If you are struggling with mental health you are not alone. A third of Americans now struggle with clinical anxiety or depression cited to a Washington Post article, published May 26, 2020.

Here are some tips to help manage your mental health in order to help keep yourself balanced when so many of us are struggling.

  • Participating in individualized specialized therapy or group therapy
    • There are a lot of different therapies available, these are just a few:
      • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
      • Dialectical-behavioral therapy (DBT)
      • Holistic therapy
  • Talk with your doctor about starting a medication regime to help treat your mental health symptoms if they are significantly impacting your daily life. Some medications to consider discussing with your doctor are:
    • SSRIs
    • SNRIs
    • Other medication classifications 
  • Consider starting an exercise routine:
    • Running
    • Hiking and/or Walking
    • Swimming
    • Rock Climbing
    • Yoga and/or Pilates
    • Sports
  • Developing relaxation techniques and dedicating time for relaxation in itself:
    • Meditation
    • Mindfulness
    • Creating Mantras
    • Controlled Breathing
    • Receive Massage Therapy or Aromatherapy
    • Focusing time on your hobby/hobbies
    • Give yourself time for an adequate amount of sleep
  • Modifying your diet accordingly by consulting with a licensed nutritionist:
    • Eat more whole foods and less processed foods
    • Reduce the amount of sugar you consume
  • Getting and maintaining proper support:
    • Maintain healthy positive relationships that add to your life
    • Try to separate and reduce your time with those who add unneeded stress and negativity to your life

Again, these are some tips to help maintain depression and anxiety symptoms that are worth exploring that have the potential in keeping you balanced, which you may find helpful. 

1. Value yourself:

It’s best to be gentle with yourself and give yourself kindness and respect which we all deserve, including yourself. It is important to give time for the things you enjoy like your hobbies for instance. This can also be your favorite project as well. You can even broaden your horizons by continuing or beginning your education if that motivates or inspires you. 

Sometimes even just doing a simple crossword puzzle is enough to be satisfying to help ward off mental health issues. For others, it could be the joys of planting a garden and seeing their seedlings grow. Others may enjoy learning a new art form of dancing by taking lessons. Even learning how to play an instrument can be rewarding as becoming fluent in another language from a country you may be interested in visiting someday.

2. Take care of your body:

Physically taking care of yourself can significantly improve your mental health overall. Some things you can be sure to do can be:

  • Eat healthy and nutritious pact meals
  • Quit tobacco and don’t begin smoking or vaping
  • Keep yourself hydrated with plenty of water
  • To help improve your mood stay active by exercising regularly 
  • Get the recommended amount of sleep

3. Surround yourself with good people:

Those who lack a support network are not generally as healthy as those with a strong family or social connections. Make plans with your supportive family and/or friends. If you happen to not have a supportive family, that’s okay! Go out and make good friends who are supportive, by seeking out activities where you have the opportunity to meet new people.

4. Give yourself:

Helping someone else or helping a cause you believe in can make you feel good and improve your mental health. Volunteering in general is a great way to meet new people! 

5. Learn how to deal with stress:

Stress is an avoidable part of life. Good coping skills come in handy and it’s important to practice. Try One-Minute Stress Strategies, exercise, take a nature walk, or a stroll in the city, take a Tai Chi class, enjoy time playing with your pet, and try journaling or writing in general as a stress reducer. It’s also important to do very simple things like smiling and seeing the humor in life. Laughter can boost your immune system, ease pain, reduce stress, and relax your body according to research.

6. Quiet your mind:

Research shows that meditation can help you feel calmer and enhances the effects of therapy overall. Therefore trying meditation, mindfulness, and even prayer can be very beneficial to your mental health in addition to therapy. These relaxation exercises can help improve your mental help and outlook on your life in a positive way.

mental health

7. Set realistic goals:

Making a list of goals of what you are wanting to achieve on a personal, professional, and academic level is important for your mental health. It will help you be aware, and make the additional steps of determining what needs to be done next in achieving those goals. It’s important to be realistic but also tries to aim high as well, though don’t overburden yourself where it is impossible to achieve everything you plan to accomplish. Once you start reaching your goals you will develop a sense of huge accomplishment and self-worth. Especially as you see yourself grow and progress.

8. Break up the monotony:

A change of pace can liven up a monotonous schedule, even though routines can make us more productive and give us more safety and security. Plan a road trip, take a walk in a different location, hang some different types of pictures on your walls, and experience a new type of cuisine, for example.

Do you need more mental health help? Don’t hesitate to contact our Harmony Recovery Center team today.

9. Avoid alcohol and other drugs:

Even though a lot of people think alcohol for instance isn’t a big deal, you should really try to avoid it like you would with other drugs. It’s easy to use drugs and even alcohol to “self-medicate.” Though in reality it just increases the problem and adds other problems in addition to it, such as mental health issues. This isn’t exclusive to just alcohol but other drugs as well.

10. Get help when you need it:

If you find yourself using drugs or alcohol, knowing when to get help signifies strength, not weakness at all. It’s important to be reminded and know that treatment is effective especially if it’s the right treatment plan specially developed for you in your situation and circumstance. People who get the proper and appropriate care can recover from not only addiction but also from mental illness as well. This will help them live a full and rewarding life that is beneficial for them towards their happiness. 

Get Mental Health Treatment Today 

Harmony Recovery Center wants to help you embark on your journey to your new life of recovery. We have several mental health and addiction therapies available to help you achieve your recovery from your drug and/or alcohol addiction. If you have co-occurring disorders of substance abuse and mental illness we are trained to properly help treat both simultaneously, in order to successfully give the proper support needed for recovery. 
Give us a call at (704) 368-1131 and talk to a representative today to learn about the treatment options we have to offer. If you would rather contact us through email, please visit our website and fill out our form and we will get back to you in a few minutes.