Improve your mental health

Practice sleep hygiene

It is important for our bodies to be well rested. One way of ensuring this is to get adequate sleep. Some things you can do to practice sleep hygiene are having a night routine, waking up at the same time every day, avoiding caffeine close to bed time, avoiding screens before going to bed. You can read instead of using a screen. It also helps to take a warm shower before going to bed. Another importing thing is to avoid using the bed for work or studying or any activity other than sleeping.

Engage in physical activity

Exercise releases endorphins and also stimulates the release of dopamine. These increase positive feelings and enhance our mood. Exercise is thus an important activity to improve our mental well-being.

Journal

Journaling can help you gain more clarity about your thoughts. You can also maintain a thought record. This can help you identify maladaptive or unhelpful thoughts. Through this you can identify thoughts that maintain or cause negative emotions. Journaling can also make it easier for you to reflect on events and your actions.

Learn to label emotions correctly

Labelling emotions helps us gain a better understanding of what is going on with us and why we may feel or act a certain way. This can also help us modify our actions and can help us communicate our thoughts and feelings more effectively. Once you have labelled your emotions it is also easier for you to experience the emotion in a more non-judgemental way.

Engage in relaxation techniques

Take time to breathe, meditate when you feel anxious or overwhelmed. Regulating our breathing helps the body and mind relax. You can also choose to create a safe space for yourself where you can be when you feel overwhelmed. You can also create and imagine a mental safe space if going to an actual physical safe space is not possible.

Seek help if and when you need to

It is important to reach out whenever you feel the need to. We must realise that there is no shame in seeking professional help.

(The writer is clinical psychologist at Masina Hospital, Mumbai)