positive self talk. What we tell ourselves about ourselves is hugely impactful in our lives. Your mind will begin to believe whatever it is that you tell it. So tell it good things about you. After you have written the list say the things you have written out loud and with confidence. I recommend keeping the list somewhere where you will see it every day and repeating this daily.
- 5. Just as you wrote down the list of things you like about yourself, write down a list of affirmations that specifically address issues you may be dealing with internally. For example, if you self-conscious about the way you look, write down affirmations like ‘I am beautiful from the inside out.’ If you feel like you are not being heard when you contribute at work your affirmations may sound something like ‘my opinions are valuable’ and ‘I am an intelligent woman with valuable input.’ One of my favorite affirmations that I say daily to myself is ‘I can do hard things.’ It immediately makes me feel more in control. Not only are these affirmations going to give you a sense of calm and confidence, they are also going to create positive energy around you that helps steer your life in the direction of the things you feel strongly about.
- 6. Let go any anger or unforgiveness you are feeling…towards yourself or others. I sometimes think it’s harder to forgive ourselves for our mistakes than it is to forgive other people. We hold ourselves to a higher standard than we hold others. Often something in our past that we have not made peace with stays in the back of our mind, unsettled. A weight we bear that most of the time we don’t even realize we are carrying around. Pull out your journal again and write it down. Purge it onto paper and then after your take the time to recognize it, and reflect on it, let it go. Tear up the paper and throw it away. It’s no longer part of your life. It has no control over you.
- 7. Read a good book or listen to an uplifting podcast. The older I get the more I gravitate towards things that make me feel good. Once I would have chosen to read a good suspense or crime novel. Now I find myself drawn to classics with happy endings. After all the real world is dark enough. Read something that makes you smile. Something that makes you laugh. Listen to something that builds you up or makes you a better person.
- 8. Declutter your space. An article on MI Blues Perspectives says the following “The science of decluttering shows it can improve focus, reduce anxiety and help deter procrastination. ‘Existing in a cluttered environment taxes our brains because the cluttering objects compete for our attention,’ according to Dr. Scott Bea, a clinical psychologist.” (1) Cleaning out a space in your home that you use every day but is constantly cluttered is a lot like the brain dump we did in our journal earlier. It restores a sense of peace and calm. So do a little cleaning, a little organizing, and maybe even a little redecorating. You will gain a sense of fulfillment along with a nice place to spend your time.
- 9. Connect with a friend. We all have those old friendships that get pushed aside as we are in the frenzy of raising our children, working full time jobs, and all the life things. We still treasure the friendship but it takes a back seat to all of the other things that we’ve got going on. Whether it’s a coffee date or just a telephone call reconnect with that person. Catch up on where you both are in life now. I remember when I was younger I once heard someone say that people with friends live longer and it stuck with me.
- 10. Spend some time outside in nature. Nature is healing. We are part of the natural world and we belong in it. Our sterile buildings may keep us dry and warm, but they don’t heal the way the green of the trees, or the blue of the sky, or the song of the birds do. So on your mental health self care day take a hike, or kayak a pond, or just water the flowers. Breathe in the fresh air. Listen to the sounds of nature. Get your hands dirty. You will be healthier for having done it.
- 11. Make a concentrated effort to be kind to everyone you meet. It is so easy in our world to lash out at others whether in impatience or anger, Allowing ourselves to do this doesn’t accomplish anything positive. When have you ever gotten irritated with someone and lashed out and then thought, wow I feel pretty good about myself now? What the world needs is more kindness and understanding. How does this help you to be more mentally healthy? Because there is the basic principle of reaping what you sow in every area of life. If you sow goodness and kindness, then goodness and kindness will be returned to you. Not only that, but when we do something kind for others we get a rush of warm fuzzy feelings.
I hope that you find these self-care ideas for mental health helpful. Try incorporating them into your daily life here and there and you will notice that you begin to feel better, and look at the world through a more positive lens. Like in everything in life, small steps can lead to a big change, or shift, in the direction of ones life. I wish you all mental health and happiness.
“Above all be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” -Nora Ephron
1.https://www.mibluesperspectives.com/2021/09/08/the-science-behind-decluttering/#:~:text=The%20science%20of%20decluttering%20shows,Scott%20Bea%2C%20a%20clinical%20psychologist. MIBluesPerspectives.com
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