Mental self-care is keeping your mind productive and imaginative, but in a way that makes you feel good physically and emotionally. Learning to sit still and just be present can teach you all sorts of new things about yourself.
The way you think and the things that you're filling your mind with greatly influence your psychological well-being.
Mental self-care includes doing things that keep your mind sharp, like puzzles, or learning about a subject that fascinates you.
Mental self-care also involves doing things that help you stay mentally healthy. Practicing self-compassion and acceptance, for example, helps you maintain a healthier inner dialogue.
Questions to ask yourself.
· Are you making enough time for activities that mentally stimulate you?
· Are you doing proactive things to help you stay mentally healthy?
Mental/Emotional self-care is a practice to improve your mental well-being and emotional health which is achieved through activities like:
· Being honest with yourself. That means confronting your feelings and learning how to accept them in a healthy way.
· Prioritize Quality Time with God. When we devote more time to God, God will renew, recharge, and remind us that we do not have to battle life by ourselves.
· Care for Yourself as You’d Care for a Friend. God wants us to serve others from a place of renewed strength, and not depleted energy.
· Remind yourself who God created you to be. Our identity in Christ is rooted in grace, love, and peace. Speak out loud God’s word as a source of encouragement, and a way to speak new life and hope into your spirit.
· Holding space for your emotions. You need to give yourself permission to feel your feelings, even if they are painful and difficult. A massive part of self-love is accepting who you are and validating your feelings.
· Dealing with your feelings. You could look at working out your feelings through art, movement, prayer or talking.
· Move forward. Once you begin to process things, you can move forward.
· Practice mindfulness: sitting in silence for 5 minutes, take a few minutes to appreciate the things you’re grateful for each day.
· Make positive lifestyle changes.
· Be gentle to yourself and others. Everyone, including you, is doing the best they can.
· Reconnect to the Holy Spirit within you. We stay connected to God with prayer, devotion, and studying God’s word.
· If news or social media makes you feel worse. Take a break.
· Practice Self-Compassion: accepting yourself for who you are, even with all your imperfections.
Scripture Reference
Proverbs 29:11 (AMP) A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger, but a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.
Proverbs 16:32 (AMP) He who is slow to anger is better and more honorable than the mighty [soldier], And he who rules and controls his own spirit, than he who captures a city.