I had to smile at the post prompt this week for Hive Learners prompt about "For your Mental Health" and they mentioned things like "take a vacation", "cut out someone toxic", or "quit a bad job" and to be certain any one of those things can be an important step towards mental health. However I would say that most of the time it isn't big gestures that make the difference, its the small things done regularly.
It's the little things
It's amazing how people always look for the culprit or the quick fix.
As a Pharmacist I hear about people gaining weight. They blame it on big Christmas or Thanksgiving dinners. Or how they overate on vacation. Now having gained a bunch of weight on a cruise I will agree that sometimes it is really overdoing it for a week that packs on the pounds.
However, more often than not its the little things that add up. It's the extra doughnut in the morning with coffee every day. That adds up to a lot of extra weight.
Or it is little things like getting in the habit of taking the car or the escalator when you could walk or take the stairs.
It's hitting the snooze button a couple of times instead of getting up and taking a few moments to pray and read the bible.
Even in relationships people often look to the flashy one time things to make a relationship but in reality its the little things day after day after day.
..... and guess what. A lot of mental health is about the little things.
Small steps towards Mental Health
Will getting rid of toxic people improve your mental health? Absolutely. Will vacations allow you to escape stress and rejuvenate. Absolutely. Will quitting a toxic job and starting a better one leave you less stressed. Oh yes.
.... But you can't always do those things. Sometimes you just have to get through the day. Sometimes you just have to get through the next 5 minutes and that is were the little things come in oh so handy.
For myself there are lots of little things that I do throughout the day...every day...to maintain my sanity.
Here are just a few as examples:
- Breathing. Take a few deep breaths. And imagine breathing in fresh air and breathing out the stress. Okay, it is silly but believe it or not, it helps, and its free.
Side benefit.... A few seconds to breathe helps keep me from blurting out things I might regret later when I'm angry.
Don't sweat the small stuff. Sometime things just don't go my way. Sometimes I get hit with a big flaming pile of crap. Guess what, it sucks. However, if I step back and ask "is this really going to make a difference in the long run?" Most of the time the answer is no and that keeps things in perspective.
Count my blessings. Okay. Life happens. Things break. Envy creeps in. I totally get it. But taking a few minutes to look at things like "My car is crappy but I have a car, I can afford insurance, it isn't broken, I have a job to go to.....and keep the list going". It is hard to stay upset when you are looking at all the good things.
Positive Mindset. Another fun tool. When I feel anger, envy or other negative emotion try to take control. Acknowledge the feeling and that the feeling will just make me feel worse. Then drive it away so I can keep my happy feeling. It sounds stupid but it works.
Pray. Okay, only works for those people with a faith background so for those who are agnostic or atheists this isn't for you. However, every day I say a quick prayer before going to work. It really helps. At least for me.
When was the last time I did something for my mental health?
That is the question for the Hive learners prompt. The simple is probably 5 minutes ago when I started writing this article. What is the first thing I did? Deep breath in and exhale slowly to clear my mind so I can focus on writing. Or perhaps halfway through when I stopped to think about all the things I'm grateful for.
Sure those are just very little things. I will say though.... little things add up. Don't believe me? Try going to the gym for 15 minutes every day. Try doing a small thing for your spouse for just 1 minute 10 times a day. Try skipping the sweets a few times a day or just making a healthier choice when its presented. The results are cumulative for those things....and it works for mental health also.
Nothing against the big gestures...but don't forget the small stuff for a firm foundation.
And I guess I should add. Some people have more than the usual amount of stress or even mental illness. There are times when it is essential to see mental health professionals or even use medication. However, I still believe small steps set a better foundation to use medication or counselling on.
Or maybe you totally disagree...
Feel free to leave a comment, I love comments. And thanks for reading :)
It's something I believe with firmness. Small acts and attitudes are of far more importance in creating difference.
Most of the time we are complaining about the bigger hurdles of life, while I have observed focusing on modifying little hassles adds a lot to our productivity and peace of mind
There is a lot of truth in that. Focusing too much on the big things you can't change rather than focusing on the little things you can just brings despair. I'm not really a big fan of that emotion :) I'd much rather do the little things day by day knowing I made the best of what little I've been given