Nowadays, keeping your mental health in top shape is more important than ever. The problem is that many Canadians don’t even have the time or knowledge of how to do it. From busy schedules to unhealthy ways to cope with their situation, mental health issues have become a pandemic all over the country.
But the thing is that it’s not difficult at all to improve your mental health. The trick is to start with something small and keep up with it for as long as possible. In other words, don’t bite more than you can chew and be disciplined.
To help you start on your journey to improve your mental health, I have prepared a list of seven easy methods that you can do.
1. Be more physically active
While it’s true that many Canadians are very busy and a busy lifestyle is the number one cause of deteriorating mental health, most people aren’t even active. So just because you don’t have free time doesn’t mean you’re physically or mentally active.
Take a deeper look at your schedule and determine if you’re living an active lifestyle or just busy with other things. If you spend most of your days sitting on a chair and working, that means you’re living a sedentary lifestyle. And that has to change today.
To be more active than before, you only need to spare a few times each day to exercise. Start with something easy like jogging in the morning, stretching for a couple of minutes every few hours, or simply doing yoga in your spare time. There are so many ways for you to be more physically active. If you think you can spare even more time, try paying for a gym membership. You can also try free apps that teach and remind you to work out. Plenty of other free resources are also available online.
2. Be more mentally active
Now, to be more mentally active, you can try picking up a new hobby. It can be fishing, reading, drawing – pretty much anything you want to do. If there is something that you’ve been meaning to do for a long time, now it’s time to start. And who knows, perhaps this new hobby of yours could evolve to something greater.
3. Take enough breaks
No one should work for months or even years without taking breaks. No matter how much you love working, you deserve to take breaks to restart your mind. You can do pretty much anything you want during your break – vacation, chilling at home, improving your other skills, or creating a plan to stay healthy in the future.
Depending on how long your break is, you should always have a plan. Unless you are the type of person who can relax more when there is no plan to follow. Just make sure you take advantage of your break and recharge your energy back for when you’re back to work.
4. Take CBD
CBD has become very popular in Canada. Many Canadians are in fact relying on CBD to keep their mind healthy and in top shape. If you’re planning to start taking CBD now is the best time to start. You will find that there are so many choices available on the market in Canada, from CBD oil to topicals to edibles. Depending on what you like, some products are going to look more attractive than others.
CBD offers many health benefits for the user. There is enough literature that supports the claim that CBD may improve your mental health. Keep in mind that you should always do your homework before taking CBD. So make sure you know about measuring the dosage, which product is right for you, and even better, consult your plan to take CBD with your physician.
5. Talk to your friends
Do you have those friends that you haven’t met or talked to in a long time? Then perhaps it’s time to connect with other people again. Communicating with other people about your situation and hearing about other people’s experiences can make a big difference.
6. Create a plan for the future
Working hard without knowing what your goals are could make you depressed. Sometimes you need to set your future goals in stone to see if you’re doing the right thing or not. You can start by making a list of your short- and long-term goals. Determine if these goals are plausible and worth the energy and time that you’re going to spend on them. Then, you can sort of restart your mindset and work toward these goals.
7. Focus on the present
A bit different from the point above, perhaps what you need is to focus on the present and present only. Only live for the moment and forget about everything else. Being mindful of the present may improve your mental well-being and make you feel more grateful.
