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Over the last few months on the blog, I’ve talked a lot about mindset and how to stay positive. Today, I’d like to talk about the difference between mindset and mental health. How to listen to your body, mind, and heart and what they may be trying to tell you when you’re struggling. As much as some of us sometimes don’t want to listen, our bodies are always telling us what we are capable of. When we don’t listen, we can push ourselves too hard, too fast, or work at something too much. Eventually, we become exhausted quickly and set ourselves up for failure. Our bodies lack the bias that we sometimes can’t look past. So, when you’re exhausting your energy too fast and ignoring your body or mind’s pleas to slow down, your mental health suffers.
Mental Health is a serious matter, especially given the climate of the world right now. We’re all recovering from the effects of a global pandemic, a divided political exchange, and the personal effects these situations had on our lives. Today on La.Rue, we’re going to have an open and honest conversation about Mental Health. Why it is so important, putting yourself first and listening to what your mind and body are trying to communicate to you. I want to fully disclose; I am not a mental health professional. Nor do I have a degree in a field. Today, I am simply having a conversation from me to you about the subject of mental health.
Mental Health Versus Mindset
Mindset is an emotionally motivating step you take to work towards a goal—it centers around confidence, motivation, and drive. When you have a positive mindset, it means you’re optimistic about your ability to work on something, reach a completion, and achieve. Mental Health has more to do with your actions, or lack thereof, in what you’re doing to physically and emotionally take care of yourself. You can have a positive mindset about something while simultaneously disregarding your mental health. It involves an articulate balance of a push and pull relationship. Only you are capable of understanding what your mind and body are capable of achieving in one day. Over time, we can evolve and train ourselves to take on more, work more hours, get less sleep, etc. But what we’re incapable of doing is going from zero to one hundred in a day.
This is why I so strongly advocate and practice Intentional Living. When you Live Intentionally, you’re able to create an acute balance of self-care and a positive mindset. By creating positive habits and executing a productive daily routine, you’re multitasking in taking care of your mental health by completing habits that instill happiness and self-care while staying productive daily, which creates a positive outlook and mindset. Your mental health and mindset go hand-in-hand, but if you don’t put your well-being first, your mindset and mental health will suffer from your lack of self-care.
Improving Your Mental Health
Know when you need to take a break. As I said, listening to your mind and body is the most important part of your mental health and improving it. As I sit here writing this to you, I’ve been basically on bed rest for the last few days due to a debilitating neck spasm that has me unable to move because of the pain. My body spoke, and I had no choice but to listen. I had myself so stressed out and so emotional about things in my personal life; my body told me that it was time to rest. Although in my first few days of lying in bed, I did feel guilty for not working and getting behind. I eventually realized that it was my body’s way of telling me I needed to relax and take a breather.
Taking care of yourself is not a chore and should never require thought. If you’re getting constant headaches or suffering from excessive exhaustion or some other symptom that has you feeling drained and unable to be productive, it’s your body’s way of telling you it’s time to take a breather and reevaluate your routine. When you develop a clear daily routine for yourself and develop positive habits in your life that involve self-care, you’re incorporating improving your mental health into your daily life.
Self-Care & Creating Positive Vibes
When you connect with your mental health and understand how you’re physically and emotionally feeling, you’re able to care for yourself in new ways. When I say self-care, I don’t just mean eating good, drinking water, and washing your makeup off at night. In this context, self-care means doing what’s best for you, even when it may upset another person. When it comes to your mental health, self-care means saying no, being selfish, and making decisions only based on you. In the blog, 5 Bad Habits to Kick in 2021, I go more in-depth on these habits and changing them. Your mental health is something that only you have control over and the ability to change. When you allow someone’s opinions or perception of you, your body, your success, or your life, alter what you think of yourself, you’re giving away your autonomy and diminishing your mental health.
Always put yourself first. Your emotional and physical well-being are far more important than what one person thinks of you. When you understand your mental health and HOW to take care of yourself, you gain power, confidence, and control. By doing so, you will then create a positive mindset, productive routines, and habits, all leading you to live an intentional and positive life. Start today by making a short list of all the things you can control in your life, and take control of those things. When you take control of small aspects of your life, like your routines and physical well-being, you begin to improve your mental health and create positive vibes.
