The habits for our mindset, whether positive or negative, have a domino effect on our health and all other aspects of our lives.
If we’re in a positive frame of mind, our physical health, emotions and actions will follow in a positive way. A negative mental state will lead to unhealthy and potentially harmful consequences on our physical health, emotions and actions.
The health of our mindset also influences how we treat others and how they treat us.
Taking care of what’s on the inside, especially where our thoughts and ideas are formed, is key to improving our overall wellness. In turn, our relationships and experiences will also benefit. Forming healthy mindset habits is a win for ourselves as well as those around us we greatly care about.
What are some winning mental health habits?
Sleep is not overrated. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults ages 26-64 need a range of 6-9 hours in order to give our bodies adequate rest. It’s hard to keep a healthy mindset when we’re not even mentally alert.
Good sleep habits come by continuing to adjust times and sleep environments until you find what works best for you. You essentially compare a good night’s rest to a restless night and keep what works. This may include things like darkening a room, using a sound machine, adjusting the temperature and investing in a quality mattress and pillows.
Getting enough rest is a way to see instant improvement for a healthy mindset.
A creative outlet engages your mind and is a great way to produce positive mental energy with something we enjoy doing.
You don’t have to consider yourself crafty or an artist to be creative. Anything from growing a small garden to a working on a crossword puzzle can be a creative outlet. Usually when we’re engaged in a creative outlet, we lose track of time or it goes by too fast. That’s a sign of being interested and keeping our minds productively occupied.
What is something you enjoy doing outside of the normal day to day routine? Make time for that activity more often give your mindset a boost!
3. Smiles files
We all have a card, picture, favorite saying, meme or quote that makes us smile.
Several years ago, we had a vacation mishap that involved a car carrier and a less than ideal parking deck situation. What seemed like a crisis at the time turned into uncontrollable laughter. I snapped a picture and it never fails to bring a smile to my face even though it’s now been years and we’ve added many more vacation mishap memories since.
What would you put into your virtual or physical smiles files? Creating this collection will provide comic relief when you need it the most. Laughter really can be the best kind of medicine!
On a day when everything seems to go wrong, our minds become full of negativity and doubt. These files provide a way to reroute those feelings into a healthier mindset.
These days people are more connected than ever but have never felt so alone. Social media makes it easy to follow along in each other’s lives, but it’s not genuine connections. In fact, it could make us feel less than adequate when in reality we’re not really getting a true picture.
When we can really connect with others is face to face, over a cup of coffee with a close friend or a trusted counselor. People need people, even the introverts.
Positive relationships with people we care about lead to us feel loved, heard and understood. These feelings are much needed for a healthy mindset.
5. Learn a new skill
Learning a new skill has never been easier or more accessible. Most of us carry a personalized tutorial to anything you can imagine on the phones in our pockets.
This allows us to step outside of our comfort zones in a way that’s safe and fun based on our personal interests.
Learning something new doesn’t have to mean pursuing a degree, but it is a way of giving our minds a challenge. It helps is to think and see things in a different way, and to keep a mindset of growth.
6. Get outdoors
Vitamin D aids in releasing serotonin, which helps our immune system and brain function. We can get that naturally by getting outside as much as possible.
Getting outdoors gives us fresh air and new surroundings that can help ease mental stress. It also provides a way to increase our physical activity and give both our bodies and minds an energy boost.
When you feel depleted and like you have nothing else to offer, gather up what little energy you have and offer a smile.
Give a word of encouragement or a few minutes of your time to help someone out. Volunteering your time or random acts of kindness often do much more for the giver than the receiver.
Giving has a boomerang effect of positive mental energy.
8. Purpose project
The best retreat for a healthy mindset is to channel it into a purpose project.
When purpose and passion intersect, our mind and actions follow. People often search for happiness when what they really need is purpose. Pursuing interests and meaningful activities can improve our mindset, self-worth and happiness.
It’s just about impossible to keep a negative mindset while petting a furry friend. They seem to know more about us than we know ourselves. Pets provide a type of therapy that’s sincere and offered in abundance.
If it’s not possible to bring a furry friend into your home, even setting up a small fish aquarium can provide a form of mental relief. Pets are interesting, entertaining and provide a great way to boost our mindset for the better.
10. Engage the senses
Ever wonder why troubles seem to temporarily go away when we’re on vacation? It’s not that our troubles disappear, but we take in new sights, sounds, smells and experiences, which allows our minds to take a break.
This doesn’t have to be something that’s reserved for vacation. The same can happen in familiar surroundings if we pause to engage the senses and just slow down in the moment.
The human mind is amazing. We can monitor and adjust how we feel, what we think and choices we make. When we take care of our mindset, we learn how to control our emotions and positively impact our path in life.
These winning habits have a positive impact that make the efforts worthwhile.
Many thanks to Ray of Hope Counseling Services in Georgia for sponsoring this post and offering a range of therapy and services that help people with all backgrounds and experiences improve their mental health.
Ray of Hope Counseling seeks to “help, heal, and strengthen people to overcome life changes and challenges.” They have seven convenient locations in Georgia.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, you can call or contact them.