The internet is filled with tips on how to improve your mental health. But how many of those tips legitimately come from licensed therapists? And how can you tell the “good”, effective mental health advice from the “bad” advice that doesn’t have any evidence supporting it?
Not to worry 一 here are 12 tips that licensed therapists actually give their clients. They’re all based on scientific research and have been proven to boost your mental health.
Related Blog: 10 Mental Health Apps
Go to therapy.
This first tip seems obvious, but is sometimes missed: go to therapy if you can! Although there are ways to take care of your mental health on your own (which we’ll cover in the rest of this article), therapy is a scientifically proven way to help combat mental health problems and protect your mental health before a crisis occurs.
If you can’t afford to go to therapy, check out these tips, What to Do When You Can’t Afford Therapy
Get some exercise.
This tip, often touted by mental health advocates online, isn’t a myth: physical exercise is one of the best things you can do for your mental health. Therapists specialize in working with the mind, but they also know that your mind and body are connected.
Exercising increases certain chemicals in the brain that are responsible for lifting mood and motivation. Positive psychology research has proven that it’s one of the best things you can do to become a happier person.
Practice gratitude.
Although “Be grateful” can sound like a piece of advice taken from a pop psychology book, it’s actually research-based. Research has found that practicing gratitude, or “counting one’s blessings,” can go a long way in increasing happiness and improving mental health.
Every day, try to turn your focus onto the things that you’re grateful for in life. There’s no need to force yourself to feel grateful for things that you’re upset about. But no matter what’s going on in life, there are always things to be grateful for if we just look deeply enough. Gratitude is just a matter of shifting our focus to those things.
Be compassionate with yourself.
Therapists often have to watch clients be really, really hard on themselves. From the outside, it’s hard to watch someone who has so many strengths beat themselves up in this way. Often, therapists recommend their clients to treat themselves like they treat their best friend.
Especially if you live with depression or low self-esteem, it’s likely that you say things to yourself that you’d never say to other people. Therapists guide their clients to try to catch themselves when they’re engaging in negative self-talk, and practice self-compassion instead.
Get some sleep.
Again, our minds and our bodies are connected. Being sleep-deprived has been proven to make mental health significantly worse. Therapists understand that taking care of your mental health means taking care of the whole you.
If you’ve been sleep-deprived lately, focus on getting a good night’s rest. You may find that you start feeling better just by getting enough sleep every night.
Write your thoughts down.
Journaling your thoughts can be helpful for your mental health in many ways. A journal can serve as a type of “container” for your negative thoughts and experiences, so that you can leave them there and continue on with the rest of your life. It can also help you gain some insight into your problems.
If you’re going to therapy, a journal can also be a place to express your thoughts between sessions so that you can report back accurately to your therapist when you see them.
Have a self care plan.
A lot of us would like to practice self care, but we may not know where to start. Before you find yourself in a mental health crisis, map out a personal self care plan. What are the activities that replenish you? Who are the people in your life who you can turn to for support?
It’s so much easier to take care of yourself when you need to when you have a plan that’s mapped out beforehand.
Related Blog: 12 Inexpensive Self-Care Purchases
Learn how to self-soothe.
It’s important to know how to soothe yourself when you’re having an emotional crisis. Therapists often teach their clients the skill of “self regulation,” which is the ability to calm yourself down when you’re upset.
Learn what works for you in terms of regulating your emotions. One easy way to self-soothe that therapists often teach is to practice deep breathing techniques. Deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which calms down your body’s stress response.
Don’t be afraid to have personal boundaries.
Therapists can often pick up on the dynamics of the personal relationships in your life. It’s easy to see, from the outside, when someone in your life is pushing your personal boundaries.
Don’t be afraid to draw and maintain boundaries with people who drain you of energy. Whether they’re people at work or in your family, boundaries are an important part of both maintaining your mental well-being as well as keeping relationships from turning toxic.
Rely on other people, not just your therapist.
Therapists don’t want to be the only person in your life who you feel like you can count on. Having strong relationships is sign of a healthy life and good mental health. Therapists want that for you.
Even if you’re going to therapy, try not to make your therapist the only person you can talk to about your thoughts and feelings. Make a list of “safe people” who you can reach out to when you need to talk. Build strong relationships by supporting those people when they’re in need.
Consider cutting back on caffeine and alcohol.
Although this tip might make some of you want to scream, it’s important. Although they’re legal and widely used, caffeine and alcohol are still substances that can have a negative effect on your mental health.
Notice how caffeine and alcohol affect you, both while you’re using them and afterwards. If you think that these substances may be contributing to your anxiety or depression, then it might be a good idea to try to cut back.
Create rituals.
Whether it’s a morning or a bedtime routine, rituals can be important to help you gain a sense of predictability and emotional safety in your life. Bedtime routines, in general, can help you get a good night’s sleep 一 which, as we’ve already discussed, can be incredibly important for good mental health.
What are some of the best tips that your therapist has given you? Let us know in the comments below!
What Should I Do Next?
Option I: Reach out to a therapist from the Directory
Option II: Listen to our podcast Q+As from Ask a Therapist Thursday
Option III: Check out our Healing Mug
In this episode, Dr. Natasha Goodman, PhD, LPC and Camille Tenerife, LMFT join Amber Dee on the couch to dive into How to Practice Self-Love.
Featuring:
Dr. Natasha Goodman is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Doctor of Philosophy with a license to practice in Georgia. Goodman specializes in helping clients create a solid foundation and solid relationships to live their best life. She believes meeting clients where they are is important and helps build rapport for a successful therapeutic relationship.
Camille Tenerife is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She provides a space where people can come and show up as they are, unedited, raw, and vulnerable. Tenerife specializes in career counseling, race-based trauma, and COVID-19 support.
Listen Here:
In this episode:
- What is self-love?
- What self-love is not.
- Does working out count as self-love?
- What are some ways to practice self-love?
- Where are your self-love practicing coming from?
- What do when you feel that caring for yourself is selfish?
Follow The Conversation:
Remember, your mental health is wealth.
What Did You Learn About Practicing Self-Love?
When you own a business, life can get hectic fast. You wear so many different hats - accountant, manager, designer, CEO, and more - and it can get hard to remember who you are outside of work.
It’s great to be passionate about a business venture. But when you own and operate a business, it’s more important than ever to take time out to practice self-care. Without self-care, you’re on the road to burnout. You don’t need to choose between self-care and running a business; practicing self-care, if done effectively, will help your business to flourish and prosper.
Here are 5 ways you can take care of yourself in effective ways as a business owner.
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Learn to Delegate
One of the most important ways you can take care of yourself as a business owner is by learning how to delegate tasks. When you’re the boss, especially of a business you created, it can be so hard to let go and allow other people to take things off your plate.
They won’t do it as well as I can, you might think to yourself. Or, I don’t want to bother anyone. I’ll just do it myself.
While it’s admirable that you are willing to be so hands-on with your business, the problem with this type of thinking is that it’s not sustainable. As your business grows, there will be more and more tasks to take care of -- and at some point, you won’t be able to do it all yourself.
What business tasks can you delegate to other people, and how can you make that possible? Do you already have a staff you can delegate tasks to, or can you work on budgeting for a freelancer? When you free up your time from the more tedious parts of your business, you’re more available to spend time creating and innovating.
Related Download: Life Balance Workbook
Take Small Breaks
This is a tip that would benefit us whether we’re business owners or we’re employees. Yes, when you own a business, your to-do list is never fully complete. But productivity slows down after a while -- none of us can be at 100% capacity 100% of the time.
Instead of trying to power through your whole workday to get as much done as possible, schedule in small breaks when you can to be as productive and energized as possible. When you schedule breaks for yourself will depend on what works for you and your energy levels. Some people may find it helpful to work for several hours, and then take a long break in the middle of the day. Others may like to take a 10 minute break every hour.
However you do it, make sure to use your breaktime in a way that feels nourishing to you. It’s easy to slip into escapism when you’re exhausted - using all your free time to scroll through social media, for example - but try to use your leisure time as intentionally as possible. Take a walk and get some sunshine. Call a supportive friend. Take a nap.
This way, you can take care of yourself and make sure that when you are working, you are well-rested and productive.
Have Boundaries
One of the most stressful things about owning a business is that you feel like you have to be available all the time. Clients need you at their beck and call, and you might be afraid that if you turn off your phone, you’ll miss out on an important order. This leads to the cycle of checking your email first thing in the morning and last thing before going to sleep at night.
But having clear limits and boundaries is an excellent way you can take care of yourself and make sure that you don’t burn out on the road of entrepreneurship. Stores have opening hours; dentists only take appointments at certain times; you can also set clear limits between “work time” and “leisure time”.
What are your office hours? If you had a choice, when would you arrive at “the office” in the morning and when would you leave? Set these hours according to when you feel the most alert and productive. If you’re not a morning person, for example, don’t feel like you need to be available and responding to emails at 8 A.M.
There are easy ways you can communicate your office hours to your customers and clients. Including it in your email signature, putting it on your website, and communicating it directly to your clients (especially those who continuously expect quick responses outside of your working hours) are all great ideas.
Seek a Community
Being a business owner can be a lonely experience. Unlike being an employee at a company, there’s no one to chat with at the water cooler; no one to go out to happy hour with. Whether you own a large business with several employees working under you or a one-woman-show, there’s no denying that being a business owner is sometimes isolating.
That’s why it’s critical for your self-care as a business owner to seek a community. Try to have at least some people in your life who can relate to your struggles as a business owner. You can meet like-minded entrepreneurs at coworking spaces, local networking events, and even on social media. But a community can also be unrelated to work whatsoever. You can join a local meditation group, bowling league, or dance team - whatever floats your boat!
No matter how introverted you are, all humans need other humans. By being connected to a community of people that supports and uplifts one another, you’ll make sure to always have others to share your business’ trials and triumphs with. You and your community can exchange business tips and lean on each other during the rough patches.
Self-Care for Business Owners Is Critical
No matter how big, small, new, or established your business is, as the person who leads it, you need to practice self-care. If you burn out, then your business will fizzle out along with you. Practicing self-care doesn’t need to mean that you’re prioritizing yourself over your business; it means that you’re prioritizing the success of both.
How Do You Practice Self-Care As A Business Owner?
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Fireside Chat with Chrissy King
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