Wait… did you really think 3 tips alone would be it for mental health? Well, it’s a start. These posts and the Your Self Series books are all about promoting mental health because they are all about you figuring out who you are.

As part of that amazing journey, here are a few things to consider along with a few things to ask yourself….

Become aware of your feelings and responses. Are you immediately thinking negative things about yourself? Do you get defensive and angry? How do you respond? Do your responses reverse the negativity of the situation or escalate it?

Be as objective as possible before jumping to conclusions. Did what they say or do seem reasonable to you? Did you do anything to provoke (meaning to antagonize or encourage) the person? Consider the other person’s perspective (meaning their point of view) when you are feeling attacked.

Be empathic.  Being empathic means considering another person’s thoughts and feelings before responding. Practicing empathy helps you to connect with other people and being connected to other people benefits your mental health. You can read all about empathy here.

Increase your resilience. Being resilient means being able to bounce back from tough situations. When you increase your resilience you feel stronger and more confident. Read about resilience here.

Get help when things feel overwhelming. Who are your go-to people?

Accept compliments! And maybe even repeat them to yourself! Some people focus on the negative aspects of who they are rather than the positive. Why is that????

Develop and stick to your moral code. When you are aware of your moral code you are more likely to make choices that are in line with them. When you don’t know what your morals are, you are likely to do things that you later regret: regret causes anxiety and interferes with your mental health.

Think positive thoughts! Are all those negative thoughts getting you down? Of course they are! You are the only one who can control that. Catch yourself when you put yourself down in your head and change it to a positive statement about yourself.

Know your boundaries. Huh? Boundaries are imaginary (and sometimes physically real) lines that tell others how much they can get away with with you. You will find a whole lot of information on boundaries in healthy relationships but if you want a quick break down, read on:

When you have weak boundaries you may say and feel something like:

“I told Gary that it was totally fine to kiss me anytime he wants to even if he has a girlfriend. But it’s really not okay with me, I just couldn’t say that to him and now I am totally freaked about it all”

When you have weak boundaries, people may take advantage of you and you then feel bad about yourself. This may even lead to you feeling insecure and taking things personally, and then acting in a maladaptive way – a not-so-good combination.

But when you have strong boundaries you may think, feel and say:

“I told Gary there is no way, no how, he is ever going to kiss me until I am ready. Plus, duh, he has a girlfriend and I just don’t cross that line.”

Having boundaries also shows people your character and is an aspect that builds your reputation and your sense of self…

Build up your sense of self. When you build your sense of self, you learn about who you are, you manage your emotions and you feel confident with your choices. If you want to read more about why we always blabber about the self, cruise the Bonus YSS Section next.