4 Fundamental Practices for Mental Health

The experience of being human comes with a rich tapestry of thoughts, emotions, fear, love, and pain. All of us will struggle to some degree. This is the nature of being alive. However, if you are interested in a journey of health and healing, the following are four basic practices that are essential for well being.

Self-Care

Some of us prioritize all other responsibilities before self care. Taking care of ourselves may feel selfish or unnecessary. Yet, the essential benefit of self care is the regulation of our nervous system. If you have a practice of stretching in the morning, for example, this self-care practice over time can support your ability to manage stress with greater ease. When we take care of ourselves, we slow down. We cultivate more bandwidth to manage life’s daily stressors. Our nervous system becomes more resilient, so that what used to send us into overwhelm instead feels manageable.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the ability to be present with your inner and outer experience. It’s the experience of being aware. Even if there’s a lot going on around you, you’re able to be present to the circumstances, as well as to your inner response. When we are not present or aware, we make unconscious, habitual choices. We react instead of respond. Over time, a mindfulness practice, just like self-care, comes with incredible benefits, such as attunement, emotional balance, reduction of fear, insight, empathy, and more. With this practice, we can gradually become more aware of ourselves, and in turn, make the choices that best support us.

Regulation

At some point in our lives, all of us will feel stressed, emotional, worried, anxious, or even panicked. When we are not feeling ourselves, whether we are feeling depressed or fearful, self-regulation is the ability to center ourselves again. It’s the skill of recognizing that we are emotionally distressed and then making the conscious choice to regulate. Sometimes, self-regulation can take a few minutes (with a few breaths, for example). Other times, it may take several hours. Depending on the intensity of our emotions and the nature of the triggering event, it may take one quick regulation tool, or several, to get us back to a regulated state. Self-regulation is deeply supported by practices of self-care and mindfulness, and it’s essential to mental health.

Commitment

Mental health requires commitment to ourselves. It means staying consistent with self-care, mindfulness, and emotional regulation. It requires that we practice these on a daily basis so that over time mental and physical health are a natural product of our lifestyle.