Many of us begin to dread the heightened social demands of the summer season. Balancing your work and social life can seem complicated. During these hectic times, remember those supportive relationships are an essential part of our mental health.
Find a Holistic Approach to Your Mental Health
People often focus on mental illness when discussing mental health. However, your mental health goes far beyond depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. It’s about your overall emotional and mental state and well-being, both positive and negative. In many cases, positive mental health factors can help you cope with adversity and mental illness.
Just as your physical health needs constant care, so does your mental health. When we take care of our mental health, we deal with stress more effectively, recover from setbacks faster, and sleep better. As you will discover, taking care of your mental health is the key to a happier life.
How Can Solid Relationships Improve Your Mental Health?
Expert research shows that people who have strong, supportive relationships live longer, healthier lives. Studies show that people in healthy relationships:
- Always have lower blood pressure
- Are less likely to relapse from depression
- Are less anxious
Romantic relationships boost mental health in several ways as these can:
- Help give people purpose and meaning.
- Encourage healthy behaviors (like eating a healthy diet, balancing work and life, and making regular doctor appointments).
- Improve communication since you talk to a good, empathetic listener that can help relieve stress and manage your emotions.
- Encourage you to join activities with friends (such as walking or playing sports).
While social media is a more straightforward method to interact with our loved ones, nothing compares to face-to-face interaction. In fact, studies show that excessive use of social media can trigger depressive symptoms due to feelings of inadequacy or jealousy.
Identifying and Maintaining Healthy Relationships
Bad relationships can quickly become a stressor or trigger for mental illness. For this reason, it’s essential to nurture relationships with people who encourage healthy habits and offer emotional support. If you don’t have a romantic partner, consider:
- Contacting old friends, you have lost touch with
- Making regular plans with family members
- Attending family or school reunions studying
- Joining a group that reflects your interests
- Volunteer with a nonprofit organization
And never limit your peer group to your family and friends. You can find meaningful relationships and emotional support from close colleagues, neighbors, and others in your community.
Seek help from a health professional
Many people can benefit from regular treatment with a mental health professional, such as counselors, psychologists, or registered social workers. Sadly, many people are reluctant to seek mental health care due to social stigma and the misconception of mental health care. If you feel overwhelmed, talk to your doctor.
A mental health professional can help you promote your mental health and respond to your mental health problems. It can help you minimize symptoms, build resilience, and improve your quality of life. And you may not need any medication.
Incorporating mindfulness into self-care
When relationships get strained, consider practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness is an increasingly popular method for recalibrating our daily activities. It combines meditation with self-awareness and empathy, thus teaching you to recognize and deal with your emotions and physical reactions with respect. Always remember that you should take a deep breath before reacting to someone or something.
Recent studies show that mindfulness has significant benefits for mental health, including reducing anxiety and preventing the recurrence of depression. Mindfulness can also improve your focus and attention and reduce your emotional responses.