As we know, it is important to take care of your body to be in good health. But this is not enough, general well-being also depends on mental hygiene. Maintaining good mental health is essential to our happiness. Here is how to take care of it on a daily basis.

A good mental hygiene passes above all by a good hygiene of life. Eating a healthy and balanced diet has positive effects on our mental health. Several studies have shown that there is a link between what we eat and our mood. Thus, poor diet is a risk factor for depression, according to a study published in 2017 in the journal BMC Medicine1. The authors of this work also found that the Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes and oilseeds, improved the mood and symptoms of depression in the participants. A healthy and balanced diet would have an influence on our intestinal flora, whose bacteria could play a role in our mental health.

Besides food, sport is also beneficial for our mental hygiene. Regular physical activity helps fight stress, anxiety, addictions and reduces the risk of depression. Sport is therefore an effective means of prevention against the onset of mental illnesses by limiting the negative impact of stress on our brain. What mechanisms come into play? When we play sports, our brain is better supplied with blood and oxygenated, which would stimulate the activity of neurotransmitters playing a role in the control of our emotions. You will understand, to take care of your mental health, you must first take care of your plate and move!

We all have physical and mental needs. If they are not met in the long term, our physical and mental health will deteriorate. Problem, most of us tend not to take them into account enough and not express them, to please others. In short, we don’t listen to each other enough. It’s time to change your ways. At the slightest warning signal from your body and mind, react. 

If you’re tired, take a break. If you are stressed and this is physically felt (stomach ache, back pain, headache), slow down. If you don’t feel like going to this party that’s been scheduled for weeks, let us know. If you fancy spending some time alone to pamper yourself in a spa or go see a movie, don’t hesitate. Not meeting your needs is dangerous for your mental health. So be kind to yourself as you are to others.

Listening to yourself requires knowing what you want and what you don’t want in your life. For this, it is essential to develop your self-confidence and self-esteem. Having self-confidence and good self-esteem are two essential elements in maintaining mental health. Knowing what you are worth and what you are capable of helps to assert yourself with others, to try new things, and especially not to let yourself be defeated in difficult times. The stronger we are, the less we endure what happens to us.

Our mental hygiene can be weakened by a lack of anchoring in the present. Indeed, always wanting more than what we have, or constantly rehashing the past are behaviors that can generate frustration because they pollute our mind and prevent us from savoring the present moment. Being able to be aware of and appreciate what we are going through, even the simple things in life, is an exercise that preserves our mental health, by avoiding rumination.

The people around us play an important role in our mental well-being. Avoid malicious individuals as much as possible, harmful to your mental health. And develop strong, lasting relationships with the people who make you feel good and who you can count on. To reach the right people, it is essential, once again, to be attentive to your needs and to have confidence in yourself because, know it, toxic personalities like to attack weakened souls with a low self-esteem.