Good habits, mental health, getting out of a dark place, heading towards a better life.
Tags: Goals, Habits, Mental Health, Advice, Mindset

Good habits, mental health, getting out of a dark place, heading towards a better life.

It’s been over nine months since the lockdowns, quarantine and all of the sudden changes due to COVID started happening. It surely had a big impact on our lives and I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say it has taken a toll on our mental health as well. Let’s be honest, even if you hadn’t lost your mind completely, the COVID restrictions, although needed and reasonable, could’ve been frustrating at times as we weren’t able to do many things (careerwise, socialwise etc). In this article I want to show you some daily habits that’ll hopefully help you maintain a positive mindset and help you head towards your dream life. I am not kidding; since I’ve been applying these in my life, it has become so much better. So much better. (I will write about mental health & my struggles in the future).

Let’s talk about the habits now!

Habit 1

Work out daily. I used to think it was an overrated „advice”. I thought it wasn’t going to help at all. However in November this year I created a workout routine for myself, that I enjoyed and I stuck to it everyday. I combined a few short workouts that all together took me about 30 minutes to do. It might be hard at first and it might take some courage to excercise everyday, but it’s worth it. When creating a daily workout plan for yourself, keep in mind you shouldn’t exercise intesively everyday – either workout lightly everyday, or do more intense workouts a few times in a week. For other days you can practice yoga or some other light excercises. Consistency is important. Why is is this a habit I recommend? First of all, you do something good for your body everyday, you keep it in shape, it looks better and better. Second of all, obviously excersice is very much required in a human’s life. You will not see results until some time and you will also not feel better after just a few days, but do it until it becomes a habit of yours – you will see the changes.

Habit 2

Journaling. That is something that I personally don’t do every single day. I like to journal once in a few days, but it’s obviously better if you can do it more often. Write about your day. Write about anything that makes you angry, sad, happy, excited, worried. Write about how you’ve felt during the day, how you’re feeling at the moment and why. Explore your thoughts. Explore and understand your mind. Write what you think, what you’ve been thinking for a while, don’t keep it inside. You can read it after and maybe get more clearity about whatever makes you emotional.

Habit 3

List a few wins of each day. In the evening just write down a few positive things that you achieved each day– these can be small things, nobody achieves great things every single day. It really builds up confidence to rewind your day and see how many successes you had that you’d normally forget about. Give them a moment of apprieciation.

Habit 4

Daily self love and maintaing self-confidence. Repeat good things about yourself to yourself everyday. Focus on one thing (confidence, self image, forgiveness) and repeat a sentence on that thing everyday. It could be „I am worthy and appreciated, I notice my worth and believe in myself”. It takes some time to see the results, but it does work.

Habit 5

Devote at least 30 minutes each day to do something you really love/something you aspire to get better at. I think sometimes we might overlook the importance of self development in the rush of the world. Often it seems like we’re too busy and even 30 minutes everyday is too much. After all it’s about prioritizng things in life. Scrolling on social media or watching tv for hours won’t bring you anything good in the long run. If you decide to practice something consistenly everyday, you will not only feel proud and in general good, but you’ll gain a new skill/more knowledge which is invaluable. Sometimes even just having a goal is exactly what we need. Think about what you really enjoy doing or what you’d like to start doing and… remember to do it:)

Habit 6

Meditate. Let your mind rest, get away from everything for a few minutes daily. It’s not only relaxing, but also helps you collect your thoughts and keep your sanity. It’s very helpful when you’re dealing with anxiety. (At least for me, I really recommend it!)

Habit 7

Do something to expand your knowledge/develop your mind everyday. Maybe read a book? Or learn a foreign language? There are many ideas!!

Not a habit, but a good idea

A good idea that might help you maintain a positive mindset after all. Each day, for example for two weeks, write one thing you’re grateful for. It can be the sunshine or the beautiful weather that made you feel full of live. It might be your family or a nice sandwich that you’ve had. It’s important to notice what makes us lucky. It’s very important to focus on the good things, never focus on what you think you lack!

The habits I listed are the ones that worked the best for me. They really helped me as I was struggling with my mental health. If you feel like this year got the best of you, try them out. They might be helpful.

Thank you for reading. If there’s any way to do that here, share your experiences with me!

Have a good day/night.