10 STEPS TOWARDS MENTAL HEALTH

“Don’t let the storm in your heart overshadow the sunshine of your soul” – C.R. Elliot 

Outshining in the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world is not as complex as it sounds. Interestingly sound mental well-being allows one to make favourable choices as the mind functions well when unfogged and at ease. 

To experience a better world, one has to have a fresh new lens to view it from. The choice to give a chance to life with a new perception is the sum of being mindful of self and our responses towards external events. By being a little more cognizant of one’s actions and behaviour and taking a pause and rephrasing the narrative in mind opens a door for solutions.

It’s been widely accepted by mental health experts globally for the last two decades that we may rewrite our success story by regulating our thoughts, choices and preferences.

By practising simple rituals we not just attain sound mental health but become a source of inspiration for others.

Once focus is being shifted to achieve mental fitness, the brain gets trained to pick solutions.

10 simple rituals that can help one to attain mental freedom are:

1. Tracking your routine and feelings- This allows one to check on their own feelings & energy, it also helps to identify our own productive hours and to keep a check on digital well-being (number of hours spent on social media and other digital content consumed) along with paying heed to time investment.

2. Response to the external environment- Once we pay attention to emotions, it helps us to become aware of our actions and behaviour; how we perceive, absorb and react to events around us.

3. Positive outlook- People who have a positive outlook for everything in life demonstrate better mental health in adversity, they remain motivated and take life with ease.

4. Gratitude- Gratitude is a language of the universe. The more grateful we are for our blessings, the more emotionally stable we are. The attitude of gratitude fills us with self-motivation and positivity.

5. Mindfulness- Becoming mindful is about having a system that keeps us aware of our actions and thinking process. We become more informed of small details and make holistic decisions. It provides more clarity, breaks rigid mindsets, and makes people more flexible and open. 

6. Physical wellness- Listening to your body and paying attention to its well-being by investing 20 to 60 minutes every day at the same time and the same place works wonders.

7. Goal setting, time management & prioritising- 15 minutes each day gives clarity, patience and perseverance 

8. Respect & appreciation- Showing respect to people, health, wealth, job, and environment makes us better people. Appreciating others helps in establishing trust and positive relationships.

9. Recycle happiness- Smiling quite often and becoming warm and approachable is indeed spreading happiness. This brings magic to us. It gives an attitude of being non-judgmental and accepting people, situations and environments around.

10. The art of letting go- Letting go of what is not serving a purpose makes life simpler and easier. However, letting go demands continuous self-reflection. But letting go of the past, whether good or bad, offers a different level of mental freedom.

At the end of the day, we need to decide what kind of life we would want to lead—a life full of complaints, frustrations and worry or a life teeming with compliments, achievements and gratitude!

The writer is Managing Director of Antarmanh Consulting, Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, and member of the American Psychologist Association.