Count your blessings

Staying mentally and emotionally healthy helps us face challenges, stresses, and setbacks. It also equips us to be more functional in our daily lives. 

A person who is mentally and emotionally healthy is able to connect with themselves and other people, and able to respond to the challenges that life throws in their path.

Physical health plays an important role in ensuring that you are mentally healthy. 

You can stay healthy by eating well, getting adequate rest and exercise, and actively taking care of your physical health. 

Daily exposure to sunlight helps avoid depression.

Physical activity is also beneficial for the mind. Exercise boosts energy, reduces stress and mental fatigue. 

Expressing your emotions constructively makes it easier to cope with your stresses and conflicts. 

• Set time aside for yourself to attend to your own emotional needs.
• Put away your gadgets and pay attention to what’s happening around you, to be more mindful. 

It gives you a sense of being valued and appreciated. 

Have lunch with a colleague, or make plans to meet a friend you haven’t spent time with in a while. No technology can replace a smile or a hug.

It keeps your mind occupied and can also give you an outlet to express your emotions. Hobbies can help you overcome stress and increase your self-esteem.

Picking up a new skill challenge you, increase your concentration levels, and makes you feel good about learning something new.

Find your strategy to manage your stress so that you can take better care of yourself. 

This could include talking to a friend, believing in yourself, reappraising and reinterpreting your situation, meditating, going for a walk, listening to music, and exercising.

Identifying and owning your strengths and accepting your weaknesses gives you the courage to believe in yourself and the strength to move on. 

Accepting that you have some weaknesses just like everyone else, is a key ingredient of your mental and emotional wellbeing. 

Being grateful for what you have helps you stay optimistic about your future and boosts your mental health. 

Maintain a gratitude journal. Every night before going to bed, write down what you are thankful for on that day. 

Being able to express what we’re feeling, or what we like or don’t like, can help us de-clutter our minds. 

There are no good or bad. emotions. Every emotion is important and essential. What makes it healthy or unhealthy is the intensity of the experience, and how it was expressed.

When you feel sad, challenged, frustrated, confused, angry, or just simply overwhelmed and unable to cope, speak to someone you trust – a spouse, friend, parent, sibling or relative. 

You don’t need to face the challenges of life alone. Resilient people make use of the support systems that are available to help them care for themselves.