Top 4 Mental Health Habits Everyone Should Have

You are what you do regularly.

Mental health is an often misunderstood topic:

Many people believe that mental health is predetermined and that your genetics and brain chemistry are often to blame.

Others say it's simply a matter of will, as the "just think positive" approach shows.

But the truth lies somewhere in the middle:

Sanity is largely the result of habit, rather than luck or a single act.

In my work as a psychologist, I have discovered that the most effective strategy for helping patients improve their mental health is to help them develop healthy habits, especially mental habits.

This is not to say that other factors, such as your genetics or social environment, do not contribute – they do! However, the habits we choose to establish and live with are for most of us what we have the most control over.

Here are four unusual behaviors that will boost your mental health and stamina.

1. Examine your own thinking with curiosity.

Metacognition is the ability to recognize and think about one's own mind and how it works, and is an important component of long-term mental health.

Most people act on autopilot, especially when they are experiencing significant emotions:

When you're upset, you attack by saying something caustic, slamming a door, or babbling in your head about how awful someone else is.

You worry so you try to distract yourself with unimportant chores or seek out a friend for comfort.

When you are depressed, you take drinks or food to relieve the pain.

Impulsivity not only leads to wrong decisions, it also prevents us from learning new things about ourselves.

For example, if you always use sarcasm when you're upset, your understanding of what anger is and what it means will be severely limited. An unpleasant feeling that only leads to hurtful words being spoken.

On the other hand, if you make a habit of observing your thoughts and feelings - especially the unpleasant ones - you may begin to take an interest in them.

Self-awareness and progress are not far behind when you learn to be curious about your own thoughts.

For example, if you took a moment to observe and question your anger, you might discover that it is motivated by fear – worry that people won't like you for who you are, fear of being alone, and perhaps even fear of your anger. anger itself. So, anger and all the behavior that comes from it is just a diversion from the real problem, which is your fear and insecurity.

However, you can reach this level of self-awareness only if you stop and examine your own thinking for curiosity.

Press the pause button the next time you experience a strong emotion. Then ask yourself, "What am I thinking right now?"

"There is a gap between stimulus and response... We have the power to choose our response in this area. Our progress and freedom depend on how we respond."

- Viktor Frankl, author of "Man's Search for Meaning"

2. Be kind to yourself when in pain.

When things get tough, being understanding with yourself—approaching your mistakes and pain in a kind and rational way without going overboard—is a solid sign of mental health.

As a psychologist, I've discovered that what almost all my clients have in common is a lack of self-compassion.

Self-compassion, just like a good friend, refers to treating yourself with empathy, balance, and nonjudgment in times of pain or suffering.

Ironically, while most of us are skilled at showing compassion for others, we are terrible at showing compassion for ourselves:

When you make a mistake, you instantly start scolding yourself with negative self-talk and scenarios of doom and gloom.

When you're upset or scared, you quickly judge yourself for being weak and dismiss your discomfort as unimportant.

You compare yourself to others when you are unsure or confused, as if the humiliation would inspire you to sort things out.

In other words, your default reaction to mistakes and pain is to punish yourself. This is most likely the result of a culture that believes the only way to achieve success (and therefore happiness) in life is to be tough on yourself.

But I can't find any evidence that being tough on yourself increases your long-term success or enjoyment. Successful people may have achieved their success not because of a lack of self-compassion, but despite it.

Self-compassion is the antidote to being tough on yourself.

More importantly, self-compassion doesn't mean you're weak or spoiled; rather, it means you evaluate your mistakes and failures objectively:

Self-compassion requires accepting your flaws as they are rather than obsessing over them.

Self-compassion requires remembering that you are more than the sum of your flaws. Very very much.

Self-compassion requires understanding that just because you're sad doesn't mean you're a bad person.

The ability to be kind to yourself is an unrivaled strength.

"The soft beats the hard."

"Slow beats fast."

Lao-tzu is a Chinese philosopher who lived in the 2nd century BC.

3. Be consistent in your actions.

Rigid behavior is a clear indicator of mental illness. On the other hand, resilience is the key to a better, healthier emotional life.

It's an old adage that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time is the definition of insanity.

While most of us don't meet the legal definition of insanity, you're unlikely to remember a time when you were emotionally distressed and observed the same pattern – getting caught trying to do the same old things to feel better but only to feel worse.

Consider the following scenario:

all too much