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Move Over Weight Loss, Make a New Year Goal for Your Mental Health

Establishing a routine and setting goals is a great way to improve your mental health and prioritise it.

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Hindi Female

The beginning of the year is the time that most people set new goals to achieve. Most of these goals are associated with physical and social health.

This year, I recommend that you include mental health to your set of goals. The reality is mental, physical and social health are all interdependent, you cannot have one without the other.

Having good mental health motivates you to take better care of yourself, equips you with the ability to manage interpersonal conflicts and cope with stress and adversity. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as a state of well-being in which an individual realises their own potential, can cope with stress, can work productively and is able to make contributions to the community.

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In India depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health disorders. In 2015, it was estimated that around 332 million people were affected with depression.

Poor mental health impacts every aspect of your life from personal relationship to productivity and overall life satisfaction.

The stigma associated with mental health in our society is what prevents most people from talking openly about their problems and seeking professional help. When experiencing a mental health issue, you should not suffer in silence or hesitate to ask for the help and support you need.

Although having a mental illness can be debilitating it can be managed by acquiring appropriate knowledge, awareness and a few basic skills such as organisation or self-motivation. Research has shown that setting a few small attainable goals is more likely to lead to success.

Therefore, establishing a routine and setting goals is a great way to improve your mental health and prioritise it.
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1. Self-Care

Establishing a routine and setting goals is a great way to improve your mental health and prioritise it.

It’s a change in lifestyle that will help you manage symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. After your most basic needs have been met, self-care includes any activity you enjoy or find relaxing. There is a wide range of activities you can incorporate into your daily routine such as skin care, meditation or journaling.

They are all simple things you can do for yourself every day.

You could also take up a new hobby, attend classes in something that interests you or plan weekend trips to close destinations.
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2. Interpersonal Interactions

Establishing a routine and setting goals is a great way to improve your mental health and prioritise it.

Research suggests that when a person has one or more close and healthy relationships, they are more likely to become resilient. Resilience is the ability to cope with stress and adversity, some common characteristics are positive attitude, optimism and ability to regulate emotions.

Resilience helps an individual cope with stress, major life events and psychiatric symptoms. Another study found that friendships have a more positive and significant impact on life expectancy when compared to other social relations. Therefore, maintaining relationships is an important component to staying mentally healthy.

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3. Exercise

Establishing a routine and setting goals is a great way to improve your mental health and prioritise it.

Physical activity and exercise are great ways to improve circulation and regulate oxygen levels in the body. The increase in the levels of oxygen will improve brain functioning, clams the nervous system, cleanses the lungs and facilitates better sleep.

Regular exercise helps balance the level of serotonin in the body which is the hormone associated with regulating mood, appetite and sleep cycles.

According to psychiatrist Madhukar Trivedi, three or more sessions of exercise per week can help treat chronic mental illnesses.
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4. Gratitude

Practicing gratitude is another way to improve mental health. Gratitude is appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful to you and represents a general state of thankfulness.

Expressing gratitude is more than just saying thank you. It allows you to embody a more positive attitude which impacts all aspects of your life from personal to professional.

Gratitude can be expressed internally, by appreciating all the wonderful things in your life or externally, by acknowledge the good in the world around you.

When it comes to your health and self-care you should never feel guilty about it, it is important that you recognise that it is not selfish but is a personal responsibility. Make an effort to incorporate some of these activities in your daily routine and you will surely observe improvements in your health.

If you or anyone you know is overwhelmed or experiencing difficulty with a mental illness, I urge you to seek help by speaking to a mental health professional or calling a helpline.

(If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please refer to this state-wise list of credible and trusted mental health professionals.)

(The author is the Chairperson of The Live Love Laugh Foundation’s Board of Trustees, actor Deepika Padukones foundation.)

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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