It is just as important to take care of your mental health as it is to look after your physical health. Here are two ways to do this.
Avoid using unhealthy substances to cope with stressful situations
It's extremely common for people to seek comfort in the form of alcohol and junk food when they are forced to deal with stressful situations. However, regularly turning to these unhealthy substances can affect both your physical and mental wellbeing.
They can lead to weight gain, lethargy and low moods, all of which can increase your chances of developing depression and anxiety.
Given this, it is crucial to monitor your behaviour in stressful circumstances and to try to replace any unhealthy coping mechanisms you currently employ with healthier ones.
For example, rather than pouring a large glass of wine after a difficult day, you could go for a bike ride or call a friend. Similarly, instead of ordering an unhealthy takeaway meal, you and your partner, friends or family members could spend an hour or two preparing a nutritious meal together.
Take action as soon as you notice the first signs of a decline in your mental health
Many people make the mistake of ignoring the first signs of a decline in their mental health. Instead of addressing their symptoms, they simply choose to 'power through' and carry on with their usual activities.
However, common mental health problems like anxiety and depression rarely go away of their own accord and in fact, will usually worsen if you fail to nip them in the bud.
When these conditions become more severe, they can be much harder to handle; in many cases, people need to have therapy, take medication and take time off work in order to recover.
As such, it's important to take action as soon as you notice any negative changes to your mental health.
If for example, you find yourself feeling anxious every night when you go to bed and this is affecting the quality of your sleep, you might want to try going for a walk in the early evenings and meditating for ten minutes or so before you go to bed.
In this situation, it could also be helpful to take a bath each night and to pour a few drops of an essential oil blend for anxiety into the water. The combination of the warm water and the aromatherapy oils will help to relax both your mind and your body. This, in turn, will make it easier for you to fall asleep and get a good night's rest.