Check In On Your Mental Health

Through all the chaos of everyday life, we sometimes forget to stop and take a breather. It’s common for us to go into the doctor for a checkup when we are feeing sick, so why isn’t it common for us to in check with our mental wellness? With today’s fast paced environment, it’s not always easy to take a step away from things like your job, kids, family or friends when your mental health comes calling. Your mental health can not only affect you mentally, but it can take a toll on your body physically as well. Taking time daily to check in with your mental health daily and making yourself a priority makes a big difference in your overall wellness.

In order to keep in tune with your mental health, keep these 5 questions in the back of your mind to ask yourself when you mind needs it, curtesy of author, expressive coach, and licensed social worker Minaa B.

1. How Am I Feeling Today? (Mentally & Physically)

Your mental health affects you in more ways than you may know. Living with a mental illness or even just feeling down in the dumps can affect your physical health. The side effects manifest themselves in ways like headaches, stomach aches, dizziness and more. Therefore, it is very important to check in on your mental and physical health often to keep your health in check.

2. What’s Taking Up Most of My Headspace?

Work? Family? Things that need to get done? What’s on your mind can definitely affect your mood and stress levels, which in turn can affect your mental health. Taking time throughout the day to just clear your head, calm down, breath, and think positive thoughts can help lower stress levels and put you in a better state of mind.

3. When Did I Last Eat a Whole Meal?

Nutrition and eating a balanced diet is SO important to your overall health and wellbeing. If you don’t eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, your body is not getting the right amount of nutrients it needs for fuel. Low appetite can also be a sign of depression or other mental health problems.

4. Am I Tired?

Depriving yourself from sleep doesn’t do our health any favors. Our bodies AND minds need rest. So make sure to make sleep a priority in your life to give your body a break.

5. What Will I Do Today That Will Bring Me Joy?

It’s important to have things in your life that bring you joy. If you just go through life every day without doing anything for yourself that makes you happy, that needs to change. You deserve happiness so make sure to set side time in your life for what you enjoy. In when in a situation that does your mental health a disservice, make sure to remove yourself from the situation. So, get out and do something you love everyday and don’t let negativity in have a place in your life.

Keep these 5 questions in mind and stop to think about them at least once a day. Stopping to think and asking yourself these questions make you really focus on working to improve your mental health through different dimensions of wellness.