5 Essential Mental Wellness Activities

In our recent reality, a majority of our population is staying home to not only to protect themselves but others. Being in quarantine has led many people to feel isolated and bored, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Oceans Drive Transportation, we encourage you to make the most of your time at home right now by focusing on your mental wellness. Here are five fun activities that will be easy on your body and great for your health!

Be Physically Active

Research has shown that physical activity and exercise significantly improves mental health and wellness. Studies have found that regular physical activities not only improve mental wellness, but also delay the onset and progression of mental health disorders, like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and panic disorder 

Physical activities that promote mental wellness include:

• Cardiovascular exercises (jogging, walking, swimming, biking, etc.)
• Team sports (soccer, football, baseball, basketball, tennis, etc.)
• Outdoor activities (hiking, rock climbing, biking, jogging, etc.)

Meditate

Another excellent mental wellness activity is meditation. Meditative practices have proven to be especially effective in promoting mental wellness by reducing stress and increasing focus and concentration. Research suggests that meditative practices improve self-esteem, relaxation skills, and attentiveness while lowering irritability, stress, and anxiety. 

Some meditative practices that are beneficial for mental wellness include:

• Yoga
• Walking meditation
• Guided imagery
• Muscle relaxation exercises
• Taichi

Socialize

Socializing is a great mental wellness activity for improving mental health. Socializing is a wonderful way to make new friends and strengthen relationships with old friends. It also helps a person build a social support network, explore new interests and activities, and relieve stressors that create challenges for maintaining mental wellness.

Spend Time Outdoors

It is easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day responsibilities, like work, family, chores, cooking, cleaning, doctor’s appointments, and everything in between. It can cause so much activity, energy, and sometimes even chaos in life, that it can be hard to find inner peace. A mental wellness activity that promotes inner peace and mental wellness is to get away from daily stress and spend time in nature. The fresh air, natural sounds, and sights, and refreshing smells can help to reduce anxiety and encourage the strengthening of inner peace and balance. Natural scenes like mountains, beaches, forests, and national parks can all help reduce stress and ease the severity of mental health challenges.

Volunteer

Volunteering time to charity organizations is an excellent way to boost self-esteem, self-worth, and promote a healthy self-image. It also helps to improve socialization skills, encourages volunteers to learn new life skills, and spreads motivation to promote healthy and positive human behaviors. Volunteering is a great mental health and wellness activity because it helps a person feel like he or she is a part of something bigger than himself or herself. It helps promote community, camaraderie, and provides a feeling of self-satisfaction and pride that will significantly improve mental wellness.