3 tips for keeping your mind grounded: how to maintain good mental health
Your mental health and psychological well-being have a direct impact on your physical health, so it’s really important to pay attention to both body and mind.
We’re taking time right now to reflect on our mental states, finding ways of tending to the delicate ecosystem that is our mental garden.
Nurturing the mental garden has never been so important. Collectively, we find ourselves living in a climate of fear and uncertainty; a testing time for even the most mentally grounded of people.
We have faced a collective trauma never seen before in our lifetimes. The connections we depend on for mental and physical health have been severely affected, as our tribal roots have been shaken to the core. Social distancing, a concept new to a lot of us, is sure to have had an impact on the connections we thrive on as human beings.
Whether its COVID-19 or the afflictions of everyday life, the modern world poses challenges for us all. Some of us may be more susceptible to mental anguish than others. But no matter how susceptible we are, we can still take measures to enjoy life to the fullest, by cultivating a rich and plentiful mental garden and maintaining good mental health.
We’re going to share some mental health first-aid tips – ways in which we like to dig out the weeds, sew supportive seeds and tend to our needs in our own gardens. There’s no one sized-fits-all approach to looking after your mental health and keeping a healthy garden, but we thought we’d share a few practices for keeping your mind grounded.
Meditation
Meditation is one of the most powerful tools available to us. It costs nothing, you can do it anywhere and it can be effective from as little as ten minutes a day. Making time each day to change every-day waking consciousness is a powerful way to nourish and calm your mind.
Just taking a break from that same whirlwind of thoughts that dominates the psyche on a day-to-day basis can do a lot. It’s like taking a holiday from the part of yourself you’d rather not be hanging out with 24/7.
Meditation isn’t just a brief moment of respite from stressful thoughts; it’s a practice which can also, over time, give birth to a new you. Sitting; existing; being with ourselves, with intention, can breed powerful changes in the way we think, act and feel.
Studies have shown that we can create new neural pathways by meditating. This means we are less likely to continuously follow the mental pathways that lead to depressive and anxious thinking. With more practice comes the building of new neural pathways, which train us to think in a more positive and peaceful way.
CBD
CBD is a natural way to bring the body back into balance. Many people use CBD to bring a baseline of calm into their lives and help manage stress. Why not try one of the Mighty Green CBD skin balms to soothe your body and mind, or choose from our popular range of CBD drops to help combat stress and promote restful sleep.
Forest bathing
This practice originated in Japan and is a literal translation of Shinrin-yoku – ‘forest bath’. Traditionally, forest bathing was practised in Japan to nourish health the holistic way – mind, body and soul.
The concept of forest bathing may sound quite intuitive, but those of us who have grown up in urban environments might not be that familiar with other surroundings. The Japanese have long believed that spending mindful time in the woods supports a healthy mind, which is just the ticket for us right now.
Since our separation from nature, we’ve distanced ourselves from its nurturing and grounding benefits. It’s no coincidence that the distance we’ve created between ourselves and our natural environment corresponds with increasing rates of mental illness.
Studies reflect the grounding properties of forests in particular, by showing that walks amongst trees can reduce the physiological markers for stress, such as blood pressure and cortisol, whilst also improving cognitive functions such as memory, and mental wellbeing in general.
Time spent amongst trees has also been found to support the immune system, which has never been more important at a time like this.
Find a park and take a few moments for yourself – every day, if you can. Twenty minutes a day – or as much as you can spare – goes a long way.