What are some routines or practices that you follow daily to sustain mental health?
Tanoy Chowdhury
60 replies
I have been thinking about this for a while. Pandemic, remote working, deadlines, with so much going on, do you find it challenging to cope with the mental stress?
How do you manage it? Are there some ideas that are effective for maintaining mental health?
If you're someone battling with mental health, feel free to share your experience in the comments section.
Replies
![Joanna Radecka](https://ph-avatars.imgix.net/3645233/original.jpeg?auto=compress&codec=mozjpeg&cs=strip&auto=format&w=36&h=36&fit=crop)
Joanna Radecka@joanna_radecka
Reading, meditating and exercising (yoga and swimming works best for you, it really does calm my mind!).
Also, seeing a therapist is not a bad idea if you are feeling really overwhelmed by your daily responsibilities and things happening around you.
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@joanna_radecka Thank you, Joanna. I wish you all the best too
@joanna_radecka That's a very healthy lifestyle you're following there, Joanna. Right now, I'm trying to fix my mental health based on the suggestions shared by others here. If it gets too overwhelming, like you said, I will consult a therapist. Thanks for commenting.
Physical exercise (yoga, pilates, jogging, gym).
@lior_galante_cohen Yes, shedding some sweat is great for your body and mind.
Drink coffee, it is nice a way to have a frequent breaks.
@fabian_maume Ah, good ol coffee. It works every time. I can relate to this.
Saving at least 5 minutes a day of complete silence: no music, no TV, no music, no phone, no company... Just you without any exterior distractions.
@miriam_barchilon_elbaz Zoning out is great for shrugging off work responsibilities, and online social interactions. Connecting with yourself even for 5 minutes can have a considerable impact on one's mental health. Great suggestion, Miriam.
@miriam_barchilon_elbaz from your experience, when is the best moment during the day to do it?
@ph_hersen I tend to do this after I am done with my work day and before I continue with my evening. I find it to be a good way to from my professional to my private life.
@miriam_barchilon_elbaz that's an excellent idea, especially when most of us are frequently overstimulated (speaking from my experience). Def gonna try it!
Exercise and gaming :) Body and Mind
@maxwellcdavis Yup, great combination. Hitting PRs and crushing high scores both have their own advantages. Thanks for commenting, Maxwell.
Music, Coffee, and an evening walk after work help me a lot to be settled down for a period of time from deadlines, the latest pandemic news, home issues, and obviously whole workday mental exhaustion.
For me, in these mentally stressful times I resort to lessons of emotional intelligence especially from the Bible perspective. It has continued to work wonders for me. Suicidal thoughts, high-level depression, information overload, etc. are enough to drive one bonkers but for EI and EQ.
@uchenna_duru Finding solace in religious books is recommended by many elders and people who have read them before. I have often thought about picking up Bhagavad Gita, and making it a habit of reading a few pages every day, but I have been unsuccessful so far. Your answer has given me new hope. Thank you for writing Uchenna.
@tanoy27 Thanks for your comments. Indeed, many are in the same shoes today, not having the slightest idea about the emotionally soothing lessons of the Bible.
For example, the book of Proverbs 4:23 says, "guard your heart with all diligence as out of it are the issues (good or bad (sic)) of life." So in this scripture you, nobody else, can own and control your flow of emotions.
Again, Philipians 4:8 says, "...whatever is pure, whatever is of good report, ...if there's any virtue in it...think on them regularly." We cannot say enough on these.
Then, finally, Proverbs 23:7 says, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Here, we can deduce that if you desire good life, do your best to think only good thoughts, etc.
All the references above are from KJV.
Best,
Uchenna.
physical exercise - recently joined orange theory and it's been amazing
Meditation mainly, but sometimes watching cringe shows to unplug
@priyanka_ram Meditation and cringe shows, WOW! That's quite a combination. I'm curious to know what cringe shows do you watch normally? I think they will be great for stress-busting. Maybe I can pick up a few shows from your list. Thanks for contributing to this thread, Priyanka.
@priyanka_ram Ok, noted. I will check it out.
Long walks without the phone and earphones :P
@vaio_0819 Long walks are refreshing. Best way to declutter your mind. I usually go for long walks with earphones plugged-in. But, I think I should try to go without them. Good way to practice digital detox. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Vaibhavi.
I walk my dog twice a day. It also helps me maintain my physical health. I know it may not be suitable for all, but having a pet (any) brings a lot of good emotions.
@amirali_nurmagomedov Certainly! Pets can be a blessing for mental heath stability. A walk with them is great for strengthening the connection with them, and maintain physical health too. Thanks for commenting, Amirali.
@amirali_nurmagomedov I visit my mom because she has lots of Maine coon cats :) That's a great stress relief!
Meditation, reading and turning all notifications off on my phone (game changer!)
@hugh_dawkins Indeed Hugh. That's a great trio for disconnecting from work and spending time with yourself. Thanks for writing, Hugh.
I ask myself questions about my goals and daily plans, then reflect on the outcomes of the day, and always end with the practice of gratitude.
Questions for things I focus on to achieve my goals:
-What am I trying to achieve?
-What makes me happy?
-What’s important to me?
Questions for things I should ignore to achieve my goals:
-What am I willing NOT to achieve?
-What makes me unhappy?
-What’s NOT important and gets in the way?
These two are long-term, my map for each day - I review my answers each morning along with my plans.
I also start each morning by questioning myself:
What’s the plan for today?
Where will I spend my time?
How will it further my focus?
How might I get distracted?
That helps me find the courage to follow through, make choices, and maybe disappoint a few people today.
In the evening, I summarize the day, recall it hour by hour, and reflect on lessons learned from it:
How did the day go?
What worked?
What didn’t?
What do you want to do the same—or differently—tomorrow?
But, most importantly, I focus on the positive aspects of my day as well:
What experiences, however mundane, gave me pleasure?
What praise and feedback did I receive?
What were the moments of pure good fortune?
What made me feel grateful?
How did I express kindness?
Oh, and I also use our affirmation app - Able. Launched on Product Hunt just today, so hope to get some feedback from the community 😊
@maria_batryn This is so good! The questions, goals and plans, all of these make a lot of sense. I have not tried this, but after reading your answer I think it is worth trying out. I have not checked Able yet, but I will go ahead and do that. Thanks for commenting, Maria.
Stay physically healthy. You know, basic things like get good sleep, eat well, and exercise. Other than that, I just make sure to have some downtime every week to recharge, that's all.
@styletrendsnews Nice, I think everyone deserves a downtime every week. What do you usually do during the downtime? Anything specific? Thanks for writing though.
Less noise, Getting things more organize.
Small habits for workout & have enough healthy food/drink
@fajarsiddiq Superb! Keeping things organized definitely cuts the chaos out of life. Great combination you have built there. Thanks for commenting, Fajar.
Drink water. Workout. Take long walk.
@tszhoi_19 Yeah, following all the above three religiously does give great benefits in the long run. Thanks for sharing your views here, Lee.
Btw, I used Jupitrr and it's amazing. Good luck. You're doing a great job.
Hey Tanoy,
Recently, I've added 2 sections to my diary:
What are the results of the actions I took yesterday?
What was a success yesterday?
@anna_voronina148 Hey Anna, that sounds great. I think maintaining a diary is perfect for keeping track of tasks and self-affirmation too. Thanks for commenting
1. Walk around the block
2. Meditate for 5 minutes
3. Journal
Started doing this every morning (tracking w/ my product heyitsharold.com) and I love it. It's super easy and manageable and helps prevent me from going into "checking mode" right away (where I'm stuck in a loop between checking email, twitter, analytics, etc. and not actually getting any work done)
@kyleighsmith Meditation and walking are turning out to be very popular ideas for maintaining mental health. Journaling is something that I have to try. I will make sure I check out heyitsharold. It sounds fun. Thanks for sharing your ideas, Kyleigh.
Daily running followed by meditation always gets me into a good place.
@roamingship I have been planning to start running for some time now. Do you have any tips for beginners to start running? Thanks for sharing your views, Shay
@roamingship Thanks Shay. Yes, getting started is the key. Taking incremental steps will be helpful. I will try to follow your advice, and see how far I go.