Mental Health
Written By: Braiden Belnap
Date: 1/4/23
Summary: I am a strong believer that mental health affects everyone. Some people struggle more than others but everyone faces their own personal problems. It is important to understand where your mental health is at and let others be vulnerable about theirs and lift others up. This week I was able to interview Megan Gallagher for my podcast “Prosperous Life” She is an amazing person who has had her own journey while struggling with mental health and has gone on to help others on their journey. In this blog I share what we talked about during her interview on the tools that helped her and also share the tools that I use daily that help me as well.
I am so excited to share what I was able to learn and take from my podcast with Megan. She is an outstanding individual who helps so many people. She uses her influence for good and is a great teacher. I had Megan on my podcast because I felt she would be able to share with my audience her experiences of struggling with anxiety and how she has overcome that obstacle in her life. Mental health is something I believe everyone struggles with. Megan Shared that she became in control of her thoughts and that has helped her control her anxiety. A few more things that also help with anxiety are having a daily routine, meditation, healthy diet, sleep, staying hydrated, and exercise. Something that I have learned in the study of psychology is that when all those things are balanced in your life your emotional state is also more balanced. If you struggle with anxiety I challenge you to go through that list and see what you're strong in and what you are lacking. I want to touch on each of those more in depth and explain why each is so important.
First is setting a daily routine. Each day differs from what is planned, however it is important to set your morning habits and bedtime habits. So create a plan on what you are going to do in those routines. My routine in the morning is I wake up and do meditation then go to my office journal and then look at my vision board. My nighttime routine is similar however I add reading and brushing my teeth and showering. Having those routines set has helped me be successful throughout the day and also get better sleep at night.
Second is meditation, I love meditation because you can set up how you want your mindset to be for the day. I meditate in the morning and think about my day to come. There are so many different ways to meditate and what to think about while meditating. I encourage you to research and look on youtube to find out what meditations work the best for you. Everyone is different and it is not one size fits all.
Third is having a healthy diet. The reason I think having a healthy diet is so important is because a lot of the happy chemicals in your brain come from your stomach. So if you aren’t putting good food into your body how do you think your brain is going to run? It’s probably not going to run as well as it could be. So evaluate the food that you’re eating and how you could implement or change to have more healthy foods.
Sleep is also extremely important. I can guarantee that we have all been there where we had to do something running on no sleep. How did you feel? I know when I have done that I am tired, have no energy, a foggy mind, and stronger emotions. I have set myself up for success by going to bed early and waking up early. I used to not have those habits and they can be difficult to do. I want to teach you the power of 1. 1% is better than 0% so try doing that 1% everyday to achieve that and you will reach your goal of where you want to be.
Lastly is staying hydrated and getting exercise. Like having a good diet it is important to stay hydrated. Your brain is like a machine so keeping it “well oiled” with water will help you feel better and have a clearer mind. Water also helps detox your body of toxins so it acts as an aid to flush those out. Exercise is great because it gets your body moving and creates endorphins that make you have more energy and feel happier. Exercise is something that I have become passionate about because it makes me feel so much better and gives me a clearer mind. Exercise doesn’t have to be something you do for an hour a day. You can start working out for 5 minutes a day then slowly increase your time.
I use all of these in my daily life so like I said before I encourage you to go through that list and determine what goals you want to set for yourself. I did exactly that and it has made my life so much better and has allowed me to have a better relationship with myself and others.
I hope you have learned something in this blog. If you want help or have questions about how to implement the tools I wrote about today, reach out. I would love to give you more advice. My social media is linked below. You can shoot me a dm with your question and I am happy to answer it for you. I hope you were able to learn something from this blog that you can apply to your life.
Next Steps
Social Media -
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braidenbelnap/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BraidenBelnap
Listen to the podcast-
Spotify: https://anchor.fm/braidenbelnap
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prosperous-life-with-braiden-belnap/id1611299150
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