Self Care in Mental Health - Part 2

As promised in my last blog, here are some more tips to incorporate self care into your daily routine. Previously, I wrote about how physical activity, spiritual activity, relaxation and balanced sleep can all play an important role in your mental health. There are some other ways too!

5. Journaling- For you writers out there, journaling is a wonderful way to write out things you may be internalizing or do not have the words to verbalize. Journaling allows you the opportunity to write down the thoughts in your head to give a visual representation as to how you may be feeling. Journaling also provides a way to track your mental health. By being completely transparent when writing, journaling can help you see if you are having consistent thoughts that might be harmful to you or someone else. 

6. Healthy Eating- You know the saying "You are what you eat!"? Well, this is certainly true when it comes to eating for your mental health. A balanced food plan should include fruits, vegetables and lean meats. When we eat foods full of vitamins and nutrients, our body has the fuel it needs in order to function at its best. Although having the occasional sweet tooth is perfectly fine, be mindful that items with refined sugar can cause more harm than good. It has been found that sugar triggers a certain part of our brain that can make it more addictive than cocaine. So the next time you are craving something sweet, try dark chocolate, as it has been found to increase the endorphins in your brain!

7. Reduce Stress- Stress causes our heart rate to increase, appetite to increase or suppress, decrease in sleep, and relationships to suffer, just to name a few. One of the best ways to reduce stress is to manage your time and to stay organized. Procrastination can lead us to be stressed out over a situation we more than likely had plenty of time to handle had we prioritized our schedule better. One great tip is to make a to-do list every day, and write what you can do today versus tomorrow versus next week. Organizing your environment can also reduce stress. You are more likely to be overwhelmed and stressed out if your home, car and work space look like a tornado went through it! Take some time to organize your space which will help with stress and make things easier to find!

I hope these 7 tips will help as you find ways to take care of yourselves. We do so much for other people, but we have to remember to make ourselves a priority!

Continuing to break the stigma,

Elise Banks
Miss International 2015