Although life can move fast and some days seems to be flying by, it is important to pause all of the chaos once in a while to check in on yourself. Self care, reflection and the recharging of your mental energy is not only vital to your mental health but also helps to generate a positive mindset and outlook moving forward. Consistently sectioning off some time in your schedule to wind down after a long day or week will prove to be a beneficial activity in your life if you don't already practice this. There are three key methods in which you can clear your mind to make way for reflection; focusing on a creative outlet, getting physical exercise and meditating.

If you are a creative person or would like to become more artistically inclined, you can use this activity to your advantage. Coloring and painting on either a physical or digital medium allows for you to concentrate your creative energy on something visionary while inner reflecting on your mental state as well. If you like the idea of writing your thoughts down, you can find a notebook or digital space in which you can jot down your emotions, ideas and resolutions to stressors in your life, granting you a physical view of what is going on in your head for better processing and reflection. If creative works such as books, art or music help you to destress, you can listen, read or interpret such pieces in order to clear your head and begin coping with your feelings and realities. There are no limits or bounds to using creative platforms or compositions to aid unwinding, mental strengthening and, over time, personal growth.

If creative outlets only guide you minimally and you'd rather be physically active, you can use almost any sport, activity or form of exercise as a method to help in mental recharging. Increasing your blood flow through a work out like walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, biking or something else can biologically lift your mood, motivation, work as a distraction from stress and overall promote your mental health. If you aren't usually active but want to become more physical, first, recognize the main categories of exercise, cardiovascular, balance, flexibility and strength training, figure out which is more appealing to you and your body and then research options within your preferred exercise. Remember that destressing through a physical activity shouldn't limit what you can and cannot do, as learning a new exercise like yoga or aerobics can lead to more active endeavors and ultimately work as distraction that alleviates built up anxiety.

If you consider yourself spiritually inclined or simply benefit from calm mental contemplations, meditation might be the best method to alleviate some stress while aiding your mental health. Meditation does not have a specific definition, and therefore you can practice this in an independent way or a guided and more official way. If you want to clear your head and get into a better mindspace, you can take a relaxing bath and practice silent meditation, where you relax your body and focus on your thoughts and being for a certain amount of time. This independent meditation can be done without guidance and only requires silence and a space that feels peaceful to you. If you are looking to learn about guided meditation, you can watch Headspace's Youtube video on how it works and download the app if you are interested or research other meditation guides and techniques. By meditating on a consistent basis, your mind and body will soon be able to concentrate better and therefore relieve stressful or worrying thoughts through the physical benefits such as lower blood pressure, increased blood circulation and decreased heart rate.

Your mental health should always be a top priority in your life, so sectioning off some time once in a while to show yourself some care and mental attention will aid in reducing stressors and ultimately help you cope with them in the long run. Take some time out of your day to consider which of these three reflection methods might work well for you, so that you can incorporate one or more into your schedule to preserve and help balance your mental health.