Staying Mentally Healthy (6 Ways)

1. Keep your mind limber. In addition to the fact that staying mentally active is emotionally rewarding, studies have shown that there is a correlation between mentally challenging activities and a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Never stop learning, even if you feel like you’re “past your prime.”
2. Strengthen your relationships. Prioritize developing meaningful relationships above simply being social. Surround yourself with people that enrich your life and make you happy. Practice self-disclosure, which means sharing things that are unique to you (your thoughts, fears, favorite movies and music, pet peeves, etc.) with those you trust. This has been shown to be of immense importance to not only forging deeper interpersonal connections, but also feeling validated emotionally. Rutgers article on self-disclosure in personal relationships
3. Pursue your passions. Set some time aside to practice an instrument, do an art project, take photos, build models, weld, bake gourmet cakes, or whatever else enriches your free time. If you want to learn something new, take an evening or weekend class. If you can’t think of anything interesting off the top of your head, take the time to find a hobby.
4. Learn how to understand your emotions. It is important to be aware of what you are feeling. When you are in touch with your emotions, you will be able to both recognize when you are acting out because of your emotions and empathize more thoroughly with others. Knowing yourself is a key part of having good mental health--it’s important to know when something is making you unhappy so that you can either fix it or cut it out of your life. Likewise, it is also good to recognize the things that make you happy. Surrounding yourself with good energy will promote a happier, healthier you.
5. Boost your karma points. Doing good will make you feel good. When you put positive energy out into the universe, that positive energy will come back to you. Improving the lives of others will in turn, improve your own mental state because you will know that you have done good by someone else.
6. Be aware of stressful factors in your life. Stress is unavoidable--whether you are running late for work, or have to get a shot at the doctor’s office, it is normal to feel stressed out. However, you can reduce your stress and learn how to manage your reaction to stressful things. Be aware of the things that stress you out and try to avoid those triggers.