Be Kind to Your Mind

Author

North Range Behavioral Health

For more information about the author, click to view their website: North Range Behavioral Health

Posted on

Sep 17, 2024

Book/Edition

Colorado - Northern Colorado

During May is Mental Health Month, we talk a lot about being kind to your mind. But what does that actually look like? We can start by:

Recognizing the good in our lives. When we take a moment to be grateful for the positive things in our life, we become more in tune with the good things that are all around us. This doesn’t mean that we don’t acknowledge the negatives; instead of dwelling on the bad, we can thank the experience for the lesson it taught us and continue to seek out the positives. When we make an effort to be mindful in this way, we begin to appreciate life’s simple pleasures more.

Practicing self-compassion. Self-compassion means giving ourselves grace through the hard times. Rather than criticizing ourselves or ignoring the pain, acknowledging how we feel, and giving ourselves time to really feel those emotions helps us properly move forward.

Changing our self-talk. When we find ourselves being negative or hard on ourselves, we can take a deep breath and change our tone. Positive self-talk does wonders for the mind. Doing this helps us be more understanding and patient towards ourselves and others, and more focused on our goals.

Reflecting. At the end of every day, pick a rose (something good about the day), a thorn (something that was challenging), and a bud (something to look forward to). By reflecting on how our day was, we build emotional intelligence through understanding ourselves more.

Doing something each day that we enjoy. As simple as this sounds, this often gets overlooked as an essential element of healthy living. Whether that’s exercise, baking, crafting, reading a book, or watching TV, reserve time each day to spend doing activities that fill our cup.

Taking care of our physical health. The body and mind are so connected which means that consistent care of the body (which impacts the soul and mind) is like preventative medicine. Small acts of physical self-care can quickly add up and help protect, promote, and maintain health and wellbeing. Prioritizing sleep, drinking enough water, and fueling with nutritious foods can go a long way.

When it comes to being kind to our minds, doing just a little bit is better than doing nothing at all. Spending even 10 minutes at a time doing something you enjoy can go a long way toward beating the stressors of everyday life. Just reading one chapter or going on a 5-minute walk around the block is an example of being kind to your mind! Taking care of ourselves helps us feel calmer, more refreshed, and more energized.

Self-care is an important part of building resilience or bouncing back from stress, trauma, and burnout. The strategies outlined above can help you recognize your emotional responses to stress and develop coping skills to manage them. This May let’s be kind to our minds and encourage our loved ones to do the same.


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Local Services By This Author

North Range Behavioral Health

Mental Health & Counseling 1300 North 17th Avenue, Greeley, Colorado, 80631

North Range Behavioral Health is dedicated to helping seniors and members of our community. We have been a part of Weld County for many years, always seeking innovative and effective ways to treat behavioral health challenges. When seniors require services to live a healthy and productive life and improve their mental health, we are available to provide counseling, peer support, and addiction treatment to help you or a loved one looking for help. You are not alone. We invite you to learn about our services by visiting NorthRange.org. If you or anyone you care about needs mental health or addiction treatment, please contact usat 970.347.2120.If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis call 844.493.TALK (8255), text Talk to 38255, call 970.347.2120, or come to 928 12th St. in Greeley -24/7/365