Did you know that 1 in 5 adults in the US experiences mental illness every year? In addition, nearly 10 million Americans face a serious mental health problem that has consequences on at least one aspect of their life?
Not only do we not talk about mental health enough, but we’re often not sure how good mental health looks like.
Let’s go through some of the signs telling us we’re emotionally healthy.
1. Taking care of your body
The mind and body are connected. And so if you take care of your physical health, that will ultimately boost your mental health too.
Emotional wellness includes activities and habits such as working out, sleeping well, eating good food, and living an active lifestyle.
If all of these areas of your life aren’t going well, then your mind will suffer too. Lack of sleep and activity and a bad diet always result in fatigue, bad mood, lack of focus, being in bad shape, inability to manage stress and anxiety, and more.
The good news is you can always take your poor mental health in your hands and turn things around by taking better care of yourself.
Read also: 7 Things The Pandemic Can Teach Us About Mental Health
2. Setting goals
People with good mental health are motivated, they have a direction in life and are doing something every day to move forward.
They set new goals, dream big but at the same time are realistic. They persevere and if one thing doesn’t work, they try again.
3. Knowing how to relax
Quieting your mind and taking a rest every single day is crucial for your overall well-being. Those who are in a good shape, mentally and physically, know how to leave work behind, to clear their mind, and be mindful.
If you don’t believe that things such as meditating, spending some quiet time, and learning to let go are important, then your mental health will be affected negatively soon.
Mindfulness therapy has been proven to be more useful than drugs. Even things like deep breathing exercises can calm your mind and help you deal with the stress and anxiety that come with daily life.
4. Maintaining meaningful relationships
Mental health and the relationship we form in our life are also connected. If you express your feelings, meet new people, listen to others, and never keep things to yourself, then you will have a good social life. If not, that means you don’t have support and might be surrounded by negative people.
To fix that, make sure you don’t hang out with toxic people. Instead, spend time with positive individuals and have fun.
Don’t leave old friendships behind, make time for those who matter, and don’t forget to show them how special they are.
Little things like that make others around you happy, but all this gives you meaning and love which, in turn, keep you healthy.
Read also: Ditch These 7 Bad Relationship Habits to Rebuild Trust and Love
5. Being okay with trying therapy
Emotional wellness is also characterized by being okay with seeking help when necessary. Avoiding any form of therapy when you need it is actually a sign of weakness.
Click here to learn more about therapy.
That’s how good mental health looks like. Before you go blame yourself for not being stronger or those around you for not helping you, make sure you take care of the 5 points we covered.
