World Mental Health awareness day. It’s time to focus on you. You are the priority. However your morning, week, or month has gone, disregard it. Today is a day for you to focus on your mental health, whether you feel pretty good, or you’re falling into the abyss. I present to you a non-definitive list of 10 ways to make your day slightly better or add the cherry on the top of your cake.
1) Do something you’ve been putting off.
We all have a little list in the back of our minds of things we will do if we have time, and never seem to do. Today I want you to do it. Be it you ring your Mum and check in with her about how the start of term has been going, or going to the laundry room and getting rid of the mound of clothes piling up in the corner of your room. I promise that doing it will lighten your mind just a little.
2) Warm towels.
When you go to have a shower tonight, let the water run over your face, and just let it be. Take the time to think about how your day has gone, if you’ve done nothing, or if you’ve done all the things you needed to do. Reflect on if you had this day again, what would you do differently? Then when you’re done, go put on a warm towel and chill.
3) Clear out your mailbox.
I think I speak for most of us when I say that, there is an element of your life that you leave unmanaged until the point of necessity to do something with it. For me, that’s my email. Go declutter your email, unsubscribe from the advertisement emails you get every day, that you know you’ll never use, and then delete the ones you’ve been debating using – they’ll just end up staying there forever. Only keep the ones you’re certain you need. Just that one small task be it your email or matching your socks. It could make tomorrow slightly better.
4) Eat outside.
The truth is, any meal tastes good outside with the wind on your face and the sun shining. You need a break from being holed up in your small room, your body and mind need fresh air, so if you’re not someone who goes for walks or particularly an outdoor person, then let this be the small thing you can do outside that quite possibly will help improve your clarity of mind subconsciously.
5) Hold the door.
If you don’t feel like helping yourself, then at least help someone else. Be nice whenever possible, and cultivate a environment of positivity. If you do this, as hard as you may fight against it, your mental attitude will lighten, you’ll appreciate someone doing it for you. Small things cumulate and ultimately you’ll feel better for it, not that you should do nice things for your own benefit – but its an added perk.
6) Pick three things you’re grateful for about the day and write them down.
By no means do you have to do this every day, if you can do – great, but speaking from experience, I’m not someone who can continually keep a practice up, I forget constantly, kudos to those of you who keep a regular diary, you’re stronger willed than I am. But in all seriousness, pick three things- you getting out of bed today and going to a lecture, the sun on your face in the morning warming your cheeks, and you handing an assignment in you didn’t think you’d make in time. Check back on these occasionally and see how you gradually notice the little things more.
7) Print off the photo’s on your phone
Make an album or stick them on your wall. I have a real fear that one day something will happen to electricity and social media and I
will lose all of my photographs and memories indefinitely. Print off your photo’s. Keep them so that when you feel like you need a pick me up, or a reminder of good times, they’re easy to grab and don’t involve you using technology. Write the date on the back of them and something you remember from the day it was taken – you’ll thank yourself in later years when your memory is not so polished.
You are good enough.
8) Return something back to the shop.
Most of us have bought something that didn’t quite fit right, or didn’t look like we thought it would, and could never be bothered to
return it. Go and return it, or if the receipt has disappeared in the mess you call a bedroom – sell it on. It’s one less thing on your list of things in the back of your mind, and who wouldn’t appreciate the extra cash? Go grab yourself a coffee with a friend as a treat.
9) Accept a compliment.
Not many of us go out of our way to make a false compliment – so believe the ones you get, don’t just brush them off. You do look good today. That was a great contribution you made in the seminar. You are good enough. Believe in yourself because compliments might not come around often with everyone so busy in their own lives, so appreciate and trust in the ones you do get, and take pride in them – you have every right to, they’re yours.
10) Seize the day (A cheesy one to finish!).
Do it. Make the most of your days because they are numbered, tomorrow could be your last day (I hope not!), but it could be, so do
something today that you’ll be glad you did. Most importantly do your best to get out of bed and live your life.