Introduction
Our mental health is the most important aspect of our wellbeing, due to the fact it is the main source of control in our lives. With what has happened over the last year and a half we have been greatly affected mentally, emotionally, and physically with how limited we have become to our environment. This is very important in how it effects our mental health. Establishing a good gratitude practice, manifesting your dreams, and creating a positive self-talk will help you in keeping your mindset positive and strong.
What is gratitude? How is it beneficial?
Gratitude is the quality of being thankful for the current positive aspects of your life. It’s the ability to recognize the good over the bad, it’s the source of pure optimism. Having a sense of gratefulness will carry you throughout your day feeling more uplifted and happy so establishing a gratitude practice each day is a great way to set yourself for success.
How does having a gratitude practice benefit our mental health?
1. Makes up happier: Just by journaling for a few minutes a day what you are grateful for can enhance your sense of happiness.
2. Enhances positive emotions: feeling a sense of gratefulness facilitates positive energy within your body which therefore keeps negative thoughts from roaming in your mind. Keeping things like jealousy, complaining, negative self-talk down.
3. Increase our self-esteem: through having a consistent gratitude practice it has been shown to improve our self-worth and overall confidence.
4. Make us more effective managers: being more grateful has shown to improve leadership skills, and has shown to enhance our managerial skills and our abilities to be better mentors.
5. Improve mental health and reduce stress: by employing gratitude in your daily life, it has shown to heavily decrease stress, depression, and help you maintain a patient and present attitude.
Your self-talk matters!!
The way we talk to others is very important to us all to hold a certain standard and to be uplifting to the people around us. We are prone to the way we talk to ourselves, we don’t often uplift ourselves which is very important for our mental health. Having a positive mindset begins with the way we talk to ourselves. Through that we can establish positive affirmations, which are phrases that we say to ourselves at the beginning each day to set ourselves up for success. By having positive affirmations in our lives we can see the following benefits;
1. More self-confidence:
a. Positive self-talk can manifest a more confident sense of self, therefore increasing your confidence.
2. Less stress:
a. Having a more positive mindset has shown to decrease stress and help with better decision making.
3. Less anxiety:
a. Through setting positive affirmations for yourself you can decrease your anxiety.
4. Better decision making:
a. Having a calm and optimistic mindset can help you make better decisions in stressful situations.
5. Better social relationships:
a. When you are a more positive person you attract positive people.
How can I bring more gratitude & positivity into my life?
Positivity can be created in various ways, but it takes consistently practicing them each day. Some ways to begin implementing more positivity and gratitude into your life are;
- Journaling:
o Journaling is a great way to begin your day with gratitude. All it takes is writing down just 5 things that you are grateful for and then below that writing 5 positive affirmations for yourself. It literally takes 3-5 minutes and is so impactful on your mindset.
- Meditation & manifestation:
o Meditation is very powerful for keeping you calm and relaxed. Manifestation is a tool used to help envision a life you really want to live. So while you’re meditating imagine a place you would love to be in that very moment; this creates our place of serenity. For example, when I am personally meditating and manifesting I imagine myself in the clouds floating feeling the wind on my skin, seeing the sun across the horizon. Be vivid and specific with your vision. This is a great way to ease your mind and set it up for a more positive outlook on life.
- Grounding w/ gratitude:
o Think back to when you were a kid, what was one thing you loved to do? I’m guessing it was playing outside, running around with no shoes on in the grass and in the dirt. Well as humans we are designed to be out in nature. A great way to get out in nature more often is to take 10-15 minutes a day and go walk around in the grass with no shoes and think about the things you’re grateful for. Getting grounded to the earth will help you absorb so many minerals from the soil that will energize your body.
By establishing some of these different habits you then begin to have a more positive and healthier mindset.
Environment is everything!
Our daily environment affects every aspect of our mental health. Who you hang around, you become. If you are around negative people who complain, are depressed, bitter, or just overall a bad attitude, you will begin to notice feeling a little more irritable, eager to complain about daily tasks, depressed. If you feel any of these feelings, then it may just be a good idea to take a look at who you are around every day and see who you might just need to distance yourself from. It may be hard to distance yourself from these people at first but it is necessary for your mental wellbeing.
When is it time to get help?
Now more than ever therapy and counseling are so beneficial for your mental health. Having someone to be able to go to and work through all of your past and present traumas can really enhance your ability to establish a more positive mindset. So if you are struggling seek help! It may be the thing you need to really take that step forward towards happiness. We all need someone who we can talk to that is going to listen to understand and not just listen to reply.
Summary
Over the past year and a half, we have been tested and our mental health has been effected greatly, so now it’s more important than ever to take care of your brain and develop the mindset necessary for what the future holds. Now you can begin your journey towards establishing a positive and uplifting mindset through the power of journaling, meditation, manifesting, grounding, and even therapy.
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