Self-Care Ideas for a Healthy Mind
One question I’ve been investigating lately is … how can we use our understanding of how the mind works in order to achieve our goals?
Here’s a couple ways:
CONTINUOUSLY WORK ON YOUR SELF AWARENESS
Many people feel their personality, who they are, what they like, is a fixed thing. And it’s easy to say “well, I’ve always been this way”. And if “this way” is working for you, well that’s great.
However, no one is perfect and we all change and evolve over time through life events. There’s always some battle, some obstacle, some personal problem you’re facing. How do you handle challenges? How do you face the obstacles in your life? Do you let them get the best of you? Do you fly off the handle? Do you have destructive coping methods for your stress, like avoidance, addiction, or self-harm, to name a few?
You don’t have to be perfect, like I said no one is, but it does take time to get to know who you really are, and more importantly, who you want to become. The more you can pinpoint the type of person you want to be and understand how you approach issues and conflict, the more you will be able to discern what behaviors from you are in your own best interest. And the more likely you’ll be to implement them.
What you can do:
- Start a Future Self Journal — this can help you align your thoughts, behaviors, and actions with
- Journaling in general is a great tool (if you’re not sure where to start — try one or even all of these writing prompts to get you going)
- Meditation (Use one of many guided meditation apps for your phone or guided meditation videos on YouTube — there are hundreds if not thousands)
- Volunteer — giving for the sake of giving (and doing something that is not all about you) can help you understand more about yourself, and the version of you that you want to show up as in the world.
- Get resourceful! — Whatever problem you’re facing, there likely was someone who had a similar problem, if not the same exact problem. Read books, listen to podcasts, watch videos, and find information on how others (just like you) solved the problems that they had (just like yours). I think you will find once you’re in “solving” mode, you will get more creative, discern what is working and what is not, and adjust accordingly.
EXERCISE
Most of us are familiar with the physical benefits of exercise: good for blood pressure, weight management, makes you stronger, the list goes on. However, the effects on exercise on the mind have proven to be too great to ignore. As someone with ADHD, I know firsthand that exercises that strengthen the cerebellum help me with my focus and productivity. Here’s just a few brain and mental health benefits of exercise:
- More oxygen to the brain
- Releases hormones good for growth of brain cells
- Promotes brain plasticity and new connections
- Aids in learning and memory
- Higher self-esteem
- Better sleep
- Decreases anxiety
- Make your brain more sensitive to joy
- Helps prevent/delay dementia
What you can do you:
This is one area where I think many of us can stand to get creative to get moving. You don’t need a gym membership or fancy workout equipment. There are hundreds of exercise videos on YouTube, apps for your phone for strength training, yoga, and more. Try to make it fun, and something that you will look forward to doing, like a dance session or just going for a walk. Or if you do want to join a gym or fitness club, try to find introductory deals or promotions like through Groupon. The key is moving your body, in the way that works for you.
The human mind is powerful, and if you know how yours works, how to program it, and treat it right, you can accomplish amazing things.
Once you discover all the ins and outs of your mind, you basically have the cheat code to your game of life. All you have to do is input the data and you have access to extra mental weapons, stronger protection, and new passageways. — Lilly Singh, “How to Be a Bawse”
