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Hello! Thanks to Mariam for allowing me to guest post on her blog. For those who don’t know me, I’m Sarah and I blog over at www.sunshinesarahxo.com – a place where you can come to feel better about life. I write about mental health, self-care, my journey into veganism, completing the Couch to 5K, and the occasional Netflix recommendation! 

Self Care For Better Mental Health

“Self-care is defined as the practice of consciously doing things that preserve or improve your mental or physical health and/or well-being.”

We all know how important it is to look after not only our physical selves, but our mental well-being too, but sometimes this can be last on our list of responsibilities especially when work and family seem to take up all our time! 

But one thing we must realise is that if our cup isn’t full, how can we be expected to fill up others’ cups? To be at our absolute best we must learn to look after ourselves in the best form possible. 

Self-care means different things to different people and isn’t simply bubble baths and Netflix marathons, but this in itself shouldn’t be disregarded just because it doesn’t work for you. Our mental well-being is important and so is finding the right self-care for you. 

For some of us, even the most basic of tasks can seem daunting when our mental health is at its lowest and this shouldn’t be dismissed either. For these times, getting up each day, brushing your teeth/hair and eating are the very acts of self-care that help to sustain them in that moment. 

Looking after yourself both mentally and physically is crucial to ensuring your overall health is kept in good working order. Self-care doesn’t have to cost the earth or indeed take up a lot of time, there are a multitude of options if neither of these things is on your side. 

Self Care Ideas

Self-care means different things to different people and you should never be afraid to do whatever it is that can bring you back to happiness when you’re feeling low.  

Like I said before, for some of us the simplest acts of looking after ourselves are the bubble baths and Netflix marathons to others and they shouldn’t be dismissed because of this. I’m simply saying that these ideas could help you if you’re looking for other ways to help your mental well-being (and of course are up to participating in them)

• Talking to a friend 
• Journaling 
• Getting out in nature 
• Being creative 
• Writing a letter to a friend 
• Netflix marathons 
• Baking + Cooking 
• Finding a therapist or other professional 
• Painting your nails
• Doing a facemask
• Bubble baths 

Simply doing an act of self-care can help life your mood, especially if it’s one of your favourite activities. Making time to prioritise self-care can help to manage mental health issues and might even prevent them from getting worse. 

Self-care isn’t a substitute for professional help and you shouldn’t feel you have to tackle your problems alone. If your mental health is suffering, you should always talk to someone. If you’re looking to improve your mental well-being, taking time to care for yourself both mentally and physically is really important. 

How The Pandemic Changed Us.

If the last year and a half has taught us anything, it’s that we absolutely can and should take care of ourselves more and start putting that at the top of our to-do list. Having so much time at home has served us well especially those of us for whom social interaction can leave us feeling drained or even not wanting to socialise at all. 

Having suffered from social anxiety in the past, not having to interact with other humans (other than my parents) really helped my mental well-being. I didn’t have to worry about going to new places, meeting new people, and feeling daunted by the very act of stepping inside a new (or sometimes familiar) venue. 

But having the world re-open again led to me having this same feeling I thought had gone quiet. Having to muster up the energy to once again talk to people and be in crowds left me needing to spend yet more time at home, alone to recharge my batteries. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way as it’s yet another familiar feeling I’m seeing time and again on my timelines. Does this mean that we’re all destined to never again socialise without leaving a buffer on each side, to prepare us and then recharge us? 

Maybe, maybe not. I guess it all depends on what fills up our cups and what makes them overflow. Starting small is one easy way to overcome this feeling and building on this with people and places we know and trust can easily have our cups filling up with the good stuff. 

Just because the world is once again re-open for business also doesn’t mean that we all need to be rushing back out there. Perhaps the pandemic has made some of us yearn for the comforts of home over the exciting allure of what was once shiny to us. 

There’s no harm in wanting this either. You shouldn’t feel pressured to resume the life you once had because of this, maybe this time at home has made you more aware of the activities (and people) which bring you joy. 

It’s similar to some people realising that their corporate (or perhaps not a corporate job) isn’t what they want anymore. Deciding what makes you tick along happily and ditching what doesn’t shouldn’t be any different and you absolutely shouldn’t be made to feel any less because of this choice either. 

Make yourself happy, because at the end of the day, you only have one life and you need to spend it doing what makes you the happiest. Screw the capitalist idea, branch out into what sets your heart on fire, makes you feel the most confident and see what can happen!

Related posts:
30 DAYS OF SELF-CARE CHALLENGE
THE PERFECT SUNDAY SELF-CARE ROUTINE

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