Mental Health Matters: The Importance of Prioritizing Your Well-Being

Many doctors suggest maintaining good mental health is vital to living a happy, fulfilled life. It’s time for us all to start self-caring by making an effort to prioritize our well-being – no matter what stage of life we are at or how overwhelmed we feel. So many experts say showing yourself some TLC today could make an immense difference tomorrow!

The Benefits of Mental Health Care

Mental health care is beneficial for people from all walks of life; it is available to everyone, no matter the budget. Taking care of your mental health can have a positive ripple effect on many different aspects of your life such as:

• Improved relationships with family and friends:

You are far more likely to laugh at a friend’s joke (even if they butchered the punchline)  if you showed up in a good mood at the party. You may even be more likely to get invited to parties when the person doling out the invites knows you’re an easy laugh, “We should ask Jane to come, she laughs at everything, and it’s not fake. I mean, I question her sanity, but I sure do like her.”

• Increased productivity at work or school:

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always preferred scribbled bright red ink in an A+ over  a D-, and a promotion over a “Don’t bother returning and here’s a cardboard box to put your dead plant in.” Extreme examples, I know.

• Increased ability to manage stress more effectively

Stress can be cumulative too, like a domino effect some days, and making sure that the first domino to fall is a relatively peaceful one can really help the rest of those dominos give you a hive-five in gratitude.

• Improved sleep quality:

More energy (yes please!), and the less likely you are to rely on caffeine and its eventual energy crashes, grumpiness, or overstimulated ideas that seem crazy mere hours later, “I think maybe I should cancel that skydiving in subzero weather adventure trip I booked after my third latte.”

• Increased feelings of happiness and contentment:

“I’m so happy that the skydiving company gave me a full refund.”

Other pretty important benefits include but are not limited to: increased self-esteem and self-confidence, as well as reduced feelings of anxiety and depression.

The good news is that prioritizing your mental health doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming, or require you to walk around with holes in your pockets, leaving a trail of hard-earned cash behind you.  Experts suggest a few simple things that you can do each day to look after yourself mentally:

• Take 10 minutes each day for yourself – even if it’s just taking a few deep breaths or reading something uplifting. Even googling, “positive quotes- and not the cheesy ones” in between business meetings at work can help.
• Reach out for help when needed – talk therapy, holistic therapies, yoga classes, etc.
• Make time for activities that bring joy, like swimming, or skydiving.
• Get enough restorative sleep – experts suggest trying for 7–9 hours per night. Just think of all the wild dreams you’ll have to interpret with your friends, “There I was, a fairy with these crazy powers, and I made my house disappear! So, I guess that means…I should definitely move. Either that or I should finally pull the trigger on that loveseat at Macy’s. What do you guys think?”
• Eat healthy foods

With modern science, a lot of “ick” healthy foods have even become yummy too.

• Practice gratitude 

“I’m grateful that I’m grateful!” There, double whammy, one and done. In all seriousness though, once you get on the “I’m grateful for” list mode, there can be some wonderfully simple, everyday moments featured, “I’m grateful for the stranger who opened the door for me at the store when my arms were full.”

Some other ways include but are not limited to: daily exercise- try to aim for 30 minutes daily, speaking kindly to yourself, and connecting with others. -you may want to join a group with similar interests or schedule regular catch-ups with friends and loved ones.

These simple practices can make all the difference in how you feel each day mentally. Try starting small and building up your routine over time as needed. You deserve to look after yourself!

We welcome you to join us for an introductory Voice Over class HERE