Outside-The-Box Ways To Take Care of Your Mental Health

Mental health is often put on the back burner to physical health, especially when we are occupied doing other things. However, it is important to take care of your mental health before you start experiencing symptoms of severe stress, anxiety, or depression. Fortunately, there are many things that you can do for your own mental health that cost little to nothing. While you should always consult with a professional if you feel you need to, here are some outside-the-box ways to help improve your mental health.

Go Outside

Experts agree that being outside in the sunlight and fresh air is good for one's mood and overall mental health. Some ways to spend more time outdoors include:

• Walking around the block

• Going camping

• Eating your lunch outside

• Trying your hand at nature photography

• Reading at the park

Always take the proper precautions when spending time in the sun or around wildlife.

If you can’t spend as much time outdoors as you’d like, add some houseplants to your home to bring more nature to you. If you’re concerned about maintaining your houseplants and keeping them alive, you can learn more about them here. Houseplants are also good for keeping the air in your home fresh.

Learn Yoga

People practice yoga for its many benefits, such as reduced stress, increased flexibility, and boosted heart health. Yoga is also a low-impact workout that people of all abilities can take part in. Some types of yoga include hatha yoga, Bikram yoga, and restorative yoga, each with its own unique practices and benefits to the individual. Get started with group or private sessions with instructor Tatiana Stollman!

Tai Chi

Tai chi is similar to yoga in that it helps reduce stress and provides physical benefits. However, it differs in that participants execute dance-like moves rather than poses. A tai chi routine is easy to incorporate by itself or alongside an existing fitness program.

Relocate

Relocating can provide mental health benefits such as a fresh start, the opportunity to form new social connections, and a change of environment that can reduce stress levels and promote personal growth. If you’re considering relocating to the Oakland area, check online rental listings (there are currently over 500 apartments available).

Think About a Career Change

Sometimes, dissatisfaction in the workplace can lead to mental health issues. If this is the case, consider signing up for an online degree program to help you change careers. Online programs allow you to go to school while still working or looking after family members. Check to make sure any degree program is accredited and compare the tuition and fees of several different programs.

Start a Business

As an alternative to changing careers, consider starting your own business. Starting a business can provide mental health benefits such as a sense of purpose, control, and accomplishment, which can increase feelings of self-worth, reduce stress levels, and improve overall well-being. You may want to learn how to start an LLC in California. This business structure provides benefits such as limited liability protection, tax advantages, and increased credibility for small business owners

Declutter Your Home

A messy, dirty, or cluttered home can exacerbate conditions such as stress and anxiety. Clean a little bit each day as you are able to avoid letting messes pile up to the point of becoming overwhelming. You could also consider hiring a cleaning service to come to your home once a month or so. It may be well worth it if you can afford to do so.

Consider Working From Home

If you are able, working from home can have several benefits to mental health. One of these is no longer having to commute, which is often the most stressful part of going into the office or other in-person work environment. Use the extra time you have from not commuting to practice some of these mental health tips.

Start Art Therapy

Art therapy involves using drawing, painting, or sculpture to express your emotions in a healthy way. Whereas traditional talk therapy uses words to work through how you are feeling, art therapy uses the creative process to reach a similar end goal.

Volunteer

Volunteer work is not only a good way to feel good about yourself by helping the local community, but is a way to meet people with similar interests as well. Many organizations need volunteer help.

Consider taking up one or more of these activities to take care of your mental health. Starting a business, practicing yoga, volunteering, and relocating are just a few suggestions that could make all the difference in your well-being.

The Bee's Knees

I am mesmerized by what nature has to offer to us, what is there around us and sometimes we forget to appreciate or are too busy to notice. The good news is that it can be right in front of your house or just around the corner from it.

Every year my lavender plant and the Matilda poppy come to life around late May and the dance of the bees makes its grand entrance in June. How much I love to stop and see these bees, and butterflies and moths flying around and taking the precious nectar that represents their survival, and our survival too! They come and no matter how hard the wind can be blowing, they keep trying to get the nectar again and again. I took the video on this post in the past few days. Can you see how amazing this bee's legs are? They collect so much nectar there!

Back in the 1800s the expression "the bee's knees" was referred to describe something small or irrelevant. In the 1920s its meaning switched to refer to something of great excellence. Yes, of course what they do for us is nothing short of a miracle. Put in perspective that bees contribute to the pollination of about 75% of the plants that produce 90% of the food we eat. Wow! a 90% sounds like a lot to me when are are talking about over 7.5 billion people on this beautiful place called Earth. What message does this send? Absolutely! We need to take care of our bees.

Now, there is another aspect I want to share with you related to the video. When I saw the bee trying so hard to get back to the flower I could only think of how our lives are sometimes just like that moment: we face an obstacle, we are truly pushing against high headwinds. This is when we have to try harder and even get out of our comfort zone. Perhaps we even have to try harder than we thought we could. There are times when we face a challenge and we feel discouraged or fearful. After all we are just coming out of a scary time in recent history and we might be a little more cautious than usual. However, whenever we desire something with all of our heart, we will find the strength to achieve it. We need to set our mind in the right state and let nothing, absolutely nothing, stop us from getting it. Plot a route and go for it!

Accomplishing something that is bigger than ourselves can come from any areas of our lives. It does not have to be only professionally. How about that desire to learn how to dance or paint? How about reading some memoirs? How about changing your hair style? Even more, how about ending a friendship because it does not serve you anymore? The challenge can be in one or more areas of your life. By starting slowly and working on one aspect or challenge at a time, you will slowly shape the life you truly want to live and be able to live it. I am right here to lend you a hand!

Go out there and be brave! I know you can do it!

What big and small roadblocks have you encountered in your life and how did you surmount them? I would love to hear from you.

Having enough

Many times in life we wonder why others seem to have it easier than us. Our minds race over what we can do about it. Sometimes we might even feel a little jealous about it. Other times, wanting more becomes a trap: a bigger car, a bigger house, longer and more expensive vacations. Reality is, having enough is a mind set. The conviction of having enough comes with the training of the mind and awareness. No way around it.

The sense of not enough permeates all areas of our lives. Do we have enough money? Do we have enough time? Do we have enough fun? Do we have enough friends? The list can be very long.

We seem to live in the era of "more is better." But, wait a minute, is more always better?

Do we need that fourth pair of new shoes this year? Do we really need a fifth pair of boots? Or, is it absolutely necessary to get those $300 jeans? Do we want to pay for and collect things we never use and end up giving away for pennies at a garage sale or donating it? Do we even want all that clutter?

Awareness is the first step toward realizing that we have enough. We will always have enough as long as we structure our lives around what we have built and what we have and can afford.

At a financial level, it might mean keeping a watchful eye on all purchases we make. It is easy to forget that unless we pay the credit card balance in full every month, carrying a balance incurs a very high financial cost via monthly interest. If we are instead referring to not having enough fun, we might want to consider what truly makes us feel happy. Is it a quiet walk in the mountains? Having friends over for dinner? By the way, having friends over for dinner does not mean you have to spend a lot of money and stress over it. A simple dinner together will do. Even buying take out might do. What matters is the time spent together and the intention.

How about not enough down time or free time? Cutting minutes here and there will help. Perhaps watching less TV or spending less time on electronic devices will provide more time to decompress and recharge. Sometimes saying no to events we are invited to is the best way to get centered and find that so treasured free time. We live in days when we seem to always be on the go and when nobody wants to be seen as the slow poke.

However, it is important to always put yourself first when it comes to rest and finding quiet time to release stress. Whenever one member of the family is stressed out and all over the place, surely everybody else in the family will notice it and likely be affected negatively.

Not enough peace of mind? Find a hobby, yoga or meditation class where you can empty your mind out. Take a couple of breaths and try again! It might start slowly, but the transformative power of mindful practices and activities has been documented by many studies.

Having enough is finding meaning in life. Finding the true meaning in the simple things in life. Think of a warm hug, a photo of your significant other, child, grandchild or pet. Spending more quality time with loved ones, keeping things simple and pondering if we really need to make that next purchase will help us walk in life a little more lightly and with less and less baggage over time.