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In our ever-changing world, daily life stressors and current events have the potential to increase a sense of worry and a negative state of mind. A negative mood is a natural and normal reaction to life stressors and other disheartening events. It is also important to recognize when these experiences begin to negatively affect school, employment, and or relationships and to seek professional help. Equally important is understanding there are a number of things individuals can do to increase a positive state of mind and have a better awareness of their own mental health.
Increase your Awareness of your Mental Health
Creating a habit of checking your state of mind or mood is a good first step to becoming your own best mental health coach. When individuals create healthy habits, they are taking ownership of their mental health and are reducing the chances of having negative events significantly impacting daily functioning.
In addition, there are a number of apps that can be used to practice breathing, mediation, and mindfulness. These techniques send messages in our brain that we are safe and reduce our fight or flight response.
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If current events are negatively impacting your state of mind then being aware of your mental health and the amount of social media consumption can also help individuals know if they need to reduce, stop, or temporarily reframe from using social media. It is also important to know what you will do instead of participating in negative thinking and not engage in alternative negative patterns like seeking out negative conversations.
Positive State of Mind
To help individuals positively ground themselves they can think of times when they felt calm, in control, and at peace and identify what was happening at those times to increase a sense of peace. Perhaps an individual would discover they are engaging in meditation, limiting their social media use, and are engaging in positive interactions with friends and family.
Increasing your awareness of your state of mind on a regular basis is a great first step in reducing the potential negative impact of daily life stressors. Actively creating habits like deep breathing will only enhance a positive state of mind and increase our chances of resiliency in successfully handling stressful events.