3 Simple Practices to Taking Care of Your Mental Health
It is very common today to know of someone who has struggled or is currently struggling with some degree of depression, anxiety and lack of self-confidence.
More often enough, either the individual is not aware of this illness or never had the courage to talk about it since society perceives this as a sense of individual weakness instead of seeing it as an illness.
It is fair to say that these kinds of illnesses are not treated properly but once there is a chance of a possibility for an open dialogue, people may start to open up and share their feelings and concerns.
It is a brave task for many to completely let go of their ego and open up to others. But it all starts by taking the initial step. Being true to yourself can be contagious, in a way that will inspire others who are also vulnerable to ask for help too.
The problem with these mental conditions, like depression and anxiety, are the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. You feel that you are in a very dark, never ending tunnel. No matter how hard you try to make yourself happy, the darkness just never goes away.
My goal with Erthe Life is to reach out to everyone around the globe who is suffering or know someone suffering from mental illness and say, “there will always be light at the end of the tunnel, your struggles today will only make you stronger tomorrow”.
In today’s blog post, I would like to present to you some practices which has been proven to help anyone experiencing any kind of mental illness:
Meditation
Practicing meditation does not mean you have to be spiritual. It is also not a pathway into any religion either. You don’t have to join any kind of retreat or be a professional yogi before starting your meditation journey. All you need is the time and dedication to practice.
An easy way to start is to find a short-guided meditation from YouTube, sit up in a comfortable position in a quiet spot, close your eyes and start your meditation. Alternatively, some may prefer without any guidance. So just sitting comfortably in a quiet place with your eyes closed, concentrate on your breath through the nose and let any thoughts come and go. If your mind is wandering off too much, bring your awareness back to your breath through the nose again. The key is to be patient and persistent. A good start is to do at least 10 to 15 minutes and then you can slowly increase the length of your meditation.
Mindfulness
We have all experienced some kind of mindfulness without taking too much notice from it. Mindfulness is the awareness of what you’re experiencing in that present moment without any judgement.
Remember that time when you were sitting down at the park watching the sunset and you say to yourself “what a beautiful sunset”? Or the time you were feeling so wonderful and being so content with life while you were all relaxed and sunbathing on the beach? You were mindfully present in that moment. You were nowhere else except in the moment of self-fulfilment.
Mindfulness is a natural ability we all have, but it requires practice. The key ingredient to mindfulness is giving up any thoughts of the past and future by accepting the very present moment. Start embracing life and live mindfully!
Gratitude and Self-Love
There is a misconception that self-love means being selfish or self-centred. Self-love means being kind and gentle to yourself when something bad happens to you in life. At the end of the day, the most important person in your life is actually yourself. Without you, there is no world. By that, I mean how you see this world is through your own consciousness. Without your consciousness in this world, there is no self.
Self-love is embracing who you are by accepting all your strengths and flaws. Turn those negative thoughts that bring yourself down into gratitude and self-love instead. Practicing self-love will teach you how to appreciate yourself more.
I hope this article will guide you to a better pathway to a fulfilling life. And that any mental weakness is normal where we all face at some point in our lives. When things are not going too well, remember to take a time out and find a quiet place to meditate. Focus on the present moment and take long deep breaths into your belly. Be grateful for all you have and be kind to yourself. Speak to a close friend and open up your thoughts or concerns. Because by opening up your thoughts and showing your vulnerability, it will also allow others to do the same.
Please bookmark our page Erthe Life’s Blog for the latest updates, as I am dedicating Erthe Life to bringing more education and awareness to mental health through conscious living with yoga, movement and breath.
