Mental health is a term we’ve all been hearing a lot over the past few years. The truth is, it really is as important as people are making it to be. If you think about it, your brain controls all parts of the body. When you are under stress, you may develop symptoms synonymous with illness. If you are sleep-deprived, you may experience serious headaches or even body aches. If you are depressed, odds are your body is experiencing a series of negative symptoms. All of these things are tied to your mental health. Learning how to maintain mental health, especially while pursuing ambitious life goals is imperative. I hope that these tips help you in your journey of maintaining and even improving your mental health.

Be Kind to Yourself

Being kind to yourself is by far the most important part of this. Ambitious people like yourself tend to strive for perfection, or at least the best version of self. The reality is, that there is no such thing as perfection, and life is full of ups and downs. It’s important to embrace these things and not beat yourself up for them. Especially for the things that are out of your control. During this mental health journey, don’t forget to pat yourself on the back and recognize every moment of growth, no matter how “small” it may seem.

Get Exercise

Moving your body is more important than we realize. Exercising has been proven to release dopamine receptors in the brain, resulting in a boosted mood. Even though exercise may be difficult for you in the interim, by the end of it you are bound to feel better. This can be something as simple as going for a walk and getting some fresh air, to doing an intense HIT workout at the gym.  Getting exercise can also keep your mind off of the things that might be stressing you out. Getting active can also make you step away from your phone and get caught up in the doom-scrolling we all inevitably fall for. No matter what you choose to do, do it. It’s a great way activity to add to your routine when you are trying to figure out how to maintain mental health. For more information on the benefits of exercise on your mental heath, click here.

Eat Healthy and Hydrate

Food is fuel and it’s important that you put the right kind of fuel in your engine to keep it going. We’ve all heard about the negative effects of things like fast food, sugars, additives, etc, so let’s not ignore that. Now, there’s nothing wrong with the occasional grubby meal, especially after a long night out with friends, but, it’s important to make sure this doesn’t become a habit. Make sure you are fueling your body with whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your diet. Switch out your sodas for flavored sparkling water, or for just plain ole water if you can. Try to cut back on the caffeine and opt for better sources for an energy boost. Chances are, you need this energy boost because you are lacking other nutritional elements in your diet. Focus on filling those holes, rather than masking it if you can. Making sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day is also huge! Hydration is fantastic for the brain and something that often goes overlooked. Take care of your body and be cognizant of what you put in it. You only have one to last you a lifetime, so treat it that way.

Give Yourself Time to Decompress

Sometimes we go go go and forget to just stop, breathe, and smell the roses. I’m guilty of it for sure. Although the intention of this speed is rooted in a desire to be the best versions of ourselves, this can oftentimes lead to burnout and other negative effects on our mental health. Make sure to give yourself time to decompress and recharge. Going at full speed 24/7 will never lead to anything good. If you are struggling with burnout, click here to read How to Avoid Burnout. This will also help you figure out how to maintain mental health.

Focus on the Positive

Focus on the positive. I can’t stress this enough. It’s really easy to just see all the things that are going or have gone wrong in life. The reality is, that’s just a part of life. The other part of life is the positive. It’s a much more productive use of your time to focus on the positive than to dwell on the negative. Of course, reflect on where things went wrong in life, but once you’ve done that, move on. Remember that you can’t change the past, you can only learn from it. And by that same token, you can learn from the positive too! Focus on that and be proud of yourself. You’re doing better than you realize and you need to give yourself credit for that. To read more about learning from the past to help you look ahead, click here to read You Can’t Change the Past, But you Can Learn From It.

Lean on Your Community

Your community is your lifeline at the end of the day. If you are struggling with your mental health, or just not in the best of places, open up to the people you trust. Talking about things can be more therapeutic than you even realize. Let the people around you be there for you in your time of need. You never know who else around you is experiencing the same thing. Odds are you are not alone and you just need to talk some things out. Bottling things up can have a more negative impact on your mental health and self-esteem than you realize. Forcing yourself to mask your true emotions when you are around your community can also be even more taxing on your mental health. Open up and be vulnerable with those you trust in your circle. Don’t be afraid to lean on them. At the end of the day, isn’t that what your community is there to do? Opening up to your community might also help you discover new ways of how to maintain mental health in such a difficult time of life.

Give Back

Giving back has been one of the most impactful changes in maintaining my mental health. I never understood it in the beginning, but as I continue to make this a part of my routine, I realize why. Sometimes we lose our confidence as we venture throughout the journey of our 20s. In the wake of this, we start to feel inadequate or not as great as we once thought. One of the many beauties of giving back is that you are often helping someone or a group of people who are in a very different position in life than you are. This means that the knowledge or skillset that you once took for granted and became numb to now has a use again for someone else. It can often remind you that you do have something to offer and you are just as great as you once thought. Giving back can also expose you to a new community in your life that you didn’t think you needed. This can be a community that values connection and friendship over accolades and material stuff. this can be a community that highly values your religion. This can even be a community that you came from and you get to go back and pass the baton to help the next person prosper. Whatever it is, the responsibility that you will now have will help you improve your mental health more than you realize. To read more about the importance and benefits of giving back, click here to read Why You Should Be Volunteering in Your 20s

Trying to do it all while maintaining it all at the same time isn’t easy. Make sure you aren’t lying to yourself and beating yourself up about the not-so-great parts of life. The hope is that these tips will help you learn how to maintain your mental health, while still achieving everything you set out to do. At the end of the day, stress management and self-care are what makes taking on more and more tasks possible. Without it, you’re bound to have things slip through the cracks, including your mental health.