Mallika Dureja
A New Year brings mixed emotions, both stressful and joyful, with the stress of unachieved goals from the previous year and the pressure of achieving them in the New Year, and the joy of new beginnings and new opportunities, but the most important goal for the new year should be mind, body, and soul wellness. Mental health does not have a singular definition, as we may use it to discuss how we feel, how well we are coping with daily life, or what feels possible at the moment. Good mental health does not imply that you are always happy or unaffected by your experiences, whereas poor mental health can make it more difficult to cope with daily life.
Mental health refers to the emotional, physiological, and social well-being of an individual. The WHO defines it as “a condition of well-being in which each person realises his or her own abilities, can deal with the usual stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community.”
Also read: The Top 4 Thyroid-Friendly Snacks Before Bed
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, transformational life coach Vaneeta Batra offered the following mental health care measures for 2023:
1. Practice healthy thinking: Be careful of the so called “Thinking Traps”. Sometimes we think that something is bad, even when it is not, is a thinking trap or jumping to conclusions before you know what really happened, “my friend did not call me back, he/she must not like me very much” and so on are thinking traps.
2. Slow down: We all need to take time to slow down and relax. It is a big part of managing stress and enjoying our lives. When we relax it is easier to see problems and solutions clearly. Relaxation can be through Yoga , meditation, tai chi and simple as breathing exercises.
3. Enjoy yourself, have fun and laugh: Having fun helps us feel refreshed and helps us feel good about ourselves.
4. Work your strengths: Do something you’re good at to build self confidence.
5. Feeling Stressed? SMILE: It may not be the easiest thing to do but smiling can help to lower your heart rate and calm you down.
6. Practice gratitude: Acknowledge the bright side by keeping a journal where you can write down something you’re grateful for every day.
