My Mental Health Tips

I have struggled with my mental health since last several years. Realizing that I need help and being open to receiving that help have opened up many doors for me and allowed me to improve my mental health. Sharing tips/things I do to bounce back and feel better. They have all been so helpful to me personally so check them all out and see which one resonates with you/works for you. I don't do every single one of them everyday, but whatever I feel like and that has enabled me to listen to my mind and my body and get in touch with my intuition.

 

• Get professional help (counselor/therapist, medication, etc.)

• Inner child meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lHiWyWU-Eo

• Cold showers: check this page for benefits and how-do-guide: https://medium.com/@juanpabloaranovich/using-deliberate-cold-exposure-for-heath-and-performance-81828b9c4773 (I listened to the podcast that they mention in this article a month or so ago and started doing this daily and haven’t looked back since then)

• Wim Hof breathing, this and cold showers stimulate the vagus nerve which is responsible for our wellbeing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tybOi4hjZFQ

• Gratitude journaling: Fill in the blank: Today I am grateful for________. Do this daily. I blogged about it here: https://swarmingforselflove.blogspot.com/2022/06/gratitude-journaling.html

• Daily Walks in nature, some days I just go sit in nature/backyard/in sun when I don’t have energy to walk.

• Depression Yoga with Adriene (15-min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxddnugwu-8

• Anxiety Yoga with Adriene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJbRpHZr_d0

• Om Mani Padme Hum chanting / listening to this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-ZO7bsA2pA (This one calms me down and my fears disappear)

• Doing things that bring me joy.

• Stretching/dancing.

• Daily Energy Routine (DER) (7 min): https://youtu.be/3UHjyjvE14s

• Activate Joy in your life (Radiant Circuits) (6 min): https://youtu.be/8AHS4GrRztg

 

Also sharing tips and list of foods that reduce cortisol/stress hormone:

 

1. Foods high in B vitamins - nutritional yeast, fortified cereals

2. Foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids - walnuts, avocado, chia, flax, olive oil

3. Magnesium rich foods - relaxing muscles, reduce inflammation, regular heartbeats - pumpkin seeds, almonds, pistachio, broccoli, banana, avocado, artichoke, spinach, dark chocolate

4. Foods that help regulate blood sugars - eat regular meals, protein rich foods, beans, legumes

5. Foods that promote healthy gut microbiome - eat lots of high fiber foods, plants, fruits, vegetables, fiber is called prebiotic - 30 types of plants per week. pro-biotics - foods that have good probiotics - kimchi, kombucha, yogurt, kifer, sauerkraut

 

Stay well hydrated.

Avoid: alcohol, caffeine, saturated fats, simple sugars, soda, candy, white bread (increases cortisol)

 

Photo from my favorite park where I go for walks every week.

#GratefulKanan #SelfLove #SelfCare #SwarmingForSelfLove #SelfLoveSaturdays #MotherNature #OptOutside #natureishealing #healing #mentalhealth #mentalhealthweek2023 #depressionhelp #gratitude

Start Small

Self Love Saturday is here, and today we talk about starting small. The small things we do in our lives have a tremendous amount of positive or negative effects depending upon what we do.

The motivational talk of @simisleighs that I attended last month was life-changing for me. It shed light on so many little things about my life that I never paid attention to, and one of those was to pay attention to little things that I do every day. She shared how her success and boldness didn't come overnight, but it was a series of small choices that were bold and powerful. This was instrumental in getting her to where she is today.

This made me realize that no matter how small an act or activity we do, it can make a huge difference in our lives if it's positive. It might be in the long run, but it will definitely make a positive impact. For example: brushing your teeth; getting up and walking around for 1 min every hour; taking a moment to pause and breathe; waking up with gratitude in our hearts; falling asleep thinking positive thoughts or with prayers; reading a good book; saying thank you to people who help us, etc.

Similarly, the not-so-helpful activities also have the same/negative effect in the long run. Getting angry or upset. Eating meat. Drinking alcohol. Not sleeping enough. Not moving enough. Worrying. Thinking negative thoughts. All of these don't help us at all. Neither in the short term nor long.

So today, if you're doing even one small thing in a day that is positive, value that and celebrate that. Give yourself three cheers and a pat on the back for doing that because that's pretty amazing, and it will do you a lot of good in the long run. Today, choose to start small for big awesome rewards in the future.

#GratefulKanan #SelfLove #SelfCare #SwarmingForSelfLove #SelfLoveSaturdays #bebold #startsmall

Getting in the Driver's Seat

This weekend's self-love Saturday is about getting in the driver's seat. Getting in the driver's seat for ourselves, realizing that no one else will do things for us. Only we can help ourselves. Here I don't mean to say others cannot help us, but if we want to achieve something in life, we have to work for it. No matter how big or small a goal is, we must get in the driver's seat. We must take the initiative, make an effort and give it our 100%. No one is going to do that for us.

Ask yourself these questions. Are you putting off doing good to yourself? Are you waiting to start eating healthier? Are you waiting to start working out again? Are you waiting to change that boring job of yours? Are you waiting for your dreams to come true? Do you have a list of things you want to do but have been procrastinating? Then this is the time to realize that only you have the power to do that. Once you are ready, prioritize those and take action for what you want to achieve. Only you have the power to change your life and do something for yourself. Others will help you. Every single person in this world is ready to help you, but you have to start the process. They don't know what you want and what your goals are. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can prioritize your wishes and make them into realities.

I recently attended a motivational talk of the famous #skeletonracer @simisleighs and what she said was very profound. She said, "we are the ones we are waiting on." The thing we’re waiting for can only happen if we do it ourselves, but we don’t always realize it. The ball is always in our court for anything we want in life. Today, think about what you can start doing for yourself. Start small.

This leads us to our next self love Saturday, which is going to be about that - starting small.

Here’s to feeling more empowered to get into driver’s seat. 👍🏽

#GratefulKanan #SelfLove #SelfCare #SwarmingForSelfLove #SelfLoveSaturdays #selfhelp #powerfulme #empowerment #simideleadeagbo