Mental Health Tips (How to look after your Mental Health?)

            If we cough we go to the doctor, especially if we have a broken arm. However, if our psyche is stressed, we usually push the symptoms aside. Thought circles, inner restlessness and lack of drive are to be taken just as seriously. More and more people suffer from burnout or depression in these fast-moving times.

Our psyche should also come first for us.

10 tips to protect your mental health

1. Don't fall asleep in front of the television

Stress in everyday life often leads to sleep problems. If so, leave the TV off, even if it's a welcome distraction. See how the quality of your sleep changes if you read a book, paint or call a friend instead. At the end of the day, allow yourself a little time without external influences, in which your thoughts can come to rest.

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2. Integrate a piece of vacation into your everyday life

After vacation, many people fall into a deep depression - there is even a name for it, namely the "post-holiday syndrome". Try to remember the feeling of being on vacation. Do you like reading on vacation? Do you hear music on the beach Of course, you can't conjure up the vacation spot, but try to consciously take time out for these activities.

3. Don't suppress stress and negative feelings

Alcohol, cigarettes, fast food - all of these things are great for distracting yourself after a stressful day. But they don't make problems go away. At best, you forget them for a while; at worst, the after-work drink becomes a habitual outlet and feelings have no chance of being processed. Try to be aware of what is bothering you instead of dealing with problems with habitual mechanisms.

4. Meditate

Take the time to meditate. Excuses don't apply, because every person can shovel three to five minutes a day in their everyday life to do something good for their mental health. You will find that you will feel better afterwards.

5. Cycle to work

Or do other sports. You don't like to hear this advice - but it helps immensely. It is easier to do sport regularly if you integrate it into your commute. This is of course difficult in winter or on long journeys, but even then it is good for our head to simply get off one station earlier. On the bus and train we are often busy with everything - the environment, the smartphone - except ourselves. Movement has the opposite effect, fresh air clears the head.

6. Treat yourself to therapy

Usually one only looks for help when the suffering becomes too strong. However, it is much more effective to take precautions and stay healthy. If you have the feeling that you need outside help, you should follow this request. Too many people downplay their own problems.

Think of therapy as a wellness treatment where you can release all of the stress that has built up. Talk to your GP about this, he will be able to recommend colleagues to you.

7. Social contact instead of email contact

Social contacts are important for our well-being. Regardless of whether we have something to give ourselves - by leading a project, contributing special knowledge or simply making our contribution to the success of the team - or whether people express their appreciation for us with praise and we take on the role: afterwards it goes to us better. The exchange with other people is one of the most fundamental needs we have. One of the simplest approaches to more social contact with colleagues and fellow human beings is to avoid unnecessary e-mails. Get up and go over to the colleague. Even if the face-to-face contact only lasts a few moments, you will experience the facial expression of the other person. You hear the tone of the voice and thereby gain a deeper understanding of the situation. Emails also throw us off balance because they take up our time and attention and distract us from our real task. The more mails waiting in the inbox, the greater the loss of time. In order to counteract this, it is worthwhile to close the mail program more often or to check it only at certain time intervals. And you can also take advantage of the next coffee break: ask the colleague you meet in the kitchen how his weekend was and really listen to him. When it comes to emotional wellbeing, it's often the details that make the difference.

8. Small changes, big impact

Anxiety and stress are difficult to get rid of from work. But it's not impossible either, and even small steps are better than none at all. Accept that there are days when negative feelings are more in the foreground and even small things can be overwhelming. A knowing, tolerant approach to this fact makes dealing with the fear easier and alleviates the burden.

One effective way to reduce stress is to exercise in and out of work. The PageGroup's transport and commuter study found that the stress level of cyclists and pedestrians on the way to work is the lowest among commuters in Europe. Those who drive their own car or public transport instead find the journey to be more stressful and arrive at work more stressed. Unfortunately, we don't always have a choice how to get to work. But why not skip the elevator to the office and take the stairs instead? Or take the lunch break for a walk in the fresh air atmosphere? Working on mental health doesn't mean that you have to radically change your lifestyle. Again, it's the little things that make the difference.

9. Learning to reduce stress

Mindfulness and contact with our colleagues and those around us are important for our mental health. Our ability to learn new things is just as beneficial. Nobody is omniscient. Not even experts can say that about themselves. If we devote our time to learning, it is both meaningful and useful in meetings, discussions and in everyday work. Susan Wallace, Professor of Education, writes in her book "Teaching, Tutoring and Training in the Lifelong Learning Sector" that lifelong learning not only brings personal fulfillment, but is also an extremely effective mechanism for reducing stress and increasing self-esteem. You do not have to enroll for a second degree or seek another form of professional qualification. There are many opportunities to learn something new or expand existing knowledge.

Take on a craft project, learn to cook, find a new hobby, fix your bike or take a language course. Anything that expands your own repertoire is a success and ultimately also serves your well-being.

10. Stop and reflect

In a fast-paced world, hectic is the norm. Sometimes we lose sight of ourselves in the process. Reflection and self-perception help us understand our emotions and give us the time we need to deal with them.

The internationally known psychologist Daniel Goleman sums it up like this:

"When you are aware of how feelings affect your reasoning, your thinking and the way you interact with other people - then you are reflected. This is a component of emotional intelligence. We know about circuits in the brain that make us aware of our mental world and that differ from the circuits that inform us about our physical world. "

So take more time for self-awareness. Allow yourself to calmly ponder things and enjoy the moment. Choose a different route to get to work, have lunch in a different restaurant. Our world, in which we are connected around the clock, is not exactly the easiest place to live. Mindfulness exercises in boring everyday life are a good strategy for feeling more calm, more relaxation and more joy in life. At the same time, we sharpen our understanding of the people in our environment and of our work situation.