Five Tips for Mental Health Maintenence
You’ve made great progress on your mental health, and that’s an accomplishment to be proud of! Maybe your therapist suggests moving to monthly check-up appointments or maybe you just feel like yourself again; either way, you’re out of the woods with your mental health. So, what happens now? Just like our physical health or a machine, our mental health requires ongoing maintenance to stay in tip-top shape. Read on for five tips for maintaining mental health progress.
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to shift your mindset and brighten your mood. Try listing three to five things you are grateful for, or good things about your day, with your morning coffee or before you go to bed. Some people like to keep a handwritten gratitude journal; others like to use apps like “Gratitude” to track their entries. Incorporating this ritual can help you keep focus on the good in your life and maintain good mental health.
2. Keep Your Appointments
When we’re feeling good, it’s easy to think we don’t need help anymore and it might be tempting to skip your therapy or psychiatrist appointments. It’s important to keep your psychiatry appointments because stopping psychiatric medication suddenly can have serious side effects, and it’s a good idea to keep therapy appointments to check up and maintain your mental health. If you feel like you don’t have a lot to talk about in your sessions, ask your therapist to move to a less frequent appointment schedule. Moving to less frequent appointments means progress, which your therapist will be happy to see!
3. Create a Relaxation Routine
Creating a relaxing ritual helps with stress management, sleep, and overall mental health. This might include your gratitude journal, a hot shower and a cup of tea, your favorite hobby, or whatever works for you to slow down your mind and put the day away. Keeping to predictable nightly routines helps your brain to recognize bedtime and promotes better sleep.
4. Mind Your Sleep and Exercise
Sleep and mental health go hand in hand - poor sleep can lead to poor mental health and vice versa. Therefore, it’s important that you keep to a sleep schedule when maintaining progress in your mental health journey. Creating a relaxing nighttime ritual, putting away screens, and limiting caffeine and alcohol intake can help you get to bed sooner. If you’re having trouble sleeping or noticing changes in your sleep, bring it up with your therapist or doctor. Light daily exercise (20+ minutes) is one of the best ways we know of to improve mental health. In fact, exercise is more effective at treating symptoms of anxiety and depression than antidepressant medication. We suggest finding a practice that you enjoy (yoga, home stretching, walks, weightlifting) and scheduling an exercise session at least a few hours before bedtime.
5. Check In With Yourself
Every few days or so, take 10 minutes to breathe deeply and check in with your feelings. How are your symptoms? What has been challenging lately? How’s your mood? What has brought you joy lately? Life can get busy and it’s easy for mental health to get pushed to the backburner, which is why it’s important to take the time to keep an eye on how you’re feeling to maintain your progress.
Just like your physical health, mental health requires attention and maintenance to be at its best, especially when we’ve made good progress and are decreasing frequency of therapy sessions. These tips can help you stay on top of your mental health and keep you feeling better. If you notice that your mental health is slipping - don’t worry, setbacks are completely normal. If this happens, just call your therapist and/or psychiatrist and ask for a sooner appointment.
