Self-Care Practice for Mental Health Detox: Mindful Rejuvenation

There is too much hustle and bustle in our daily lives; somewhere, it is work pressure, and it could be personal struggles with others. Whatever the reason, our mental health suffers the most.

Finding moments of self-care and juggling between the different aspects of our lives becomes challenging. However, we must all understand that self-care is as important as anything else.

So, how do you start your self-care? Let us share a secret. Your self-care success begins with taking care of your mental health, often known as “Mental Detox.”

As our bodies need a regular detox to clear up toxins and remain healthy, our mind also needs a mental detox to unwind and release stress.

Therefore, you must create a self-care routine explicitly tailored to your needs. Let’s find out everything about self-care and tips for mental detox in this article.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care is about taking care of you to remain healthy. When you indulge in self-care, you take steps to stay well, do your job, help and care for others, and do everything you ever wanted to do.

When you do self-care, you can better cope with so much stress. With so much happening around us, we all get lost in our daily lives with no time to take care of ourselves. Hence, there is a need and requirement to be involved in self-care activities.

In simple words, self-care is taking care of your emotional and physical needs. As per WHO, self-care means “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker ^[1].”

Therefore, self-care is maintaining hygiene, eating nutritious food, and seeking medical help. It is everything an individual needs to manage their life effectively.

What is Mental Self-Care?

Mental health is still a taboo in Indian culture. Although with awareness and various activity, centres opened in our country, people have started talking about it slowly.

However, there is still much need to discuss and learn about what is mental health, especially mental self-care.

When we talk about mental self-care, it goes more than just mental illness. It is about emotional, social, and physiological well-being. The thing that is essential for everyone to understand is that mental self-care is needed to enhance your quality of life ^[2].

It entails techniques and exercises promoting mental and emotional well-being, assisting people in stress reduction, building resilience, and cultivating a positive mindset.

Let’s look at some exciting and fabulous tips to help with mental self-care or mental detox.

Tips for Self-Care

Self-care, in a simple and easy-to-understand form, is taking out to do things you love or enjoy. These are things that you are unable to do because of your busy schedule. These simple things can help you improve your mental and social well-being.

#1. Regular Exercise

If there is anything that can help enhance our overall health, it is physical activities, such as exercises. Engaging in physical activity can significantly improve our overall health.

Do you know even a small walk can positively impact our mental health? When you exercise, you ask your mind to be alert and active, which helps you be energetic and improve your mood.

Regular exercise can also reduce the stress in our lives and thus help enhance the overall quality of our lives ^[3].

#2. Healthy and Regular Meals

Do you know depression and anxiety are amongst the most common mental issues worldwide ^[4]? And what if we tell you eating healthy and regular meals can help you with mental well-being?

Yes, it’s true. Food and mood are related to each other. Mediterranean and plant-based (or vegan) diets are associated with mental well-being ^[5].

How? Regular meals ensure your blood sugar levels are always controlled, making you feel energetic and active. You should include a completely balanced diet not only for mental but also for overall wellness.

Include more whole grains, vegetables, and fruits in your diet. They are loaded with minerals and vitamins that are good for brain health. Remember to include proteins containing amino acids, which your brain will need to regulate mood ^[6].

Take care of your digestive health as it can directly impact your mood and improve, or worse, your mental well-being. You can check your gut health by taking a small digestive quotient test created by Aashirvaad Atta.

#3. Proper Sleep

We often say good night before sleep. Do you know why? Because good sleep is vital for your body to perform its daily activities. If you do not sleep well, you will wake up exhausted and unable to do anything productive.

No matter how your day goes by, you should ensure that you have an excellent night’s sleep for your mental well-being ^[7]. Here are a few ways to get a proper sleep:

• Set a proper bedtime routine and ensure you follow it.
• Do not use gadgets during your bedtime. It distracts our minds, and we end up watching the screen more.
• Dim lights near bedtime and use fragrant candles to create a relaxing atmosphere.
• You can even play soft music like sea waves, white music, or a light tabla for relaxation.
• If you are exhausted, try relaxing your foot with ghee. It will make you comfortable and relieve stress and tiredness, offering you a good night’s sleep.

#4. Enjoying Relaxing Activity

Relaxing activities encourage a healthy mind and body. You can indulge in meditation, yoga, breathing, or muscle relaxation. And you do not have to go out for these activities; you can do it in your free time.

You can sit quietly in a room and practice breathing exercises or download beginner’s yoga and meditation lessons and start incorporating them into your daily routine.

When your body is relaxed, your mind will automatically feel good and healthy ^[8].

#5. Setting Goals and Priorities

You are not required to do everything. The world has, can, and will continue to operate even when you refuse to do something. However, we do not always believe in it.

We often take work that can be done later or by someone else. Most of us do not know how to say NO as we fear the other person may feel bad or offended. However, saying NO is not bad, it is taking care of your mental health.

You can use that time to write journals or reflect on how your day went. It will give time for your brain to relax ^[9].

#6. Gratitude Practice for Self-Care

Gratitude is taking your life positively. Every day, something will be good; you need to spend time to rewind, recall, and write. It would help if you appreciated the small things around you.

Thinking of positive moments can help in enhancing our mental wellness. When you show gratitude, you create a visual reminder of what happened, which allows your mind to stay happy ^[10].

#7. Positivity

The best way to remain happy is to believe in yourself. It would help if you were optimistic about yourself. It would help if you told yourself that you can do things.

Self-motivation and affirmation can significantly impact your well-being. Positive affirmations can change how you think and feel about yourself. Try appreciating yourself instead of waiting for someone to do it to you ^[11].

#8. Staying Connected for Self-Care

We all need our families and friends at all times. They are our backbone and keep us happy. However, staying connected doesn’t mean talking to each other through messages.

Though there is nothing wrong with it, if you stay far away, it is the best way to stay connected. However, it would help if you tried to meet and spend time with people who make you happy.

It will help you holistically improve your well-being ^[12].

#9. Less Stress

Do not run in your life. Take it easy. Life is short, and we should enjoy the small moments and appreciate everything around us. That is how you can worry and stress less.

When we are under stress, we put our brains to work extra, not allowing time to relax and rewind. For a healthy mind, you need to take less stress. Do one thing at a time, get involved in a new habit, get creative, and do what makes you happy ^[13].

#10. Spending Time in Nature for Self-Care

Spending time in nature can help us relax and keep our minds and bodies fresh and energetic. Besides, it also encourages physical activity and social engagement ^[14].

When you connect with nature, you reduce stress and improve your overall well-being. It would help if you spent time during the Brahma muhurta.

It lasts for 48 minutes, beginning 1 hour 36 minutes prior to sunrise and ending 48 minutes later. During this period, our mind is alert, active, and more intuitive ^[15].

You can meditate, exercise, or perform any religious activity during this period. All of these will help to relax your mind.

However, remember to appreciate nature by spending time without technology. Go for walks but without your headphones. Instead of listening to music, listen to the lovely birds’ sound and enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.

#11. Taking Up Pampering Spa, etc. for Self-Care

It is a crucial component of self-care that can improve your general well-being and mental health. Pampering yourself can lower stress, boost your mood, strengthen your self-worth, encourage better sleep, and give you more time for introspection.

You can pamper yourself with spa sessions, sunbathing, or other therapies. These pampering activities relax our body and mind, making us feel happy and rejuvenated ^[16].

#12. Stopping Comparison/ Jealousy Cycles

Mental self-care needs to break the cycles of jealousy and comparison because these behaviours can be detrimental to one’s well-being and result in elevated tension, anxiety, and a lowered feeling of self-worth.

Constantly comparing oneself to others can lead to unrealistic expectations and standards, which can harm one’s self-esteem. By escaping these cycles, individuals can develop a more positive perspective that emphasizes their abilities, accomplishments, and individual journey.

This change in viewpoint encourages higher levels of self-acceptance, enhanced self-esteem, and an all-around happier mental state.

#13. Attending Wellness Retreats for Self-Care

The main goal of a wellness retreat is to escape the daily grind and unwind from the stress and strain of life’s obligations. It aids in raising productivity so that you can return to your regular routines following your wellness vacation with greater efficiency.

Enhancements in mood, sleep quality, and general physical health might result from attending a wellness retreat. Furthermore, wellness retreats offer a community of like-minded people with comparable ideals and aspirations.

#14. Dopamine Detox

The idea of dopamine detoxification has become more popular recently. This method entails removing oneself from dopamine-releasing activities such as social media, video games, recreational activities, and other obsessive habits that stimulate the dopaminergic system to engage our brain’s reward system.

People who take breaks from these stimuli find that their brains re-sensitize to natural pleasures and have more time for purposeful, meaningful pursuits. Long-term benefits of this detox include increased appreciation for small pleasures, mindfulness, and assistance in ending addictive behaviours. These benefits also improve focus, motivation, and overall well-being ^[17].

#15. Re-diverting Our Brain Hormones

There are various hormones in our bodies, and one of them is known as feel-good hormones. It is because they can make you feel happy.

When we feel tired, sad, exhausted, or depressed, we should aim ourselves to re-divert our brains and think of only good.

You can increase these feel-good hormones by having a regular and healthy diet, exercising, and connecting with people you love ^[18].

# 16. Clearing Up the Clutter

One effective way to take care of oneself mentally is to declutter mentally and physically. Because a clutter-free atmosphere fosters a sense of order and control and lessens feelings of overwhelm, it can positively affect mental health.

Decluttering and organizing physical places can help declutter the mind and make a more tranquil and harmonious home. Reducing clutter and streamlining one’s environment can help one think more clearly, concentrate better, and work more efficiently.

Encouraging people to focus on what is essential helps them be more at ease, balanced, and mentally clear in their day-to-day activities ^[19].

Symptoms Showing Mental Fatigue

People need to know and recognize the symptoms of mental fatigue. It will help them recollect themselves and look for the best solution. Some of these symptoms are ^[20]:

• Low emotional resilience
• Feeling anxious or stressed
• Getting irritated with everyone
• Feeling helpless
• Low motivation
• Suicidal thoughts
• Depression

Conclusion

Making a significant investment in your mental health is creating a calming self-care regimen, similar to a mental detox. Taking a deliberate break from everyday life’s rigours can allow you to rejuvenate and engage in introspection.

You can reduce stress and develop a more resilient mentality by engaging in relaxation-promoting activities like deep breathing, mindfulness exercises, or leisurely hobbies. The mind gains from periods of silence and self-care, just as the body does from a cleanse.

This habit becomes a haven, providing a break from the nonstop stimulation of the contemporary world. By committing to this mental detox, you can cultivate a better sense of equilibrium, emotional health, and long-term mental resilience.

You don’t have to follow all the above activities. Go for the ones that suit you and, most importantly, that you love to do.

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