For many decades, mental health was considered as a privilege that not everyone could have! However, the importance of psychological and emotional health has lately been emphasized, particularly in light of the COVID pandemic and all that has occurred in the last two years.

Maintaining good mental health includes looking after our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects the way we think, feel and act as we approach life.

Why is mental health important?

Mental health is important because it helps us in:

• Dealing with life’s stresses
• Enjoying good health
• Maintaining good relationships
• Working productively

Tips to improve mental health

• Try to avoid self-blame or self-criticism as much as possible.
• Set a time for yourself and your favorite hobbies and interests, such as online dancing lessons.
• Strengthen your family and social relationships, for example, eating dinner with your family and turning off the TV to talk or play with your kids, friends, or family.
• Learn how to deal with stress. For example, do tai chi, exercise, go for a walk, play with your kids, or try writing journals as a stress reliever.
• Always smile and look at the bright side in life. Research shows that laughter helps boost immunity, relieve pain, relax the body, and reduce stress.
• Reduce alcohol consumption and avoid using narcotic drugs. Sometimes people use alcohol and other drugs to escape from some problems, but in fact, alcohol and other drugs only exacerbate the problems!
• Make tiny changes to your routine every once in a while, such as taking a different route home, arranging a road trip, strolling in a different park, hanging some new photographs, or tasting a new dish.

Consult a doctor it you suffer from depression.

Your physical health plays a role

Mental health cannot be separated from physical health; Taking care of yourself physically can improve your mental health! You can maintain your physical health through following simple tips such as:

• Eating nutritious and balanced foods.
• Avoiding smoking. Get help to quit smoking.
• Drinking plenty of water.
• Exercising that helps reduce depression and anxiety and improve mood.
• Getting enough sleep. There are beliefs that lack of sleep causes a higher rate of depression.