Things just don’t happen, we are the epitome of the experiences we have and the decisions we make. This year has been rough but at least we are alive to see today. Depression is real and having to go through therapy taught me a lot about life and about taking care of your mental health.

We should know that mental health is one facet of health that needs very much attention aside from spiritual and physical growth. Many sedentary workers like myself need time to process what goes through our minds daily in order to stay fit for tasks ahead. I know good dieting and exercising are great start for keeping the mind in shape. Here are a few tips I also garnered from sessions with my therapist which I think I should share with my cherished readers.

Talking about your feelings

If you’re the type who doesn’t like talking about or vocalizing your feelings, that’s a great start to keeping your mental health in order. Talking about how you feel with the right people opens you up for conversations which takes your mind of anxiety and depression which may result in you not voicing out enough.

Doing things you’re passionate about

What you love doing are things that create a spark in your life. Activities such as hiking, cooking, traveling, and painting can inspire creativity and infuse some happiness hormones within you. When I went out to play golf, I realized that I became happier and fulfilled that whole week. This means going all out to do passion-driven things can take us a step away from burnouts and stress of various forms.

Meeting new people

I recently made friends with my Czech Republican friend Maki and she was a great company. I noticed that she was equally open and friendly because she was in a new environment. We also clicked because we were both into doing social good and volunteerism. Oftentimes we think staying on our own will keep us away from problems. However, meeting new people opens us up for great conversations and new connections. To meet new people also means to go out often and ignore staying indoors. How would you rather have it, stay indoors or make new friends?

Taking up reading

Reading is something I often find myself doing but I never thought it was a great way to fight depression and anxiety. Therapy opened my eyes to the fact that not reading enough can lead to anxiety because there is enough time on one’s hands to worry about some of the irrelevant issues of life. As the saying goes, readers are leaders. And it is only leaders who find it important to give time to taking care of their mental health. Starting a book club also helps to have a group of like minded people who share in same reading values as yourself.