8 Alternative Ways To Improve Your Mental and Emotional Health
Therapy is highly beneficial for people looking to improve their mental and emotional well-being. But, we can’t all afford therapy, and even with therapy you can’t sit in your therapist’s office 24/7. So, here’s a few steps (some big, some small) you can take to build mental and emotional resilience.
Pay it Forward
Acts of kindness can be a way to boost your own happiness. But, more than just making you feel good in the moment, doing something kind each day can put you in a perpetual good mood while helping others. And while you might think it would be difficult to help others when you’re struggling yourself, you’ll find this to be far from true. Use this real life practice worksheet for inspiration.
Start a Nonprofit to Benefit Others
You can take your acts of kindness one step further by creating a charitable organization to help others in need. Although it sounds like a huge undertaking, starting a nonprofit is not that difficult. You will need to outline bylaws that you and your shareholders use to govern how the organization is run. These bylaws would include how often you’ll meet, as well as the rules on everything from conflicts of interest, to accounting practices. When you form your nonprofit organization, you will be eligible for grants and public assistance not available to traditional for-profit businesses.
Change Jobs
You understandably need an income, but that doesn’t mean that you have to earn your paycheck from somewhere that makes you miserable. If you’re concerned you don’t have enough skills to easily change jobs, consider taking a certification program or going back to school while you work toward a new profession or position. You can even go to school online in your own time so you can balance school with your everyday life. Be sure to choose an accredited but affordable school that has a variety of degree options in case you choose to change your major.
Get a Creative Hobby
Drawing and painting can help you take your mind to new places while putting a mental barrier between the things that bother you and your active mind. And, no, you don’t need to be a Picaso or have any artistic skills to benefit.
Declutter Your House or Room
If you’ve ever seen the TV show Hoarders, you’ve probably felt the anxiety and tension crawl up your spine as the camera panned the room. That’s because our brains are hard-wired to reject clutter and disorganization. If your own home needs some attention, grab the broom and the trash can, and clear the clutter now. Doing so can improve the atmosphere of your interior and the health of those who live with you.
Check Your Hormones
Hormone dysregulation is a common cause of depression, anxiety, and overall aches and pains that can leave you feeling exhausted and depleted. Single Care mentions that hormone imbalance can even cause PMS and postpartum depression. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms, and ask about testing to measure specific hormone levels to see if there is a physical cause of your emotional woes.
Let Go of Toxic Situations
Toxic people drain the life out of you one word or action at a time. Gather your strength, and get out of bad platonic or romantic relationships. If you need immediate assistance, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.SAFE.
Do Something for Your Inner-Child
If you spend more than five minutes with any child, you’ll hear silly jokes that make no sense to anyone but will send children into comical laughter. Why? Because being silly is good for you. And, yes, this is why we say that laughter is the best medicine! It’s been found that humor is not only great at boosting your mental and emotional health, but it has also been proven to improve the efficacy of cancer treatments and overall quality of life in some patients.
Nothing can replace the expertise of a licensed therapist when you need professional help. But, you can take your mental health journey into your own hands by doing something every day that boosts your happiness levels. From major life changes, such as going back to school or starting a nonprofit, to something as seemingly minor as cracking a dumb joke or decluttering a room, everything you do can be used as a tool to increase your mental and emotional resiliency so that you can be the best version of yourself.