Maintenance of Mental Health—4 Ways to Remain in Control

At this point, I’m sure everyone is aware of the severity of the situation we are in. If you are a college student, you are most likely experiencing an array of feelings as changes from your normal way of life have begun to set in.

All of this has the ability to cause some serious mental turmoil. I am here to tell you that this situation will be for you what you decide it will be.

Today, I am going to share with you 4 ways to take control of your mental state and improve your mental health.

 

  • Maintain a routine, at least in the morning and evening

I cannot say enough great things about a simple, minimal routine. Routines are meant to establish consistency so that your mind can rest at ease in the things that make you happy.

Morning routines are meant to help you start your day with the things that make you feel good. Evening routines are meant to signal to your body and mind that it’s time to go to sleep. Combined, this can be the solution to an anxious mind and an at-ease mind.

If you’re interested in how to build a morning routine, we have a blog post about this on our site. 

 

  • Take time to meditate

Meditation is actually one of the simplest ways to improve your mental health. It is not complicated and is actually meant to be so minimal and simple. 

To meditate, all you have to do is sit quietly for a few minutes and breathe. What you are going to do is work on identifying your thoughts. You are not going to try to prevent thoughts from coming up, or change thoughts from negative to positive—all you are going to do is notice them.

What this does is teaches your mind to separate your thoughts from you. 

You are not anxious, you are having an anxious thought. 

You are not angry, you are having an angry thought.

This is such a revelation to have once you have it. Meditation will teach you how to be an observer of your thoughts without letting your thoughts define who you are or what you are experiencing.

 

  • Practice gratitude

Take 2 minutes to list some things you are grateful for. Our minds work in crazy ways. What we think is predominantly ruled by our subconscious—in other words, most of the things we think, we are not choosing. We operate in autopilot mode most of the time. 

The good news is, you have the ability to change this. To move from subconscious to conscious thinking, all you have to do is be intentional and tell your mind what to focus on!

This is why gratitude lists are so amazing. By listing out a few things that you are grateful for, it puts your mind in a state of gratitude and abundance. This is one of the healthiest things you can do for your mind.

 

  • Get moving

Moving your body and sweating helps to move energy around in the body. When you get moving, you can release negative emotions you are feeling, such as anxiety or stress. I cannot stress this enough—even if a walk is the best you can do, any movement matters.

Having a release in your day is so important. You can use exercise to start your day or to de-stress toward the end of your day. Giving yourself some small kind of outlet to reset your energy can be a game-changer when it comes to maintaining your mental health.

I hope these tips have been helpful, and I hope they inspire you to do what you can to improve your mental state.

The most important thing to remember is that there are a lot of things in life that you cannot control, especially right now. But there are things you can control. Once you place your focus on the things you can control, things seem a lot less overwhelming.