Six Ways to Improve Your Mental Health in 2020

2020 has been a trying year for all of us. You might find yourself suddenly lacking the motivation to get out of bed in the morning and perform daily tasks. You may become suddenly frustrated at friends and family after having spent so much time indoors. Maybe you constantly feel anxious or worried for no reason at all.

If you relate to any of those scenarios, you’re not alone. But there’s hope — you can take steps to improve your mental health in 2020 and beyond. Read on for six ways to combat feelings of despair during these difficult times.

Meditation

There are numerous forms of meditation, but they all share a common goal: promoting relaxation and inner peace. According to several studies, meditation has helped individuals sleep better, control their emotions, cope with symptoms commonly associated with mental disorders, and improve cognitive and behavioral functions.

Here are a few more benefits of meditation:

• May help fight addictions

• Lengthens attention span

• Reduces stress

• Controls anxiety

• Enhances self-awareness

Meditation is a fairly simple task and can be done from the comfort of your own living room. It involves sitting in a quiet place for long periods of time, with no sound but your breathing. Tutorials for first-time meditation can be found online, and if you’d like a more formal instruction, paid classes are also available.

Exercise

Regular exercise can be incredibly beneficial to your mental health. Being active releases a steady stream of endorphins and serotonin, natural chemicals known to improve your mood. That’s how regular exercise can reduce feelings of anxiety and help improve other mental health issues.

Like meditation, exercise can also be done from the comfort of your own home using the thousands of workout videos available on the internet. If you’d like, you can also go to the gym or hire a personal trainer.

Sleep

According to statistics by the CDC, one in three U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep.

We live in a busy world, and we might forget our body needs at least seven hours of sleep per day. Sleep is vital for our bodies: When we’re asleep, our brain repairs tissues and generates new ones.

By getting enough sleep every night, we’re promoting mental stability and increasing our energy for the following day.

Giving thanks

Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to show gratitude for the things and people in your life. Gratitude has been shown to drastically improve mental health.

One easy way to give thanks is by writing down the things you’re thankful for each morning. By writing down these thoughts and reading them each morning when you wake up, you’ll find yourself in a more positive mood throughout the day.

Journaling

Often, the events that occur in our lives can be too much to handle. We seek an escape and may retreat into our minds, hoarding thoughts until we explode. This is a very unhealthy way of coping with our daily lives and can cause a sharp decrease in mental stability.

Journaling or writing in a diary is one of the best ways to organize your thoughts. A journal can be a safe place for you to express yourself freely.

Seek professional help

If your mental health has gotten in the way of your daily routine and has been slowly declining, it may be time for you to seek professional help. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking help. In fact, experts recommend it — keeping your thoughts to yourself will only cause a faster decline in mental health.

The most popular form of professional help for mental health-related problems is therapy. Several mental health therapy programs exist for the sole reason of helping you manage and control your mental stability, along with any corresponding symptoms.

Mental health therapy uses various forms of medicine, including psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic therapy, and more. Consult with your therapist to decide which form of therapy is right for you.

Your next step

Mental health is one of the most unacknowledged problems in America. But acknowledgment is just the first step on a path to recovery. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about your situation and begin working toward improving your mental health this year.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes