Nowadays more and more campaigns are being echoed to further increase the importance of maintaining health. If the body’s health can be maintained by exercising regularly, eating a balanced nutritious diet, and having a good lifestyle. In addition to the importance of maintaining a healthy body, our mental health also needs to be highlighted.
Mental health provides many benefits that unconsciously provide a crucial role for humans. We can interact well with fellow human beings, feel the emotions that arise when faced with a situation, work optimally are signs that our mental state is in good condition.
The ability to manage stress in life is also an indication that our mental health is in good condition. However, we are not always able to overcome the problems of everyday life. The demands of life that are getting higher every day can affect our health conditions.
The more challenges and demands of life increase, the higher the demands and expectations of human performance. If you continue to focus on work alone, gradually a feeling of laziness, boredom, and fatigue will appear which can reduce our effectiveness. As a result, it is easier to get stressed because of the big demands. However, stress needs to be managed so that we can avoid mental health problems. Stress that arises is unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be overcome.
1. Coloring by using coloring book
The activities of drawing and coloring are identical to those carried out by children. Even so, more and more adults do coloring with coloring books. Coloring books for adults usually contain black and white pictures in various shapes.
The forms that usually appear are flowers, animals, plants, and buildings. The designs in this coloring book range from simple to complex. The purpose of coloring with this coloring book turned out to trigger positive and calm feelings for adults.
It is this feeling of calm that helps adults to be able to relieve stress so that it is easier for them to control the stress. In addition, coloring can also be used as a way to express yourself through color. The choice of colors determined by the individual without the intervention of others can help increase self-confidence for the individual.
In addition, coloring can also train the focus of the mind. A more focused mind helps in better problem solving and organizing daily activities in a structured manner. The easier it is for us to organize activities and solve problems, the lighter the burden on our minds.
2. Playing a musical instrument
Music is a source of entertainment when we feel happy, sad, angry, and various other forms of emotion. Music is produced from the combination of the sounds of various musical instruments. To be able to play a musical instrument, mastering how to play is the main key.
Piano, guitar, violin are some examples of instrumental music instruments. To be able to produce a beautiful sound, when playing music, we need to always pay attention to the notes or keys that must be pressed. The more complicated the chords that are played, the more focused our minds are on playing the right notes.
In addition, playing a musical instrument can also help us set the mood. When we are feeling sad or disappointed with a situation, when we play a musical instrument with a cheerful song, automatically the mood that was previously unpleasant will follow the cheerful melody of the music we play.
3. Dance
Often when we hear the smooth strains of music, we will automatically move our bodies to the beat of the music. Dancing, whether done professionally or just to move the body, has a positive influence on our physical and mental health.
When dancing, our limbs move to the rhythm of the song. All members of our body will move and can trigger smooth blood circulation throughout the body. The body’s metabolism also increases which gives a positive influence for our body.
Dancing can also be a way of expressing one’s emotions to improve one’s mood. A good mood also helps our minds to be more focused and reduce stress in our minds.
4. Journaling
Expressing yourself can be done in various ways, one of which is through writing. Journaling is the activity of writing various kinds of activities about oneself. Usually journaling can be filled with various kinds of positive affirmations towards achievements and efforts that have been made up to the present time.
Because it contains positive affirmations, dreams, even as simple as telling daily activities can trigger positive feelings from within. The mind becomes more calming, focuses on solving life’s problems for the better, and can help us prioritize the feelings of fear, worry, and anger that we feel through writing.
Reading self-notes written by oneself in this journal helps to better understand our selves’ strengths and weaknesses. The better we know our own abilities, the more we are able to overcome problems that arise from ourselves and can maximize our potential.
5. Meditation
Meditation is mostly done to find inner peace. When meditating, we are invited to focus on breathing, train our peace of mind, and train focus of the mind. Simply put, meditation is done by closing your eyes, then focusing on calmness of mind and breathing exercises that can be done for 5 to 20 minutes.
A calm mind makes it easier to control the burden of thoughts that can trigger stress. In addition, meditation also trains our attention to our own needs in terms of peace of mind.