Mental health refers to your psychological well-being and includes your ability to manage your emotions and deal with daily struggles. Strong mental health ensures you’re equipped to cope with stress, conflicts in relationships, and life’s various challenges. Here are six simple things you can do to strengthen your mental health and build resilience:
- Connect with others: Quality relationships and social connections can be a significant source of support. Catch up with an old friend over a meal or sign up for a class at the mosque to meet new people.
- Take care of your body: A healthy diet can go a long way in providing you with more energy and improving your mood. Eat nutritious meals and avoid self-medicating emotional stress with unhealthy foods.
- Learn to manage stress more effectively: Although we may not be able to avoid stress, we can learn better ways to cope with it. Listen to Quran, read a good book, or take a walk in nature. Be careful to avoid unhealthy coping such as over-sleeping or mindless TV watching.
- Stay active: Physical activity releases endorphins; powerful chemicals that are directly linked to improving our mood and boosting energy. Take short walks outdoors during breaks or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Find small ways to increase your physical activity!
- Get plenty of rest: Lack of sleep can take a toll on your mood, energy and your ability to manage stress. Sleep deprivation also increases your risk of developing mental health problems and affects your psychological state. Practice good “sleep hygiene” by creating a winding down routine for the night, sleeping in a dark room free of distractions and maintaining a regular sleep-wake schedule.
- Give of yourself: One of the ways in which we can live our purpose as Muslims is by benefiting others around us. Engaging in this kind of work can relieve us of stress and improve our overall mental and emotional health. Spend quality time with those who may not have a lot of support such as elderly relatives or volunteer at the mosque.