Good mental habits as a mum can aid a stronger mental mindset. We all know that our thoughts can feed our poor mental health which can cause other health issues. This article discusses how to maintain good mental habits with tips for coping as a mama in lockdown living.
Why have good mental habits?
I always ask why before, what or how, because our why has to be bigger than our why not.
Good mental habits can create a calmer, clearer mindset if practiced regularly. a more content mum has to be a winner for all around.
Our mind and body are interconnected and affect one another. It is for this reason forming good mental habits starts with our habitual thoughts.
How do you speak to yourself?
I discussed this in more detail in mums healthy mindset
Whats good for one, isn’t necessarily good for another, but and this is a major but, there are some generally shared consensus amongst mental health services as to what helps and hinders our mental health.
This article demonstrates the best things in life are free by being surrounded by our family and friends and show how uplifting it can be for us humans.
However lockdown is definitely limiting this currently, so making sure we connect in other ways is fundamental.
Having a healthy support system as I call it mums olive branch, is so important for mental health habits to affect us positively.
Spending time with our friends and family is key for improving our mental health.
What is mental health
“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:
- Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
- Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
- Family history of mental health problems”
Quoted source; mental health.gov
How do I begin creating healthy mental habits
Beginning anything new can create a feeling of uncomfortableness, because it’s new and we need to learn that feeling uncomfortable, is ok.
Our self talk towards our mind has to have the intention from our heart rather than our mind, where our ego can reign.
Small steps through time create big changes.
Look back over your past ten years and observe how much has changed without reacting or judging it as good or bad.
It just is.
What are good mental habits
This brings me to what are good mental habits. It is the very act of your intention towards yourself which reflect and influence you mentally, physically, emotionally spiritually.
Is your self talk sabotaging?
Is it fuelled with hatred and jealousy?
Or is it coming from your heart? A place of pure love.
It’s love that creates change, its kindness towards our mind, that can nurture us out of darkness.
None of us would be alive today without love from another.
Healthy mental habits begin with our thoughts towards ourselves. They are the building blocks of creating small steps towards a better, stronger self which is so crucial to be striving for as a mum.
We have a monumental responsibility and influence on our children’s mental health and habits, that they learn to form.
Kids are running riot at home just now in Scotland as the schools are closed.
Headspace!
What is that just now!
So rather then fighting and being rigid with the mental thought process with “I’ve got to do” self talk. Being able to find something more fluid in thought, is crucial.
An example of this could be “I’ve got to do this now” A fixed thought process, rather than addressing it more fluidly with a mental thought of “Could it wait till the kids are back at school…..really?”
Prioritising, finding new ways to work around the madness and grow from it by riding the waves, is crucial for good mental health habits to transcend in life.
There is always room to improve. But can you see the magic that is you. There is no-one else like you.Can you learn to cherish her?
It’s so easy for most mums to love others especially their kids, but how about spreading that love onto our self? In the way you speak to yourself, in the actions you choose to do and the words spoken towards others.
Top ten tips for good mental habits
Self care and self love are pinnacle points for good mental health habits.
It’s important to be aware of all aspects of our holistic health; mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally, especially as a mum.
Our kids mental health is important to. Now more than any time in lockdown living children mental health is suffering. I found this great article for ideas to think about 15 SELF-CARE IDEAS FOR CHILDREN
Below are ten ideas for improving good mental habits. They can be used for children and adults adjusting where necessary.
1. Exercise
- It’s challenging just now to be out with lockdown restrictions. Especially in Scotland with the wonderful winters of wild weather. Finding time to exercise is vital for mental health. Getting into a habit of prioritising exercise as necessary can improve the likelihood of actually achieving it.
- Healthy body is a healthy mind, Its scientifically known to improve our overall health. Heres a quick 3 minute read for more information by health direct. However it’s tough to find time when the kids are at home 24/7 just now. This is why its so important to make time.
- Getting up an hour before the kids are, can enable time for your self care and enable a healthy morning routine.
- If this is no way possible for you, exercise together. Finding a shared hobby can create so much more lightness, joy and appreciation in life. I’ve laughed so hard sharing my love of exercise with Seb.
- The more exercise is normalised in to life, the more likely our children will exercise to and enjoy it as they grow and use exercise as a coping strategy for forming good mental health habits as they develop.
- Wee side note; Seb and I hadn’t been out for 2 days, which admittedly, is not our norm, however the weather’s been super crazy recently. It’s still torrential rain but the energy levels were about to explode. So I insisted we got out, even if it was only for half hour for fresh air and a soaking.
2. Fresh air
Being inside for 2 days yesterday, I didn’t care that it was lashing down outside, we needed to get out the house! You know that stuffy feeling of being on a long flight? It felt similar.
Getting some daily fresh air, green space, the rain on your skin, the wind whipping your red cheeks raw, and moving, all help mental health.
Getting out into fresh air and making it a good mental habit in life, can inadvertently improve so many other areas of life.
Head space, work space, social space, nature is medicine. Getting out into fresh air boosts our mental wellbeing.
By being out and connecting in a different way, it can release, cleanse and shift energy positively.
There’s this article by Mind which discusses this in more depth.
3. Diet can affect mental health
What we eat and drink affects how we feel. Go eat processed foods high in sugar and salt content and be aware of how you feel from eating these foods.
Then try a nutritious and delicious diet, packed high with wholegrain, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Observe how different you feel mentally physically and emotionally.
I’ve been making smoothies since 2005 most days because of how much more beneficial I feel from having them daily.
Food is medicine, it can create or drain our energy levels and affects our mental health.
Lockdown is already creating stress in most peoples life. Try to free it by drinking plenty of water and limiting alcohol, which is a natural depressant.
This time can also be great for reminding us to get back to basics and be grateful for having more time to be able to cook from scratch and bake more.
4. Being mindfully grateful
- Practicing a daily gratitude meditation can support us be more grateful in our life. When we can comprehend how fortunate we are for the simplicity in life, in having food each day, a safe home, a running toilet, water on tap, just to name a few basic necessities that billions of the worlds population does not have, gratitude can pour in. I read this global citizen article for a more eye opening, humbling read.
- Every night before sleep I speak to the universe and say what I am grateful for that day.
- It is so key for good mental habits to form and a more positive outlook to grow.
- Literally reminding yourself of everything you have in your life the negatives and the positives. Because no one exists without the other.
- Whats doing your head in right now?
- This thought can transform into what you are grateful for by having gratitude for the lesson it is teaching.
- Every shit show we experience there is always a lesson to be learned and that is what we can be grateful for in life.
5. Being ok with how you feel today
People often attribute good mental health to always have to feel good. But what is good without knowing bad. What is happy without knowing sadness?
It’s simply a state of feeling that we can experience as humans and it will pass.
Teaching this to kids young is great to begin nurturing these seeds. Mindful minis have a monthly mindfulness course here for parents and children to do together.
People can become addicted to all kinds of unhealthy habits such as, substances, shopping, binge eating, over exercising etc because of this need to escape, run, shun, bury a feeling.
By reassuring the mind with loving thoughts towards the feeling and accepting of how we feel with an attitude of
“it’s ok to feel”
Reminding our mind, will gentle reassurance it will pass. This new healthy habit can instigate change in our thought process, toward striving towards healthier habits.
By really understanding how we speak to ourselves affects our mental health and relationships with others, it can create new changes towards new mental health habits we choose to make, for our future healths wellbeing.
When we speak with love and compassion towards ourselves and others as Dali Lama discusses in this article, a new seed can sprout. It can be the start of breaking free of self sabotaging speech towards ourselves and others.
6. Early to bed
Seriously the earlier we get to bed and sleep, the better we can feel mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually as a consequence.
I discussed this in pregnancy yoga poses to help you sleep better
According to Ayurveda medicine sleeping between the hours of 10pm and 2am is fundamental for a good nights sleep.
The benefits of a good night sleep is scientifically paramount for our mental wellbeing, temperament, natural glow and sparkle in our eyes. I read this really short article 15 tips to help you get your beauty sleep every night
7. Early to rise mental habit
By getting to sleep earlier, it genuinely means we’re up earlier. Sounds simple, life really can be.
However, I, like many other mums I know, need space and time alone each day. When the kids are at home 24/7 it can be really testing for the lack of brain space.
Its then quite natural to fall into a late night rut of sitting up later than we would do, if we were usually up and out the door early.
When our routinely habits are out of our normed synced, as they are for many mums just now with no school run. Being extra mindful of these unhealthy habits harnessing, can nip them quickly in the bud.
The very thought of acknowledging the awareness to the continual unhelpful behaviour, can then limit it evolving into an unhealthy habit.
By simplifying life as much as is possible and being extra understanding that this time will pass and you’ll be back cursing that 6am alarm ready and raring for the school run joys again.
8. Sleep
By getting to bed earlier and rising sooner it will facilitate better sleep pattern.
Sleeps so important for our overall health, it’s why it’s used as a form of torture. We tend to crumble easier.
I’m one moody mama without my sleep.
If we get a late night as mums, we tend to learn as our kids grow, probably was not the wisest of moves. It can be a rather humbling experience, as we’re not assured our kids will not be up through the night.
That, or their up like wee blackbirds first thing chitter chatting away, about anything and everything, as the first of many coffee’s collated, to cope with the;
“Why didn’t I get to bed earlier last night?” mindset can rant.
Having a sleeping routine habit, whereby approximately waking and sleeping at the same time most days, can aid better sleep and a calmer mental you.
This can improve so many aspects of our life by creating this mental habit and transform our days drive depending on how many hours of shut eye we get.
There’s this article with loads of useful links here about sleep benefits tips and guidance by the Mental Health Foundation on sleep
9. Changing clothes changes the mental energy
It sounds silly but try it, really can shake the cobwebs.
A lot of us are working from home just now and there’s loads of health issues associated with homely health habits, that can increase the risk of mental health issues.
I was chatting with a dear longtime friend last week and she was saying she worked in her pyjama’s in bed that day!
Her energy and mood was very low and I judging’y reacted before thinking, (hands up, I’m human) “oooo hun that’s so bad for your mental health”
The words literally escaped my mouth before my mind had time to catch up. She knew my intentions were not malice. She’s also well aware it’s not a good mental habit, especially not gaining her a gold star for great mental health.
However knowing something and doing it, can be extra challenging, particularly given these lockdown living times. Especially if we are feeling stuck, low in mood and unenthused.
This is why
- Getting dressed out of your bed clothes each morning
- Wearing colour, also known as chromotherapy in colour therapy. This article explains it more
- Brushing your teeth
- Taking a shower
- Having a healthy breakfast
- Lighting an incense and opening a window
- Changing your clothes after work
- Putting on some favourite music and having a wee boogy
- Moving to a different space in the home for different tasks
- Having a silent salt bath at night
Are all great ways to shift the energy field, mood, tone and feelings, when at home most of the day.
10. Community rather than competition
I am so all over this as a mum.
Staying away from the social media misery of group mentality that can create feelings of negativity within, is a positive step towards making happier mental habits for you.
What are you choosing to give your energy to?
How does it make you feel?
Bringing your awareness to this question, can help you to create good mental habits of what you choose to give your time to.
Limiting screen time to the stimulus that creates feeling of anxiety for you, will support your overall mental health.
For instance i’m not against news coverage but i’m very aware of how it makes me feel. So i’ll read the headlines but limit any news coverage depth, because the feelings don’t sit well within.
We’re all so different as mums and we will naturally be drawn to some, and disagree with others. Finding your mum tribe is important for mental health and to create a community of love around.
Its ok to disagree with another mum just don’t go to war about it! Save your energy, move on, choose your fights wisely`23.
Even though socialising is very much limited just now it’s still popular on social media and I sometimes wonder whether people think, before typing.
Is this not the beauty of life. Diversity and variety?
Is this not the essence of, the meaning found in “the spice in life?”
Really honouring this acceptance as a mum, can create different seeking relationships. Bonding as a community as opposed to a competitive mindset.
Being a mum’s challenging enough, we woman need more light, love, hugs and positive vibes.
Forming this mindset of self love for ourselves and others through the relationships we seek, can create good mental habits towards being more positive, nourishing and nurturing, towards what we and those around us, need.
This ripple affect in life, can then flow and grow out in relationships around us, for our overall future mental wellness.
By bringing mental focus to these 10 habits can in time bring lightness, sparkle, shine and joy in life thinking living. There’s so much magic in the world, if we remember to look.
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