Prioritizing Mental Health: 9 Strategies To Help Build an Inward Connection With Yourself
We all know mental health is important, but sometimes we might underestimate the importance of emotional self-care.
Unlike physical health, mental health is often overlooked because it is unseen.
To properly address our mental health, we might need to self-reflect.
This requires us to pull our thoughts and emotions onto the surface to fully examine what we are truly feeling.
Keep reading to learn how to use introspection and mindfulness to prioritize your mental health.
Table of Contents
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health is our emotional, psychological, and social health.
Our mental health is a vehicle for how we perceive the world around us. It affects how we think, feel, and act.
The state of our mental health can influence:
Cognition
Behavior
Personal relationships
Decision-making
Contributions to society
Mood
Achievements
And more
Prioritizing your mental health means taking steps to improve aspects of your life that may be influenced by your mental state. This may be hard for some because, unlike physical health, mental health is internal and unseen. Sometimes we must look inward to address our emotions and state of well-being.
The Importance of Prioritizing Mental Health
Our mental health is essential to our overall well-being.
Poor or deteriorating mental health may cause unseen problems in your life like stress, sadness, anxiousness, and irritation. This can not only affect a person’s mood, but also, their outlook on life, social relationships, and career.
Prioritizing mental health may allow more personal growth and overall happiness in life.
When you are in a positive state of mind, you can enjoy life and seek out new, fun experiences. This may also lead to meeting new people and enriching our connection with ourselves and the world around us.
When you take care of your mental health, you may be building resiliency to hardships.
Having a positive mental state may fortify us from life’s obstacles. When you prioritize your mental health, you may find that it is easier to de-escalate negative emotions like stress, sadness, anger, and anxiousness.
Learn How to Prioritize Mental Health With These 9 Suggestions
Prioritizing mental health may require you to:
Set time aside to “check-in” on your thoughts and feelings
Self-reflect on your thoughts and emotions
Enjoy nature
Perform small, relaxing tasks that take your mind off bigger issues
Utilize the quiet
Prioritize yourself
Enjoy the company of others
Build yourself up
You may be able to use these suggestions to create routines and practices that meet these requirements. Be aware that these suggestions are not a cure-all for mental health conditions. Health is holistic, but many different factors can come into play when prioritizing mental health.
#1: Build a Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness is the practice of fully being aware of how we are feeling, and the world around us, without passing judgment. It can sometimes be a way to calm oneself or collect one’s thoughts enough to look inward and address personal problems or thoughts.
Exercises that you could use to practice mindfulness might be:
Yoga
Meditation
Breathing exercises
Studies have shown that mindful practices like yoga and meditation provide long-term and short-term benefits to mental health.
These practices may provide short-term mental health benefits like:
Relaxation of muscles
Calm breathing
Lower heart rate
Increased body awareness
Long-term mental health benefits from mindful practices might be:
Improvement of executive functions like decision-making
Reduction of the stress hormone cortisol
Yoga and meditation have historically been paired with herbal supplements like teas or tinctures for therapeutic purposes. Silk Tassel is a supplement that may be used to promote relaxation and focus.
Good Bitters is a company that has created an easy way to consume Silk Tassel in the form of candy! So whether you’re in a yoga or meditation class or practicing mindfulness at home – you may enjoy the therapeutic benefits of silk tassel with Kalm Drops.
#2: Journal Daily
Introspection is the practice of self-reflection by asking yourself a series of questions.
Sometimes this kind of thought examination calls for self-expression tangibly. Journaling may help you organize your thoughts and feelings. You might think of it as a way to ‘clean out’ the ‘clutter’ in your mind. A writing technique called free-flow writing might be helpful when journaling to prioritize mental health.
Free-flow writing is a writing technique where you continuously write about anything that comes to mind for a set amount of time.
Set anywhere from 10-20 minutes aside each day to free-flow write or journal. Making a routine to practice self-reflection through journaling could help you address your thoughts and emotions.
#3: Walk in Nature
Ecopsychology is the practice of using nature as a tool for stress relief.
You don’t need to spend most of your time in nature to receive its benefits. Spending just 20 minutes a day in the great outdoors can elicit a multitude of mental health benefits.
Studies have shown that spending time in nature can:
Lower blood pressure
Lower hormones associated with stress
Reduce nervous system arousal
Enhance immune system function
Increase self-esteem
Reduce anxiety
#4: Color
Coloring books are not just for children. Many adults use coloring as a way to unplug and wind down.
For those who have trouble quieting their minds through meditation, coloring could be an easy way to practice mindfulness. Some people find the repetition of coloring to be relaxing and an easy way to disconnect from a racing mind.
A study on the short-term effects of coloring found that coloring immediately provided stress relief and relaxation increased.
#5: Take Advantage of the Quiet
You can take advantage of the quiet by:
Eliminating distractions
Momentarily separating yourself from others
Quieting your mind
Practicing mindfulness
Life gets busy, and sometimes you don’t have a lot of time to prioritize your mental health. The good news is that you don’t have to set a lot of time aside to practice mindfulness or introspection. You don’t even need a single dedicated space.
Sometimes all you need is a quiet place to reorient your mindset and focus on yourself.
Places you might find peace of mind in the quiet could be:
In the car driving to work
In the shower or bath
During exercise
On break at work
While eating alone
#6: Learn To Say “No”
Sometimes you need to set boundaries to remain consistent with a schedule that includes mental health self-care.
So be sure to set time aside for yourself when you need to work on your mental health.
Don’t let the fear of missing out (FOMO) run you socially ragged. Try to prioritize yourself and your needs when you are feeling stressed. Avoid overtaking too many personal favors. Your mental health is important and taking care of it should be a priority.
Steps you might be able to take to prioritize mental health at work may be:
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Be reasonable with deadlines.
Leave your work life at work, when you can.
#7: Improve Social Connections
Humans are social creations. We need social interaction to maintain our mental well-being.
Studies show that isolation and loneliness may have an adverse effect on physical and mental health. A 2006 New Castle study found that loneliness can contribute to raised stress levels and impeded sleep cycles.
Ways you can improve social interactions might be:
Join a club or recreational sports team.
Join a religious organization.
Say “yes” to social outings.
Make a schedule to stay in touch with friends and family.
Join a hobby that has a large community presence.
#8: Transform Your Self-Talk
Your self-image may impact your mental health. The way we communicate our self-image to ourselves the most is through internal dialogue. Negative self-talk can feed into negative emotions, inhibiting motivation and happiness.
Studies have shown negative self-talk may have a worsening impact on feelings of sadness and anxiousness.
You may be able to transform your negative self-talk with an introspective exercise called the Three Cs Method.
The Three Cs Method is:
Catching: Catch negative thoughts as they bubble up. Get into the practice of recognizing negative thought patterns.
Checking: Confront the negative thought and check with yourself to ask, “Why did I think that?”
Changing: Take the negative thought and invert it. Change it to a positive thought.
#9: Utilize Herbs
Enjoying a cup of herbal tea can be an excellent reprieve from the stressors of daily life. It can be a nice little “treat” while you take time to practice introspection or mindfulness.
Herbs can also have a physiological effect on our bodies and mental health. Certain herbs may have calming effects that might be able to relax muscles and soothe minds. Herbs may be consumed in a variety of ways to relax and instill a feeling of oneness with oneself.
Some herbs you could utilize might be:
Chamomile: This herb is widely regarded as a mild tranquilizer and sleep inducer. One study suggests that chamomile also has anti-hypertensive properties. In test subjects, a dose of 200 mg/kg of chamomile was found to significantly lower blood pressure and heart rate.
Ashwagandha: The fruit from this evergreen shrub, found in Asia and Africa, is called ashwagandha and it is known for its relaxing properties. Researchers suggest that it could be a useful tool in combating stress. In a double-blind placebo study, researchers found evidence that suggests that ashwagandha extract may effectively reduce cortisol levels and build resistance to stress over time.
Silk Tassel: This herb, also known as garrya, is native to the high deserts of Southwestern United States and Mexico. While it was first used by settlers as a substitute for quinine, Silk Tassel has also been used as a muscle relaxer. It is said to be a great component to aid meditation and relaxation.
Good Bitters captures the relaxing properties and bitterness of silk tassel in a sweet package. Just place one drop on your tongue and let it melt while meditating to help you recenter and relax.
Recognizing That You May Need to Supplement With Other Measures
Life gets stressful. We forget that not just our bodies need to be maintained, but also our minds.
Prioritizing your mental health may not require one “big life change” like therapy or medication. Routine mindfulness and introspection may be what you need to prioritize your mental health.
Keep in mind that natural remedies sometimes may need to be supplemented with a “big life change” like professional mental help.
Signs you may need more than natural remedies could be:
Thoughts of self-harm
Prolonged feelings of sadness
Major changes in sleep or eating cycles
Auditory or visual hallucinations
Paranoia
You may want to speak to your doctor about extreme or worsening mental health conditions.
Try Silk Tassel Candies by Good Bitters To Help Relax Your Mind
Are you ready to balance your mind and your taste buds?
At Good Bitters, we take well-being seriously. That’s why we’ve designed our products to help you align with yourself for a resilient, balanced, and prolonged life.
Try Kalm Drops or any of our other products to help you look inward and appreciate the sweetness and bitterness of life.
The content in this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Disclaimer:
The information on this website is taken from traditional wisdom and modern research/databases and is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to act as medical advice or to replace medical treatment. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The statements and information on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult a knowledgeable healthcare provider for your individual needs.