How to Take Better Care of Yourself This Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

It’s important to prioritize your mental health every month, but Mental Health Awareness month is a good reminder to take action in caring for yourself and those around you.

It’s important to be happy, but it’s also important to look after yourself so you can also be kind and generous to others.

Don’t forget about the little things that make you smile every day—your toothbrush and deodorant at home, your favorite snacks at work.

Spend time with people who love you; there is no better support system than family and friends.

Be kind even when it feels like the world doesn’t need kindness any more—be kind even when times are tough so that kindness will be remembered when times are better again.

Start a journaling practice and be as open and honest as you can. Here’s why…

• Journaling can help you process difficult emotions. If you’re feeling angry, sad, anxious, confused or something else that’s overwhelming and confusing, journaling might help. Even if it doesn’t make the feeling go away immediately (and it likely won’t), writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you clarify them into something more recognizable and manageable.
• Journaling helps you express yourself. Sometimes we don’t have a good outlet for our feelings, especially when we feel like people around us have different priorities from ours or don’t share our experiences.
• Journaling allows you to put what’s happening in your life in writing so that others can read it if that feels right for you, but also so that you can read it for yourself whenever you want to revisit a particular moment or experience. It’s all about giving yourself an opportunity to be recognized and validated by someone who shares your perspective—you!
• Journaling will help you feel more in control of your life. When we’re overwhelmed with stressful thoughts and worries, there are often many things we’re thinking about at once without really paying attention to any one thing in particular.
• Journaling gives us an opportunity to slow down and focus on one thought at a time. Getting those thoughts out of our heads and onto paper can also leave us feeling less overwhelmed by them—after all, they now exist outside of ourselves! This transfer of information from the mind to the page is a very concrete way of showing ourselves that we are capable of managing our own lives in spite of whatever troubling emotions or circumstances may be swirling around inside us.

Set a bedtime and stick to it.

It’s time to be honest: What time do you go to sleep at night? When do you wake up in the morning? Does your sleep schedule stay consistent throughout the week?

By setting a regular, consistent bedtime and waking time, we can program our bodies, minds and circadian rhythms towards better health. Plus, all that extra lying around will feel pretty good.

Independent, self-paced therapy.

Apps like Lumosity help you work out your brain and improve memory, while Headspace provides guided meditations to boost your mood and calm anxiety.

Even 15 minutes a day can make a difference over the course of several months. Finally, be open to learning new things about yourself and trying new methods of self-care—you may discover something that changes your life!

Schedule time for yourself every single day.

Start by scheduling self-care time at least once a week and work your way up to scheduling self-care time daily.

Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to mean spending a whole weekend away from home or people—self-care can be simple acts that only take up one block of your calendar each day (or even smaller acts if that’s all you can manage).

Reframe the way you think about limitations.

This is what we want you to know: While we are wholeheartedly devoted to your mental health and well-being, this Mental Health Awareness Month, we’d also like to remind you that no matter how hard things get for you or the people around you, life still goes on and there’s always a silver lining (no matter how small).

Think of all the progress made in any situation—whether battling cancer, fighting addiction or going through an identity crisis—and how much more progress can be made with careful attention and perseverance.

Meditate and take small moments of silence throughout the day.

Regardless of your preferred practice, these tools can be helpful in staying present and feeling more relaxed, concentrated, and focused.

However, if you’re not quite ready to meditate every single day for 20 minutes or longer at once (or even 10 minutes), then don’t fret; there are other ways to incorporate mediation into your life that don’t require such long periods of time:

Create something new every single day.

The same goes for painting, drawing and DIY-ing. Writing is another one of my favorites—I always feel like I’m able to express the feelings I needed to get out on paper and I often find inspiration for my writing from some of those feelings that I write down first thing when I wake up.

By sharing your daily creations with others, you might just inspire someone else along their journey too!

Use your break time wisely.

Take frequent breaks to help you re-energize as you work. While it’s okay to use social media during your break, limit the amount of time you spend on it to keep from feeling overwhelmed by it later on.

Another way to take care of yourself is by taking advantage of technology when the situation calls for it so that you don’t have to deal with an overwhelming problem all on your own.

Don’t be afraid to say no when you need time to rest.

It is also a good idea to say no when it means protecting your mental health and well-being.

This includes saying no to people you love and care about! Everyone will benefit from a little more self-care if it makes you feel better, and that’s absolutely okay.