How to Protect Your Mental Health

Ways to Improve and Protect your Mental Health:

1. Find mental health resources at work and home

2. Prioritize self-care regularly

3. Limit time on social media

4. Meet up with friends and family often

5. Rest and recharge

6. Manage your stress

1. Find mental health resources at work and home

Many companies have psychology benefits included in health care plans in Canada and the US. Employers now allow for Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) that give you direct access to counselling services without shelling out a bunch of money. On average, psychology treatments can be in the $175-$250 range and health plans may only allow you to access these services on an infrequent basis. Other places will offer a sliding scale payment structure to those who can't afford treatments like the Calgary Counselling Centre. 

Personal coaching is another way to help you prioritize the tasks that will help you reach your potential. Sometimes we struggle because we don't know how to make a plan to get to where we need to go. These services can come at a premium but are great for people who strive to be leaders within their organization.

There are a lot of free resources online including the Distress Centre. These resources are available to anyone who is struggling.

2. Prioritize self-care regularly

What does self-care look like for you? It can look like anything from getting a pedicure to playing a round of golf. Enjoying time with others or alone time can also be self-care depending on whether you are an extrovert or introvert, or some variation of both. Other examples can include reading, exercising, listening to music, going to a live show, doing hobbies, watching a movie, or enjoying great food. 

Self-care is a great way to manage your stress, decrease your risk of developing lifestyle diseases, and increase your energy levels.

It also increases your cognitive function, increasing productivity and problem solving. This allows you to handle everyday tasks with ease compared to someone who is always wound up.

3. Limit time on social media

The biggest problem with social media is how it affects our self-esteem. Watching everyone's highlight reel can distort our perception of reality and heightens anxiety. We are more likely to internalize feelings of lonliness and depression. This can lead to disrupted sleep patterns especially when we are doing it late at night just before bed. 

Many platforms now prompt you to stop scrolling when you reach a specific time limit. Use features like this to know when to turn your screen off and move on with the rest of your day. 30-60 minutes a day is a good place to start and slowly decrease it over time.

For students and adults, limiting social media use can result in better in-person interactions and improves mood. 

4. Meet up with friends and family often

Humans are social creatures. Our evolution depended on cooperation with members of our tribe to survive. When we interact with our friends and family, it can help feed our purpose and sense of belonging within a community. Sharing ideas, jokes, and self-reflections can stimulate intellectual growth.

Since the pandemic, many people have struggled to re-integrate with society to the level we once did. We make excuses to bow out of social engagements because we are tired. That's acceptable. When we start declining invites habitually, it can lead to isolation. We still need our social networks to survive, regardless of how easy it is to stay in our sweat pants all day.

5. Rest and recharge

It's important to develop a good sleep hygiene so that we can benefit from recharging our batteries at the end of the day. Sleep improves brain performance, mood and overall sense of wellbeing. Rest makes it possible for the brain to repair itself after a hard day at work, or dealing with crisis. 

Research shows that when our sleep patterns are interrupted, that can result in things like obesity, lifestyle diseases, depression, and anxiety. 

If you want to stay sharp into your golden years and prevent the onset of dementia or other degenerative illnesses, prioritize a good routine for snoozing. Power naps midday can help you keep your tank full if you have engagements later in the day.

6. Manage your stress

There are so many great ways to manage stress that it's surprising that people don't do it often enough, which can lead to burnout. Meditation, exercise, sleep, eating nutritious foods, socializing with others, going outside, and enjoying hobbies can all help to reduce stress levels.

You can't be on high alert day in and day out. Mental health and resilience comes from taking care of your faculties. Don't enact changes after stress impacts your relationships, health, and quality of life. You are worth the effort!

Protecting your mental health is just as important as eating well and exercising

We can't pour from an empty cup. It's vital that we institute routines and rituals into our lives that bring us joy. The ability to decompress after a long day is not optional, in fact it can be life saving. Waiting to change after you've gained weight, hit a plateau with your cognitive abilities, or struggling with sleep is not ideal. It means you have a much longer journey to course correct vs. if you were maintaining your mental health regularly.

The coaches at Rage Fitness Personal Training Studio will seek to inspire you and come up with goals that help you reduce stress so that you can live your best life. Book a free demo session, or call/text us at 1-825-945-7733, or fill out the online contact form today!