Life moves fast. People expect you to keep up. You have to keep up appearances physically as well as in your job, school, friend groups, and family. Trying to juggle the demands of life can be exhausting. Not only does life take a toll on your body physically, but even more so emotionally. People often overlook this, putting more emphasis on physical health rather than mental health. The media often gives tips on how to improve yourself physically. They say things like: "Eat this and be slim!" or "It only takes 10 minutes a day!" There is no problem with being physically fit, but people then overlook mental health. We are constantly told to push ourselves to the limit both physically and emotionally all of the time. There are societal expectations we feel compelled to adhere to and our desire to perform well in all these aspects often hurts our mental health. As much as we need to work, we also need to rest. Here are 50 ways you can care for yourself emotionally.
1. Take a hot shower
2. Read a book for fun
3. Sleep in
4. Put on good smelling lotion
5. Talk to a friend
6. Listen to your favorite music
7. Go to bed early
8. Talk to a counselor
9. Paint something
10. Journal
11. Dance it out
12. Read your Bible
13. Take a walk
14. Turn off your phone
15. Pray
16. Go take pictures of things
17. Take a deep breath
18. Look at the clouds
19. Light a sweet-smelling candle
20. Do yoga
21. Call your mom
22. Write a story
23. Take a drive
24. Hang out with your dog
25. Organize your closet
26. Do your nails
27. Declutter your space
28. Cook something
29. Go hiking
30. Send someone an encouraging note
31. Watch your favorite movie
32. Learn how to do something new
33. Meditate
34. Eat a healthy meal
35. Learn how to do your hair differently
36. Bake cookies
37. Drink coffee (decaf of course)
38. Go to the gym
39. Put on comfy clothes
40. Buy yourself flowers
41. Organize your computer files
42. Take a nap
43. Drink warm tea
44. Stretch
45. Buy something for yourself
46. Unfriend annoying Facebook friends
47. Decorate your space
48. Find a new hobby
49. Delete your social media apps for a couple days
50. Go to a museum
Hopefully, some of these suggestions will help you relax, slow down, and restore your mental health. These ideas are not just for those struggling with mental illness either, everyone needs to slow down sometimes and take time for themselves and their emotional well-being. Just as people need time to recover when they are physically sick, you need time to recover emotionally and mentally from the continuous strain. So take a break! Try some of these ideas and restore your mental health!