7 Factors That Improved My Mental Health

Let me remind you quickly everybody has to face tomorrow. Facing challenges that come everybody's way. It is no secret, that mental health affects our ability to be productive and to carry on with our everyday lives.

Hence, it must be the number one priority for us to maintain good mental health.

Getting strong and healthy. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually on a good level means to have a healthy mindset and well-being.

This is especially important to battle stress, changes, and disappointments. All of these are part of life. It is our decision how strongly they affect us.

Lowering the impact means finding ways to keep our well-being healthy.

One thing about mental health is, you cannot see it.

A person can be happy, smiling, and laughing, but deep inside, this person might be broken, sad and distraught.

Hence, it is important to be kind and understanding to everyone because we don't know the challenges another person is facing in their life.

1. Family

The most important factor that kept me going and continues to keep me going is my family.

They are immediately by my side whenever I feel like the world is against me.

They are there to comfort me with every downfall and make me feel that the world is not ending just because of a bad day.

It works every single time.

We should always remember that our family will always be there for us. We should not hesitate in being open to them. At the end of the day, they know us more than anyone else. Hence, they are knowledgeable on how to comfort us and make us feel better.

My whole life, I had this special connection with my mom.

Every time I feel defeated, she felt it too and managed to try her best to make me feel better.

For me, family also means the people I grew up with took me in and took care of me.

They are the ones who made sure I grew up healthy and happy.

2. Friends

Whenever I had problems, my friends were literally one call away.

They are the people I lean on and cry with. They are my brothers and sisters from other mothers.

There is nothing a fun get-together and a good laugh can't fix.

When I was in college, there were many stressful days. My friends never failed to take the stress away from my life. Whenever I called or texted them during these moments they were right by my side.

One of the most important things in life is choosing the right friends because not everyone will understand you.

The wrong friends can lead to the deterioration of mental health. They can lead to doubt yourself even more.

3. Love From the Right Person

I'm obviously talking about my boyfriend. Ever since the beginning of our relationship, there have been many struggles in my personal life.

Most struggles occurred when we both entered graduate school.

My boyfriend and I were both always busy and almost had no time to catch up with each other, but in between the busy schedules, he never failed to ask me how my day went and how I'm feeling.

These questions meant a lot to me because, honestly, being in graduate school is so hard.

I needed someone to show me I'm cared for.

During times that I was stressed and tired of everything, despite his busy schedule, he schedules a date or movie night, knowing this would make me feel ten times better.

During graduate school, I was so hungry and grumpy because I had been working on my requirements for the whole day, my boyfriend suddenly visited.

He silently watched me, ordered food for me, and constantly asked me if I need help with anything.

The mere fact that he is there for me during times I'm not even sure of myself anymore says a lot. He has been my rock ever since he came into my life, and I constantly do my best to make him feel he can count on me too.

He is someone who continues to get me through the bumpy road of life, and I will always be thankful.

4. Inner peace

Learn to be calm and you will always be happy. - Paramahansa Yogananda

Inner peace is being able to remain calm and collected despite being surrounded by stressful moments. It also means peace of mind.

It is what it is.

Being at peace means being contented, not overthinking, and not wasting time on things that do not matter.

It is learning to focus our precious energy on people and things that are good for us and forgetting what makes us feel bad about ourselves.

I don't stress myself over things that cannot be changed because I would then only welcome negativity in my life.

I lean on the positive and strive to find my inner peace. Once I have found it find it, I don't let anyone take it away.

5. Freedom

Life is better when you are free to make your own choices. Imagine being controlled by someone who tells you how to live your own life?

Doing what I want will not cause any harm. It is good for my self-growth and wellness.

Growth also entails good mental health because it shows me that we are not stuck in one place; we constantly evolve into who we are meant to be.

I had to find out what I want in life and where I want to end up.

Being constrained by another's ideals would have prevented me from doing so.

6. Honesty

Surrounding myself with people who are honest with me left no room for the negativity brought by lies.

Otherwise, it will only cause unnecessary stress and sadness, which will make it harder to live our lives in peace.

Hence, it is important to choose people who will not cause pain and always remain the truth. No matter the circumstances.

As they say, it's better to be hurt by the truth than to be comforted by lies.

If I had tolerated other people who I know are only causing negativity to my life by lying, it had caused my mental health to deteriorate.

7. Self-Care

Self-care does not equate to being self-centered. It simply means that I prioritize my needs.

Prioritizing what's good for me and caring for myself led to a better balance in my life toward better health and well-being.

There are many ways to practice self-care. It is getting a good night's sleep, bonding with family and friends, eating good food, or simply doing what you love.

To summarize, do what I know will lift my spirit and make me feel better.

An important form of self-care is a healthy lifestyle. Being mindful of how to take care of my body, from choosing the right food to various exercises.

When I chose self-care, I became healthier in a physical, spiritual, and mental way.

This will lead me to accommodate the needs of my loved ones completely.

Our Mental Health Matters

Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It's about how you drive, not where you're going.- Noam Shpancer, PhD

Being patient with myself and being constantly reminded that I am not perfect slowly improved my mental health.

The lessons and challenges I went through led me to a healthier mind and body.

We all have different ways to improve our mental health. No person is identical to another.

Show other people only the good, because this would have a huge impact on their mental health.

I hope we learn to be stronger than the negative forces that surround us. Let us learn to put our mental health on top of our list of priorities and do things that would improve our betterment.

May we all have the courage to instill in our minds and hearts that we will get through and emerge better and stronger.