Simple Ways to Care for Your Mental Health in 2020 by a Raleigh Psychologist

With the dawn of each new year, many seek to keep their resolution goals intended to improve their lives. People tend to promise that they will eat healthier, stress less and exercise more among other worthy New Year's resolution goal topics. A top Raleigh psychologist gives some simple ways to care for your mental health in 2020 and beyond that are worth considering this year.

Live In the Moment More To Fully Experience Life

Most people tend to evaluate their lives based on how busy they are accomplishing their many goals that they set for themselves each year. However, never taking the time to slow down and experience some of those important lifetime moments can actually be bad for mental health. Learn how to hit the pause on life's frantic forward momentum in order to fully appreciate and enjoy some of life's precious moments from time to time.

Ideas on Ways to Care for Your Mental Health This Year

Leading psychologists in Raleigh and elsewhere have some terrific ideas on how to better care for your overall mental health this year. This doesn't have to take a lot of time, effort or money to be successful. The trick is to work in small time periods into your busy everyday schedule devoted to improving mental health.

Some mental health improvement tips include:

• Schedule regular me time

• Be kind to yourself

• Build a better support network

• Set small goals for mental health improvement

• Learn something new - take a class, learn a new word or try something new each week

• Take time to play

• Spend quality time with loved ones

• Get outside to enjoy the healing power of nature

• Laugh more, love deeper and stop long enough to appreciate life's amazing moments

• Resolve to stay positive

• Keep Life Fun and Exciting

Many individuals make the mistake of letting life get boring and less than enjoyable over time. Instead, resolve to keep your life fun and exciting.

This could be as simple as meeting friends for dinner, taking up a new hobby or reading that book or watching that movie you've been longing to do.

Change up your everyday routines to keep life fresh and interesting. Take a new route to work, explore what your community has to offer, be spontaneous sometimes and reward yourself and/or family with something special for a job well done.

Take Mental Health Breaks from Time to Time

Just like your physical health, caring for your mental health takes some attention. It's okay to take some necessary mental health days or short breaks from time to time to boost mental health.

Take time to de-stress and unwind after work with a hot shower or bath once a week, light candles for dinner, take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, stop to greet neighbors and inquire about their well-being, take an hour to play a game with your kids and plan for monthly excursions to someplace special.

Enjoy Those Simple Pleasure of Life

Taking better care of your future mental health doesn't have to be expensive, time consuming or difficult. Simply strive to truly slow down and fully experience and enjoy those simple pleasures that happen throughout life.

Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy someplace special, watch a movie with your family, play board games with the kids during cold or rainy days, plan your next vacation, meet new people, plant a garden or a window box of flowers and cook a favorite meal for your honey just because your feel like it every now and then.

Learn How To Balance Your Life To Keep Stress At Bay

Just like top athletes know that they must take the necessary time and effort to rest and regroup following a marathon or major sporting event, mental health experts advise everyday citizens to do the same.

Learn how to better balance your life to keep stress from becoming overwhelming. If a big work deadline is approaching, give it your all, but remember to take some time to relax when the work is done before moving on to the next big project.

Without a healthy balance, those smaller stressful events can quickly overcome your life posing a hazard to both mental and physical health.

Seek Professional Mental Health Guidance When Needed

Seeking professional mental health guidance when needed should not be a sign of weakness or defeat. Rather, think about psychotherapy at our Raleigh office as a positive step that can dramatically improve your mental health in easy and manageable increments.

Contact MedPsych Integrated at 919-582-7272 in Raleigh.