Ways to Practice Mindfulness and Take Care of Mental Health in Distressing Times

The life of a human being is never short of ordeals. Now that we are dealing with times as challenging as ever before, our patience and resilience have been put to test all over again. It is normal to feel overwhelmed, lost and challenged at the face of the pandemic. Most of us are busy cursing the year for proving itself to be the living epitome of a nightmare, and some are just trying to get through each day. And while all our feelings and emotions are valid, it is important to remember that life is never easy.

Ways to Practice Mindfulness and Take Care of Mental Health in Distressing Times
[ image: pexels.com by polina zimmerman ]

It was never supposed to be a bed of roses. We have been through tough times before and learnt to get through them. This pandemic is just another rough patch that we shall have to learn to get by. And while putting this exact thought into action might sound exceedingly difficult, we have to do so, nevertheless. 

With the right help and resources at our disposal, there is nothing that we cannot do and no goal that we cannot achieve. And with the same motto in our mind, we have gathered a few information and tips on how you could handle your mental health and practice mindfulness to keep calm and get a hold on yourself, not just in these times, but during any distressing time.

What is Mindfulness?

You might have certainly heard of the term mindfulness, even if you are not entirely aware of what it really means. Mindfulness is a very simple technique which requires no complex definition to be understood. It is a process where you focus all your energy and concentration towards the one moment you find yourself at your present. It is a technique where you focus on one task at your hand and forget about everything else.

And no, contrary to the pictures you have on the internet, mindfulness is not practised just be assuming the position of a yogi and closing your eyes to feel your breath. That definitely is one of the best ways to practice mindfulness. But you can also engage in the process by taking long walks in a secluded space, feeling the breeze around you or gazing at the infinite nothingness before you while standing at your balcony. Anything that calm you down and brings you to the singular and solitary moment at hand can be a technique for mindfulness.

This technique has been around for centuries, in different shapes, forms and names. It reduces mental stress, anxiety and abates the symptoms of various mental health disorders. Plus, it also maintains the functioning of your vital body parts and organs. Perhaps the most important advantage of practising mindfulness is that you get to live in the moment and dispense off your duties and work with utmost concentration. 

Human beings tend to be distracted at the lightest sound and incoming messages on mobile phones. This is where practising mindfulness can come to your rescue. You will start noticing a difference in your behaviour after practising mindfulness for a couple of weeks.

A Few Other Ways of Taking Care of Your Mental Health:

One cannot stress enough on the importance of mental health and how it affects the way we perceive the world. Millions around the world suffer from mental health conditions of sorts. Be it anxiety, burnouts from work stress, depression or bipolar disorders, mental health disorders have become increasingly common in the highly competitive, and the most parochial and unkind world we live in. 

People have their own ways to deal with such issues. Some binge-watch their favourite shows while some play their favourite games online. The moot point is, do what you have to do to manage your stress and other mental health conditions. 

Read a book, take long bubble baths, unplug from the virtual world without a warning or colour outside the edges (literally) if these are what offers you peace. Talk to your loved ones to feel better and take some burden off your chest. And if you still feel that none of these options is helping you to cope in any way, do not hesitate for a second before reaching out to a professional mental health expert. You might be in need of a few therapy sessions or medication and you can always look for outpatient mental health services near you in order to get the treatment you need and desire. But you have to talk to a doctor to get better just the way you visit a doctor when you feel physical pain.

Taking care of your mental health is as important, or perhaps even more, as taking care of your physical health. These issues are silent killers, and unlike other physical illnesses, do not have external manifestations of symptoms. 

And that is why it becomes so important to talk about mental health in every waking day of our lives and seek for medical intervention before the conditions worsen. With the right awareness, and the habit of practising mindfulness for at least ten minutes every day, we can all handle our tribulations, trials and overpowering emotions at any hour of the day.