Day 2 of 100. Today I have 9 tasks/habits to complete to advance on the road to my perfect Life. Will I finish all of them? I don’t think so. Maybe 5 or 6 of them… Can I do better? Absolutely! Why don’t I? Because I don’t want to force it. In the end, I want to create habits. If I start to force it, most probably at some point, I will drop them altogether. This is mental.
After yesterday’s post, I had a long discussion about what mental health means. And I heard a lot of right definitions, but we need to understand that “mental health” can have a different meaning for each of us.
Today I would like to speak about my approach to mental health.
Table of contents:
What mental health means for me
When I am speaking about mental health, I mean:
- Been mentally stable and conscious/ been present;
- Been in control of my own emotions and thoughts
- Always see situations clearly, as it is
- Feeling in control of my time
- Wake up in the morning full of energy and excitement
- Having enough energy for everything
- Been creative
If any of these points are missing, it’s a red flag for me. For example: as a person who works with graphic and web design, if I see that it takes more than an hour to create a concept for a website, If I can’t imagine the end product – it means that I burned out, and it’s time to review my schedule, maybe even take time off away from the computer.
Lately, the big problem I have is going to sleep very late watching social media, which affects my health a lot, and not only mentally. It makes me lazier throughout the day, less focused, and less creative.
Do you see how one thing can change your life?
My routine to be in the right mind.
To make sure I am staying in control and present, I have a morning routine. I start to build morning routine habits a month ago ( or so).
The first time I tried to create a morning routine for myself was a year ago. At that point, I found a book call Miracle Morning.
Fun story:
Before reading this book, I always considered myself a night owl 🦉. I felt that there is no way I will be able to wake up one or two hours earlier for something that is not going to give some type of direct benefit. Oh my, was I wrong…
At the moment Miracle Morning book landed in my hands, I just started waking up an hour earlier. With no reason… Unconsciously… and I still can’t explain why.
The book itself was very easy and fun to read. Book clearly explains the “science” behind the morning routines and motivates you to create your own. And I did 😃… Till I finished the book 🥺.
After the book has been closed, the motivation has left me.
I know, right?!
But a month ago, multiple circumstances were occurring in my life that brings me back to my morning routine. It started to influence my life so much that I believe this time I will stick to it.
By the book, the morning routine should contain:
- Silents/meditation
- Affirmations
- Visualization
- Exercise
- Reading
- Scribing/writing
I get captivated by 3 of them: exercise, reading, and writing (I fall asleep if I start to meditate in the morning 😂). And because I need to read my life plan for the next 90 days, and my life plan contains affirmations – affirmations also getting part of my morning routine.
There is something I discovered when I am doing it:
Writing helps me control my emotions, help me stay present, and look at situations objectively.
Reading gets me curious. Depending on the book, it can motivate me to take some type of action that day.
Exercise prepares me mentally for the upcoming day, wakes me up, and gives me energy.
Reading my life plan/affirmations before the working day started reminds me of what I need to focus on and why. It helps me go through the task list and set priorities.
Sometimes you just need a rest.
When you go to the gym, trainers always recommend taking at least one day break for your muscles to recover—the same with your mental health. Sometimes you just need to take a break.
Turn off your cell and go for a long walk or hike. Go for a weekend somewhere where is no signal. Or simply sleep the whole day if needed (again no internet, tv or cellphone). Disconnect.
It’s incredible how much it will do for you. In the noise of the world/social media/news, sometimes we stop hearing ourselves. In the run for a “better life”, we forget to actually live.
The simple stop for a moment can help us come back to our senses, recharge our energy, remind our own WHY so when we return on the road, we can win the marathon we call LIFE.
