3 Everyday Micro Habits That Is Guaranteed To Build An Armour Against Mental illnesses

A mental illness doesn’t develop in a day or two - it's a result of unattended everyday stress.

According to WHO, depression rates have increased by 25% in the last two years.

Nearly 1 in 5 adults are diagnosed with a mental health condition in a given year.

But a mental illness doesn’t develop in a day or two.

From viewing depression very closely, I can boldly state that a mental illness results from unattended everyday stress.

But taking small preventive measures every day that keep stressors in check.

[1]. Protect Your Sleep, Your Mental Health Depends On it

I lived with an “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality.

Owing to this faulty mindset, I crammed 25 hours into a 24-hour day. Work, social commitments, a never-ending to-do list, and much more.

If I couldn’t find anything worthwhile, I binge-watched Netflix.

In a nutshell, I abused my sleep.

And hence my mental health.

Author Matthew Walker explains in his book, “Why We Sleep:”

During sleep, our brains go through a kind of “maintenance phase.” It sorts all kinds of information to be stored in different sections, eliminating the wasteful ones.

It’s like a night janitor tidying up, clearing out toxins, consolidating memories, and resetting our emotional equilibrium.

So, sleep is directly proportional to the brain’s ability to clean up, relax and recharge.

Less sleep = chaotic brain

Poor sleep quality = hyperactive brain

That’s why Thomas Dekker rightly said:

“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”

If your brain has to take care of everything in your life, you need to take care of your brain.

If you wake up drained, you didn’t sleep well.
If you wake up and want to sleep more, you didn’t sleep well.
If you’ve had the urge to snooze, you didn’t sleep well.

The measure of sufficient sleep is waking up recharged. For that, shut down your brain’s activity before hitting the bed.

Or else your body will sleep, but your brain will keep running in the background without rest.

A relaxed brain, a recharged brain, can do one week’s work in a day.

[2]. Give People the benefit of the doubt

On any given day, what enrages you the most?

My seven years of journaling say:

• Unsolicited advice

• Insults

• Someone tailgating you on a highway (Road rages, overtaking, etc.)

• People not behaving my way

There can be a zillion things, but these incidents occur almost every day. Yet we lose our minds and hence peace.

That’s why I started giving people the benefit of the doubt to protect my sanity.

It preserves my mental energy. It gives me clarity of thought. Focus.

For example, if someone tailgates/overtakes me, I tell my mind, “They have an emergency. Someone’s in the hospital they need to attend to.”

If someone insults me, I talk to myself nicely, “ They give what they have. They’re hurt inside. They’re mentally broke.”

For unsolicited advice, I say, “It’s just their perception. I don’t HAVE TO follow it. Just nod and do what you feel is right. Respect their opinion and move on.”

I know you’re thinking, “These are false statements. Why should I lie to myself?”

Because if you don’t:

Your mind will go rogue. It will continuously think, “Who do they think they are? I will show them their position. They have no right to act that way.”

And this negative, energy-sucking self-conversation will go on for days. Sometimes weeks. Sometimes years. And you’ll be depleting your mental energy to someone who doesn’t even care about you.

So, you have two options:

1. Use your thought power to think about changing people (and become more agitated)

2. Use your rational thinking to quiet a noisy mind (and preserve sanity)

This reminds me of a famous Rumi quote:

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

It’s better to save yourself from the negative energy of people rather than feeding your fat egos and losing your mental health.

I have formed a mantra in life: Let people be who they are, where they are, and how they are.

[3]. Consume High Vibrational Food

Hippocrates once said:

“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”

I don’t think he was trying to be poetic.

Science shows that there’s a strong connection between what we eat and how we feel.

For example, processed foods increase the risk of developing depression.

Experts in Healthcare also suggests:

A diet high in refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients disrupts the body’s natural balance and leads to inflammation.

And any physical damage is likely to cause mental damage.

So, what can you eat that has high vibrations?

In Hindu scriptures, it’s called the Sattvic diet:

Pure, raw food has energy from the sun and vibrates at a high frequency, which promotes your bodily and spiritual wellness. Everything else resonates at a lower frequency.

Examples:

• Fresh fruits

• Sprouts

• Whole grains

• Vegetables that grow above the ground

• Nuts

• Plant-based milk and milk products

• Seeds

• Legumes

• Honey

• Herbal teas

These foods are known to increase calmness, attentiveness, a healthy gut, and long-lasting energy.

Any food that makes you sluggish isn’t a high-vibrational food. For example, meat, processed foods, fried foods, refined flour baked foods, etc.

Unless you experiment and experience the benefits firsthand, you won’t fully understand how powerful high-vibrational food can be.

Give it a try for one week. Just one week and see a 360 change in your life.

If you have any other micro habits for better mental health, I am all ears.