January is the month in which we reflect the most on how we can improve our well-being and our health in general. So it’s the perfect opportunity to rethink our mental health, slow down and start giving importance to what’s good for us.
This is the main reason for the White January campaign at the beginning of the year. With the theme “Life Calls for Balance”, in 2023 mental health professionals will draw attention to the importance of society and government officials creating a culture of caring for the mind.
According to the expert, a lot of human suffering, with or without mental disorders, could be prevented or better managed if people learned really simple strategies to take care of their mental health.
For this reason, the psychologist has detailed five tips for those who want to start the year paying attention to their feelings:
1 – Hobbies:
It is important to have hobbies in addition to healing practices. For example, if you like to walk, go for a walk. If you love swimming, try taking a swimming lesson. It can also be a pathway to some fun activity. “The important thing is to do an activity that makes you have a moment of peace with yourself,”
2 – Strive for a Balanced Life:
“Try to have a balanced life with exercise, relaxation time and good leisure time. Do activities that promote well-being and happiness, as well as a sense of belonging to the project itself or that are healthy for the mind,” recommends the psychologist.
3 – Avoid toxic Situations & Relationships:
Dealing with stressful situations on a day-to-day basis or toxic ones in relationships and work can lead to mental illness and mental health problems. So avoid!
4 – Ask for Help if Necessary:
Accepting that things are not going well and that we need help is an act of courage. Therefore, forget about taboos, prejudices or misconceptions about human weaknesses and strengths.
“The greatest test of strength is knowing that sometimes we need professional help, be it from a psychologist or psychiatrist,”.
5 – Have a Support Network:
The professional remembers that we are social beings and that is why when we do not have social ties and friendships, the tendency to emotional illness is. Healthy friendships bring identity, empathy, joy and quality of life and are a form of protection against grief, loneliness and abandonment. More importantly, friendship is another psychosocial protective factor against emotional illness and suicide. “Invest in your friendships at any point in your life,”.
