9 tips to help you overcome physical and mental health struggles
Photo by Carolina Heza on Unsplash
Most of my clients have similar struggles. Be it losing weight or slowing down after stressful days, it all comes down to some very basic things you can put in place to overcome your struggles. Try one of those 9 tips to help you overcome physical and mental health struggles, or all of them. You’ll see that it will have a big impact on your wellbeing and life!
Feel your emotions
It is totally human to feel sad or angry, it happens to each one of us, so you need to accept that. It’s unhealthy to keep bottling up all these emotions so just let it out, cry if you need it. You can also write down all the thoughts that make you feel that way. You will feel lighter and it will help you clear your mind.
Plan it
If you want to succeed in life or want to lose weight for example, this is an essential thing for you to do. You can’t achieve any goal if you don’t plan ahead. Even if you don’t know where to start, just sit down and start writing down what you can do to organize yourself. Make healthy meal plans, exercise routines, etc. Organizing yourself will already help you think clearer. It’s the first step you need to take to make changes in your life.
Set realistic goals
Even if you know what your goal is and have done the necessary preparation to meet it, don’t forget that progress takes time. You probably want to take more than you can chew, and it will stress and depress you more than anything if you can’t achieve what you wanted in the time you set. Think big but also smartly.
Start today
We’ve all said at least once “ I’ll start tomorrow” or “I’ll start on Monday”, I’m guilty of that too. Maybe you’ve had a bad day or an unexpected event, so you postpone your plans. But if you wait until the right moment comes or have the right mindset to start on something, you will never start as there will always be something to throw you off. You are the one that has to take action right now. Life will continue its course and you are the one that decides to take control despite the circumstances.
Ask for help
There are people that love you and that are there to support you if there is any problem or if you’re not feeling well. Don’t hesitate to talk about it to them, sometimes they can give you a different perspective than what you have. Or reach out to professionals for your physical and mental health. They are experts and it’s their job to help you out.
And help others
Not only can you accept help from others, but you can give it as well. You may know some advice that can help them or just support them. This will make you feel useful and happier with yourself.
Don’t go to the extreme
We tend to think that it is all or nothing but couldn’t be more wrong. For some reason you may not be able to do as planned, it doesn’t mean you need to give up entirely. If you’re trying to eat healthy and you've been invited to a restaurant, and think “ I might as well order something tasty like a hamburger “. Nothing prevents you from doing your best in these kinds of situations. So adapt and choose a healthier alternative for example.
Reward yourself
We all experience events whether they are good or bad, that makes us think we need a reward. So we’ll treat ourselves with some tasty but unhealthy food that will make us feel good in the moment but not necessarily afterwards. You can find alternatives to food as a reward like taking care of yourself by going to the spa or buying the latest (fill in the blank) you wanted for a long time. You can treat yourself without damaging your health and good habits.
Hydrate your body
Know that sodas are not water, they’re just liquid sugar. On top of that you need to be hydrated for your body and mind to function correctly, and anything else apart from water won't do the job. You also need to know that your body doesn’t always differentiate between hunger and thirst. This means that you may feel hungry a lot of the time so you will eat when in reality what your body needs is water. Finally, water has natural calming properties, as dehydration can cause stress. By staying hydrated you will be better equipped to deal with stress and everyday problems.
