It's no secret that I love everything self-care. I pride myself in the fact that I know exactly what I need to do when life gets to me or I'm in a bad mood or even in a bad mental health space. This knowledge has come over time after having so many times when I felt down or anxious that I had to come up with an emergency kit to get myself out of that space. And while that's really great and helpful it's even better to not even get to a place where you need it.
There is nothing wrong with having a down week etc. but there are ways in which you can look out for yourself and prevent this from happening. Nevertheless, if life gets too much or even when you don't even know why you're upset that's fine, too. Just accept it and let is pass. However here are the ways in which I look out for myself and my mental health as a preventive measure:
1. Talk it out
It always absolutely shocks me when people dont't want to talk about their problems or feelings. I have always been the person to talk out my inner workings with family or a good friend and I always felt better for it. While writing this I read up on the effects of bottling up your emotions and research suggests that it does more bad than good. Not talking about your emotions can lead to feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, anger and even physical symptoms like frequent headaches or stomach pains. Of course there are people in this world who like to deal with everything on their own but I really think it's healthier to talk it out and share your fears and worries with someone. This will also prevent your feelings to burst out of you in form of a mental breakdown someday. Find a person you trust and that is a good listener and just vent to them. For me that's my dad and my closest friends. They don't even need to give you advice, they just have to listen.
2. Digital Detox
I've always been kind of aware of the negative effects social media and the internet in general can have on our mental health but after reading Matt Haigs Notes on a Nervous Planet recently (which I can only reccomend to everyone!) I see it even clearer now. The constant stream of bad news, perfect highlight reels of people we don't even know and our addiction to stay connected and be available at all times is clogging up our minds. I am as addicted to my phone as the next person but when I really thought about how many times I pick up my phone for no reason other than to 'check' or open Instagram just to see 'what's new' it's honestly shocking. So I turned off most of my notifications (why do I need to know that X liked the tweet of Y?) and made a concious effort to not aimlessly scroll through Instagram when I just as well could do literally anything else. I'm also making an effort to not go on to social media after I've done my night time routine and am ready for bed and also not before I've done my morning routine in the mornings. Also: you don't have to answer every text immediately. If it's not an emergency, I can assure you it can wait.
3. Good Food
This doesn't always mean 'healthy' food but real food. Whenever I go through a few days where chips and fast food are life I immediately feel the effects it has on my body and as result on my mind. I start to feel tired and grumpy. Recently I've been making weekly meal plans so that I can map out what I will eat in a week other than standing in front of an empty fridge and eating a frozen pizza just because it's there. Also preparing a nice meal for yourself is a great way to wind down after a hectic day. While I don't like to deprive myself of anything and don't 'watch my figure' in the slightest I like to watch my meat intake and how much fresh veggies I eat. While I'm allergic to half of all fruits (and honestly don't like the other half) I love myself some veggies and since I've been only eating meat 2-3 times a week I feel less tired and more energetic. But I also love cheese and sweets and I will never stop myself from eating anything if I feel like it. But as to anything there is the right balance and eating tasty food makes you happy, that's just a fact.
4. Nature and animals
Something that I always knew meant a lot to me but has become even more precious to me since I can't have it on a daily basis anymore is spending time with animals and in nature. While I can still go into nature every day, I can't cuddle my dog anymore since he passed away and that is something I'm missing everyday. Spending time with animals has such a calming effect on you and it personally always made me feel like everything would be all right in the end. I don't know why that is but I think it's just the knowledge that your pet doesn't care how you look, how you perform at work or how many likes your last Instagram picture got, they just are happy because you're you and you are there. Likewise spending time in nature helps to regain perspective on things and I can't tell you how good you feel after a forest walk (Not in this heat though. Fresh autumn breeze can you hurry up, please?).
5. Checking in with yourself
In our busy lifestyles where we're always on the go with a million things on our mind it's hard not to forget to check in on yourself and listen to what you need. This sounds pretty cliche but your body has a way of telling you what you need. Just taking ten minutes a day to see what is up with you can make a difference. Are you exausted? Make a plan to go to bed earlier. Do you feel kind of lonely? Make some plans with a friend. Do you feel agitated or anxious? Why is that and what can you do about it? It's that easy. Even if you just feel like a night in on the couch, give yourself these few minutes to realize that and act accordingly. Why would you ask your friends how they are doing and not yourself?
xx Laura
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