The Importance of Self-Care: Your Mental Health Matters

The Importance of Self-Care: Your Mental Health Matters

Taking care of your mental health matters and is a vital way to look after yourself and those around you, and creating sustainable ways to build this into your life can make this process easier. We are all unique, with different mental health challenges, and we will all need to explore the methods that work best for our lifestyles and personal situations. There are, however, many tools that most people will find very effective and finding the ones that work best for you can be life-changing.

There is more discussion about mental health today than ever before, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic brought so many discussions into the light, and recognising the ways you can protect your mental health is a great place to start. Realising that there are many pressures in daily life, often from work or the busy nature of family life, can help you to make changes and build habits that will prevent you from burning out and give you the time you need to rest and recharge.

Why mental health matters

Mental health is crucial to our well-being, especially since we now have a much better understanding of how our mindset can affect our physical health and the impact of trauma and stress on our lives. The World Health Organisation includes mental health as a key area to address, demonstrating that mental health conditions are increasing worldwide and “can have a substantial effect on all areas of life, such as school or work performance, relationships with family and friends and ability to participate in the community” (WHO, 2023).

Since many of us have stressful jobs, financial concerns and a raft of expectations on us, it’s easy to find yourself feeling the pressure. It can be easy to spend your time dreaming of an escape, of a totally different life, but it is much more realistic and practical to find ways to build mental health support into your daily practices and routines.

Self-care practices for mental health

Looking after your mental health matters doesn’t have to be all-consuming, but it does have to be regular and deliberate. You may not be able to take a week off every month to focus on your mental health but if you can dedicate a few minutes each day to self-care practices, you can maintain and care for your mental health in the long term.

Self-care is not just about bubble baths and treats, although these can make you feel good in the short term. Self-care really means finding practices that support your well-being and building them into your days consistently, so that you feel nurtured and supported throughout your life. Small practices can make a big difference when you do them regularly and this commitment can prevent mental health overwhelm and burnout.

The following ideas are tools that are often recommended by experts in mental health management, and you can experiment with them to find the best options for you and your lifestyle.

Gratitude journal.

A gratitude journal may sound a little wacky but it’s a well-researched practice that can help to change your mindset on a daily basis. Seeking out the positives in your life and finding things to be grateful for can turn negative thinking around and give you a more helpful perspective. You can make this work for you in different ways, whether you buy yourself a beautiful notebook and spend five minutes at the beginning or end of each day writing a list of things you are grateful for, or whether you create a board in your house to add thoughts as they occur to you.

Cultivating a mindset of gratitude is an ongoing practice and one you can encourage others in your life to participate in, too. You might find that a conversation around the dinner table about what you are grateful for is a great way to connect with your family each day or ask your children to think of three things they are grateful for each night before they go to sleep. This is a simple but effective tool to help transform your outlook on life, and it’s worth investing your time in making it work for you.

Rest without guilt.

It’s often hard to find time to rest properly if you have a busy life and struggle to take time for yourself, but feeling guilty about taking time out can put extra pressure on you and increase feelings of stress. Rest is vital for your physical and mental well-being and it involves time to do nothing as well as to enjoy your leisure pursuits.

Remind yourself that downtime is essential to protect yourself from burning out, and allow yourself to schedule it and stick to it. Talk to others in your life about supporting you in this and reminding you of how important it is if you find it hard to take this time. You will have heard the old saying, ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’, and this is so true.

Do things you love.

Supporting your mental health involves finding happiness in small things on a regular basis. Taking a long holiday annually will be great for your mental health at the time but will not sustain you all year round so it is vital to find things you can do regularly to keep yourself feeling motivated and interested in life. Write a list of things you’ve always wanted to do and then pick one and get started. Whether it’s salsa dancing, surfing or learning to crochet, focusing on something that makes you feel good will put you into a different mindset and help to lift you when you are feeling low.

Spend time with others.

Spending time with other people is important to maintain your mental health, and building connections with new people is stimulating and gives you variety in your life. Make time to catch up with old friends, schedule friendship dates to nurture yourself and those closest to you and notice how it lifts your mood just to chat over coffee with loved ones. If you need more social interaction, try joining a sports team or a craft group locally and make the most of the opportunities in your community.

Exercise.

Exercise is a fantastic way to support your mental health, as it increases your dopamine levels and boosts endorphins. You don’t have to set big goals such as running a marathon, just getting out in nature for a brisk walk or having a kick about at your local park will pull you into a more positive headspace.

Try enlisting friends to help motivate you and exercise alongside you, join a team to try a new sport or even offer to walk a neighbour’s dog. Walking or swimming can be a great way to begin if you’ve gotten out of the exercise habit as these are gentle forms of exercise that build strength and stamina, so go easy on yourself and enjoy discovering fun, new ways to move.

Eat well.

What you eat can have a huge effect on how you feel, so paying attention to your diet is essential to protect your mental health. A good, balanced diet will include lots of whole food, plenty of colour, and little processed food. Drinking plenty of water and avoiding too much sugar, caffeine and alcohol will help your body to detoxify and this can make a huge difference to your mindset. If you enjoy cooking, making time to try new recipes can be very helpful, giving you a new hobby and a delicious menu at the same time.

Finding the support you need

If you are struggling with feelings of anxiety and depression, it is important to seek help from professionals. Talk to your doctor or make use of a helpline or online service to talk to an expert for support. Making small changes to your daily life can make a huge difference to your mindset over time, but there are many ways to care for your mental health and sometimes medication can help.

Here at Gray’s Pharmacy, we understand that life is not always plain sailing and we can help you to find the best approach for you. Talking to a member of staff may help to identify areas in which you could make positive changes, and clearing up any physical health concerns will help to alleviate your worries, too. Most importantly, we believe in normalising mental health care so that there is no shame or guilt attached to these issues. Talking about mental health with your friends and family and others in your community is a vital step in improving the situation for everyone, so don’t be tempted to try to battle with your mental health alone. Talking about your experiences can help others to feel less isolated, and encourage them to seek support too. Let’s make this a community effort!

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