What is “healthy living?”
It may simply mean having good physical health to some, having good mental health to others, or, to most people, having a balanced physical and mental health that functions well together.
While these two factors are interdependent, in years gone by, individuals were more in touch with their physical health than their mental health.
The Importance of Mental Health
With the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic in recent years, the importance of focusing on mental health care has been more prominent than ever before. Many studies have reported that individuals have been struggling to cope with anger, irritability, stress, anxiety, depression, grief and bereavement, and varying forms of emotional and mental health conditions during this time.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been provided with support and public health actions for the management of mental health. As we move towards the new normal with the current transition into the endemic stage, it is imperative for people to learn self-help techniques to cope with their mental health.
“Our mental health is something that impacts our eating and sleeping habits and has a lot to do with our physical health as well. It is important to address our mental health needs, or oftentimes we will feel the impact of it in other areas of our health as well.”
— Bisma Anwar
Walking The Fine Line Between a Lifestyle and a Healthy Lifestyle
A lifestyle is defined as the way in which a person lives. This could mean both a healthy and unhealthy lifestyle. Whilst most people want to practice a healthy lifestyle, studies indicate that many individuals still follow an unhealthy lifestyle.
So, what really differentiates having a lifestyle from living a healthy lifestyle?
A healthy lifestyle is defined as a way of living which is adopted and practiced, lowering the risk of being seriously ill or dying prematurely. It is a preventative measure that is adopted as part of a routine that promotes wellbeing, helps one live longer, helps in the management of stress, and boosts self-esteem. and the list goes on.
Mental Health Lifestyles You Should Adopt
Practicing yoga can positively improve your mood, behaviour, and overall mental health. Regular yoga practice contributes to increased concentration, relaxation, and brings a feeling of peace to the mind. This subsequently leads to the ability to manage anxiety and stress. Through the practice of yoga, an individual may improve their psychological health by enhancing their self-gratitude and well-being. It provides mental clarity which helps individuals in achieving a state of mindfulness.
Journaling is a gratitude exercise that is a popular practice which plants the seeds to a happy and positive mental state. The notion of it is to write about things that you are thankful for from the past day, the past few days, or even longer. This makes an individual reflect on their daily life with a sense of positivity. Journaling significantly improves self-esteem and boosts the mental well-being of an individual. While journaling was traditionally done by the pen and paper method, it can now be done digitally. We have gathered a list of mobile phone and web applications that you can utilise to pick up the habit of journaling.
• Gratitude Genie
• Delightful Journal
• Email Notebook
• Notion Gratitude
• Three Things Daily
Talking to a clinical hypnotherapist helps with the development of self-awareness, self-management, and a better understanding of an individual’s social and personal relationships by activating different areas of the brain. Clinical hypnosis is not a mind-control nor a magic trick. It is an altered state of consciousness that a clinical hypnotherapist can induce through the power of suggestion. The therapist may provide recommendations that are mutually agreed upon and discussed in advance. These recommendations are provided to help facilitate lifestyle changes or rewire the brain’s damaging associations. Studies of the brain under hypnosis have shown that hypnotherapy enhances executive functioning, which provides clients with a greater sense of control over their emotional and psychological responses. The techniques of hypnotherapy can reduce symptoms and provide coping skills and emotional resources that help clients deal with challenging situations. Contact us to speak to a clinical hypnotherapist or simply enrol in a range of courses that we offer at LCCH and build a career pathway in clinical hypnotherapy to help others nurture a mental health lifestyle.
Practicing relaxation techniques is a wonderful way to help with stress management. It is a process that decreases the effects of stress and helps you cope with various stress-related health problems such as heart disease, pain, and many more. By practicing relaxation techniques, it can help improve sleep quality, lower feelings of fatigue, reduce anger and frustration, reduce muscle tension and chronic pain, improve concentration, uplift mood, and many more. Types of relaxation techniques include autogenic relaxation which is done using both visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress. Progressive muscle relaxation encourages you to focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing your muscles to enhance your awareness of your physical senses. Finally, the visualisation technique involves forming mental images while incorporating your sense of smell, sight, sound, and touch. The aim of this technique is for you to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation.
Learning how to meditate can improve psychological balance and enhance overall well-being. Through meditation, one can increase calmness and experience physical relaxation. Many studies have been conducted to examine the effectiveness of meditation and it has been proven that through meditation, an individual may ease symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as cope with insomnia.
This article is designed to provide you with some guides on how you can improve or augment actions in your daily life to cultivate a positive mental health lifestyle. While there are many ways to improve your mental health, this article includes some simple yet effective practices which you can start with to improve your lifestyle and boost your mental health.
