Your mindset is one of the most important aspects of your life. The good news is that engaging in daily routines and activities can have a positive impact and will help you create and maintain a healthy mindset, live authentically, and grow as a person.
If you want to change your life for the better, the first step is to start with the right mindset!
Ready to start making some mindset shifts? Great! Let’s get started…
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Why Is A Healthy Mindset Important?
Having a healthy mindset can improve your life in many ways.
There is actually interesting, somewhat recent research on the mind-body connection, the important differences between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, and the profound impact your mental attitude has on overall health and wellness.
Basically, we can’t be healthy physically when we aren’t healthy mentally. They go hand in hand!
Studies have shown “the impact of how the mind can influence the disease processes in viral infections, cancer, autoimmune disease, wound healing…”
It also tells us, “Research has documented the mechanisms through which stressful emotions alter white blood cell function. Stress diminishes white blood cell response to viral infected cells and to cancer cells.”
That is powerful knowledge!
Creating a positive mindset can help protect us in more ways than we may have known.
When we engage in negative self-talk, are in an unhealthy mental state, or are faced with stressful situations, it’s not uncommon to revert to old, bad habits and it sort of snowballs from there.
During difficult times in your daily life when your stress level is higher or you’re under a lot of pressure, be sure to allow for grace and flexibility.
You will also want to begin to recognize your personal signs of unhealthy or negative thoughts.
Here are some other tools you may want to include in your healthy mindset toolbox…
18 Best Tips To Create And Maintain A Healthy Mindset
These 18 tips are all great, but if you’re new to this or feel a little overwhelmed, just choose one or two activities and start there.
1. Accept Yourself And Where You Are At This Moment
We all have times that wish we could turn back the clock or find a magic wand. But instead of wishing our time away or beating ourselves up, acceptance is the key.
Practice giving yourself small acts of kindness and grace. Accept where you are at the present moment. And keep in mind that you are working on new things and change takes time.
2. Practice Quieting The Mind
Meditation is a mind-changing technique that has many long-term benefits and many report a greater sense of wellbeing with regular practice.
This fascinating study showed that people who meditated over an eight-week period had a change in the expression of 172 genes! These are responsible for regulating inflammation, circadian rhythms, and glucose metabolism.
What an amazing testimony to the power of a healthy mindset!
3. Practice Gratitude
Gratitude can create a whole shift in mindset!
Writing a list or keeping a gratitude journal on a regular basis is a powerful tool that can help us be mindful and work on personal growth.
If journaling isn’t appealing, you could:
- spend a few minutes thinking of things you are grateful for each day
- help friends or family members that have busy schedules by doing thoughtful things for them
- take someone with a chronic illness in your church or friend group some delicious, wholesome foods
The important thing is to make it a habit and commit to it! Positive action helps to create positive thinking!
4. Keep A Journal
Keeping a daily journal is a great way to keep those gratitude lists on hand and also to get out all of those thoughts and feelings that you want to express.
You can include anything you want in your journal including journal prompts, questions, famous quotes, song lyrics, or even lines from movies.
Anything that sparks your interest or evokes a feeling for you can be a great prompt!
5. Add Movement To Your Day
Movement can be a powerful way to work through emotions and feelings so that they no longer serve as obstacles in your life.
I’m not talking about working out until we are exhausted or trying to catch that “runner’s high”, but intentional movement in order to allow your body to release the feelings and emotions that might be stuck.
Movement and authentic self-expression lead to healing.
Movement might look like….
- going for a walk
- doing a few minutes of yoga
- dancing
- gardening
- EFT (emotional freedom technique)
Or any other movement that feels good to you. Find your best techniques and then you’ll have a few more tools in your toolkit for a healthier mindset.
6. Create A Vision Board
Creating a vision board is so powerful and can be done in as little as an hour or two.
It’s just about taking those things that we want to bring into our lives and putting them all in one place.
A vision board can include pictures, images, mottos, even words of affirmation.
Feel free to get creative and combine some of the other tools on this list into your vision board.
But remember: it’s about how it makes you feel and not what someone else says is right or wrong!
7. Have Fun & Laugh Everyday
Have fun with yourself! Laugh, play, and enjoy your time.
- Laugh with a friend
- Sing in the shower
- Take on a new hobby that you haven’t tried before
Schedule it into your planner!
Do whatever brings joy to you and means something special to you!
Just remember: You deserve to have fun and enjoy yourself!
8. Give To Yourself As Often As You Are Able
No matter what is going on in your life, remember to treat your mind, body, and soul with kindness.
Our mental health is just as important as our physical health.
We can show our mental health some self-love by taking care of it, just as we would the body.
And if you cannot do this on your own due to an illness or disorder, seek help and talk to a professional about finding that balance for yourself!
9. Find Your Tribe
Surround yourself with people who are supportive, uplifting, kind, caring, compassionate, and just plain loving individuals.
These are powerful people who want to see you succeed! So if you don’t have someone like this in your life right now, look for them.
Search for a community near you or online where YOU can feel at home. Because YOU are powerful and YOU deserve to have a place where YOU belong.
10. Be Mindful Of Your Language
Pay attention to the way you talk about yourself.
Do you put yourself down? Do you make jokes about yourself?
Words have power, so be sure to say positive things about yourself!
And if you hear yourself saying anything like this, try to stop and change your language to be more kind!
Because YOU are important and what you say about yourself has an effect on your mindset and even overall health.
YOU deserve respect, so be mindful of how YOU talk about YOU!!
11. Take Care Of Your Physical Health
This one is pretty simple.
When you take care of the body, it’s so much easier to take care of the mind and soul too!
So eat healthy foods, get plenty of rest, enjoy a little sunshine every day, do exercise that is right for your body, reduce stress, schedule your yearly checkups with your doctor (and dentist), and just know that if you don’t feel your best, it’s okay to take a break from life and rest.
12. Bring Out Your Inner Child
While participating in activities that bring out the childlike spirit of our inner selves, try to let go of your adult responsibilities just for a little while.
We don’t have to leave responsibility at the door when we go on an adventure or bring some joy into our lives.
But it can be nice to not worry about bills, responsibilities, or grown-up things (or grown-ups?) for a little while.
We deserve that break—even if it’s just for 15 minutes.
13. Take A Break From Social Media
If social media seems like more of a stress than it is worth sometimes, try taking a break from it!
This doesn’t have to be forever either.
Whether it’s for the day, hour, or just 20 minutes—we don’t need to let social media dictate our lives!
14. Prioritize Your Needs (And Have Boundaries)
Being kind and compassionate to ourselves means taking care of ourselves first.
Taking care of our physical needs, mental health, spiritual health…etc.
This doesn’t mean being selfish or putting ourselves before others all the time.
But it does mean making sure that we are able to show up for our loved ones when they need us most!
So prioritize your needs and know that if you need to step away for a bit, to take care of yourself, then it’s okay!
Boundaries are healthy and they look different for everyone!
15. Spend Time Outside
Spending time outside is therapeutic!!
Maybe it’s walking around the block or spending an hour laying in the grass.
Either way—getting outside is refreshing and makes us feel alive!
16. Read A Book (Or Magazine)
When you sit down with a good book, it can be like you’re floating away to another world–a much better world than this one at times.
Let yourself enter the world of the book and experience something new.
Taking a break with a book can be a great way to let go of stress and reset your mind.
17. Choose A Daily Affirmation
Saying an affirmation out loud is powerful!
It’s kind of like telling the world (and yourself) what you believe in.
A daily affirmation can be something simple, like “I am enough” or “I am doing my best”.
No need to be fancy, just pick an affirmation or quote that feels right and repeated as needed throughout the day.
18. Take A Deep Breath
To me, this is one of the most important things to remember!
Taking a deep breath can help us calm down and center ourselves so we are able to better handle whatever is in front of us.
Just take a long, slow breath (or 3!) in through your nose and out through your mouth. Focusing on your breath can help to bring you back into the moment.
Being mindful when we take a deep breath can also help us remember that we are okay!
Our hearts are beating, our lungs are filling with air, and the world is still turning.
Try to spend a little time each day focusing on your breath and quieting your mind- in a short time you’ll be surprised at how effective it can be!
Healthy Mindset Quotes
Here are a few quotes to keep in mind and help get you started on the road to a healthy mindset.
“Honest self-understanding liberates us from our stuck emotions” – C. Terry Warner
“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war
with yourself…The critical issue is allowing yourself to know what you know. That takes
an enormous amount of courage.”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the
Healing of Trauma
“Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it.” –
Steve Maraboli
Healthy Mindset Book Recommendations
Interested in learning more about creating or maintaining a healthy mindset? Here are a few great books you’ll definitely want to put on your reading list!
- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel A. van der Kolk
- The MindBody Toolkit by Dr Kim D’Eramo
- The Little Book of Mindfulness by Patrizia Collard
- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Last Thoughts About Healthy Mindset
Creating a healthy mindset is so important and worth the effort!
If you are struggling with mental or physical health, I encourage you to do an honest assessment of your daily thoughts and habits and take the time to create a mindset that brings health and happiness.
Here’s to taking the next step into a healthier future!
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- Book Review: The MindBody Toolkit By Dr. Kim D’Eramo
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