Taking moments for mindfulness and incorporating them into your life can be super helpful in improving your mental health. Research Suggests that as many as 1 in 6 people in England experince mental health struggles, like anxiety or depression in any given week. Our mental health is something we continually need to nurture, taking steps to ensure mental wellbeing is given a top priority in our lives.
Struggling with anxiety following the pandemic, lacking confidence and avoiding situations where I had to communicate with others I began exploring different strategies to deal with my anxiety and work on improving my mental health.
Mindfulness activities can be extremely useful in helping recognise feelings of anxiety and depression and provide ways in which we can dealing with our emotions. Here are my 5 favourite mindfulness activities which can easily be incorporated into our everyday routines to improve our mindsets.
1. Journaling
Starting to journal, and simply writing down your thoughts and feeling can be really helpful in understanding your thoughts and why you might be feeling how you’re feeling. You don’t have to stick to a specific structure and can simply write what feels right to you. However, if you need a place to start you can:
Write about what you’ve done in your day, what did you enjoy or not enjoy…
Note down 3 emotions that you have felt that day.
What are you looking forward to doing tomorrow.
What you write doesn’t need to be particularly long or detailed either, but starting journalling can help you gain control over your emotions as you begin to understand them. Perhaps start by making a commitment to yourself to journal once a week and see where it takes you!
2. Exercise
Finding a form of exercise you enjoy and incorporating it into your day can be a great way to improve your mental health and relieve stress. The exercise you do doesn’t have to be extreme, and can simply consist of going for a walk every day. On the other hand, you can try something like Yoga, or Pilates which combine physical, mental and spiritual practice, helping you to focus on your own wellbeing.
Doing such sports can also allow you to feel more present in the moment, allowing you to take in your surroundings and get your body moving and staying active.
3. Focusing on your breathing
Practicing mindful breathing can be a great way to slow down, focus and ground yourself, allowing you to be present in the moment. Pay attention to the sensation you feel in each breath, as you inhale and exhale. Take time to notice the movements throughout your body when you breath and how it feels.
Maybe take 5 minutes of the day, perhaps before going to bed, to pause and focus on your breathing and how it feels to focus and take control of the breaths coming in, and going out…
Mindful breathing can help you relax, as well as reduce moments of anxiety and stress. There are plenty of videos out there which can be used as tools to help you practice mindful breathing, so find one which suits you.
4. Doing something you enjoy
Set aside some time to yourself to do something you really enjoy, whether it be painting, baking, reading, writing, colouring, or trying something completely new! Focusing on something you really enjoy and trying new things is really important to keep yourself grounded and to remind yourself how important it is to make time to do the things you love.
These activities are also great to shift your focus from any negative thoughts or feelings and focus on the activity you’re doing. Freeing your mind from work, technology and any other stresses can be a great way to improve your mental health, be mindful to make time for the activities you enjoy in your life!
5. Getting out and about
Nature, and being outdoors can be a great way to improve your mental health, whether it being out in green space, going on a walk and meeting up with friends or family or even being around animals can help improve your mood and is great for wellbeing amongst numerous other benefits.
Evidence suggests that observing nature and being outdoors can improve our well-being, reducing stress and anxiety and bring about a feeling of relaxation, so find out where your nearest open spaces are and go explore!
Finding ways to deal with your emotions and introducing mindfulness into your life can be a great way to understand, and improve your mental health. By gradually introducing some of these different activities into your routine you can help ground yourself, learning about what you enjoy and what works for you in improving your mental health.