360 MENTAL HEALTH

By Persa Sanjana Hussain
Your mental health is the measure of your wellbeing — it influences how you think, feel, and behave in your daily life. It also affects your ability to cope with stress, overcome challenges, build relationships besides ensuring your survival during hardships and recovery from life’s setbacks. Whether you’re looking to ensure spiritual buoyancy — to feel more positive and energetic about yourself, there are plenty of ways you can take control of your mental wellbeing, starting today.People who are mentally healthy displays some obvious traits that help them remain positive about life:

• A sense of general contentment.
• An appetite for living and the ability to laugh and have fun.
• The ability to deal with stress and bounce back from difficulty.
• A subconscious sense of meaning and purpose, in both their activities and their relationships.
• Shows flexibility to learn new things and adapt to sudden changes without feeling the need to complain.
• The ability to strike a balance between work and play, rest and activity, etc.
• The ability to build and maintain fulfilling relationships.
• Self-confidence and high self-esteem.

These positive characteristics of mental and emotional health allow you to participate in life to the fullest and live it to the highest extent possible. This, obnviously, is made possible through productive, meaningful activities and by way of maintaining a strong social and familial relationships. These positive characteristics also help you cope better when faced with life’s challenges and stresses.
The fundamental barrier that one faces while trying to achieve mental wellbeing is something you would have already guessed by now: Self-care.
Not only is self-care an essential to fuel your physical and emotional wellbeing but also an efficient tool to amplify your connection with your calling and everything that pushes you to become a better version of yourself. It’s the starting point of happiness and a pathway to a sound mental disposition.
As surprising as it may sound, the importance of incorporating joy, spirit, and relaxation in your life has many implications in developing resiliency (the ability to recover from an illness) and staying healthy. The four C’s to joy, spirit, and relaxation are: connect with yourself, connect with others, connect to your community, and create joy and satisfaction. As you use these four C’s remember to continue trying to push your comfort levels and do things you may not have done before. Other than that here are a few things you need to keep in check:
Make social connection a priority through face-to-face encounters
No matter how much time you devote to improving your mental and emotional health, it is in the company of others that you will feel and be your best. Humans are social creatures with emotional needs for relationships and positive connections to others. We’re not meant to survive, let alone thrive, in isolation. Our social brains crave companionship — even when experience has made us shy and distrustful of others.
Phone calls and social networks have their place, but nothing can beat the stress-busting, mood-boosting power of quality face-to-face time spent with people you love. The key is to interact with someone who is a “good listener”—someone you can regularly talk to in person, who will listen to you without any prejudgment. A good listener will listen to the emotions behind your words, and won’t interrupt, judge, or criticize you.
Reaching out is not a sign of weakness and it won’t mean you’re a burden to others. Most people are flattered if you trust them enough to confide in them.

Staying active is as good for the brain as it is for the body
The mind and the body are intrinsically linked. When you improve your physical health, you’ll automatically experience greater mental and emotional wellbeing. Physical activity also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals that lift your mood and provide added energy. Regular exercise or activity can have a major impact on mental and emotional health problems, relieve stress, improve memory, and help you to sleep better.

Learn how to keep your stress levels in check
Stress takes a heavy toll on mental and emotional health, so it’s important to keep it under control. While not all stressors can be avoided, stress management strategies can help you brings things back into balance.

• Talk to a friendly face.
• Appeal to your senses and find out what works the best to calm you down.
• Make leisure time a priority.
• Make time for contemplation and appreciation.
• Take up a relaxation practice.

While sensory input can relieve stress in the moment, relaxation techniques can help to reduce your overall levels of stress—although they’re likely to take more time to learn effectively.
Eat a brain-healthy diet to support strong mental health
Unless you’ve tried to change your diet in the past, you may not be aware of just how much what you eat—and don’t eat—affects the way you think and feel. An unhealthy diet can take a toll on your brain and mood, disrupt your sleep, sap your energy, and weaken your immune system. Conversely, switching to a wholesome diet, low in sugar and rich in healthy fats, can give you more energy, improve your sleep and mood, and help you to look and feel your best.

Don’t skimp on sleep—it matters more than you think
If you lead a busy life, cutting back on sleep may seem like a smart move. But when it comes to your mental health, getting enough sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. Skipping even a few hours here and there can take a toll on your mood, energy, mental sharpness, and ability to handle stress. And over the long-term, chronic sleep loss can wreak havoc on your health and outlook.
Find purpose and meaning in life
Everyone derives meaning and purpose in different ways that involve doing things that benefit others, as well as yourself. You may think of it as a way to feel needed, feel good about yourself, a purpose that drives you on, or simply a reason to get out of bed in the morning. In biological terms, finding meaning and purpose is essential to brain health as it can help generate new cells and create new neural pathways in the brain. It can also strengthen your immune system, alleviate pain, relieve stress, and keep you motivated to pursue the additional steps to better mental and emotional health. However, if you would like to derive meaning and purpose in life, it’s important to do all that is mentally and physically healthy and uplifting to continue your journey through life with panache.