Allow yourself to feel your feelings, so you don’t spend more energy avoiding them than you would on feeling them. This way you can focus on the situation, fully experience the feelings and maybe better understand why it hurts and what to do about it.

Research also indicates that ...

Your values serve as an ‘inner GPS system’ that guides you through life, helping you make the right decisions and keeping you on track.

Knowing and living your values will lead to a sense of balance, confidence and fulfillment.

Sometimes it can feel like you’re going through your days on autopilot, and that can get tedious and depressing. 

Start your day off on a positive note by engaging in an enjoyable activity every morning.

Beware of your thoughts, else you may fall in a vicious cycle of negative thoughts, which seem to sprout naturally. Not only do these thoughts sink our mood but we also start to see them as truths.

Monitor, challenge and replace negative thoughts to work through ...

There are often rotten eggs in your life that drag down your mental outlook. Identify your rotten eggs and figure out how to remove them.

Your rotten eggs might seem small. But even annoyances can add up and chip away at your mood and well-being.

Structure and routine are important, but in excess, they may stop you from growing. Taking certain risks can be healthy and rewarding.

Challenge yourself to take a risk each day, do something new or differently, anything that pushes you out of your comfort zone.

Our surroundings can affect our well-being. Use that to create a positive feeling at home with lemon, peppermint or other essential oils you love or playing some music that fits your mood.

Research indicates that adults on average don’t laugh much during the day, so watch a funny movie or play games.

Take a few minutes each day to sit, relax and breathe. Meditation is simple and it doesn’t take much time or effort, besides being quite soothing. 

You can shift your outlook on life when you come from a perspective of gratitude:

Mental health tends to deteriorate when we obsess over past happenings instead of taking responsibility in what we’re doing or creating in the now.

Live in the present without hyper-focusing on the future or the past.

Take the time to consider your passions. Doing something that really engages your mind is great for well-being.