Introduction
This post will focus on what five habits/activities can improve eczema, mental health and wellbeing. This can improve stress, and anxiety and I will also touch on managing self-esteem. There are many ways of improving our mental health in these areas; however, what works best on one person may not work or be effective on another person.
1. Meditation
This is a mind and body activity where your thinking is moved towards being mindful in the current moment. It can be practised by yourself or in a group. Meditation has many advantages including improved focus, concentration, improve self-awareness as well as stress and anxiety. This can help the body physically including a better immune system, break additions and can lower blood pressure. It can also help mentally as well as mentally as we can focus on relaxing the mind and emotion during times of stress. It also can improve our mood including help with depression.
2. Prayer
Prayer also has benefits as it brings a spiritual and loving connection with your higher self whether that is God and/or the universe. This can be anything from gratitude, hope, help, forgiveness etc. It can help with depression when life events and health issues including eczema occurs. As well as giving us a positive attitude and approach towards life it can also improve our life span and is positive for the heart.
3. Walking/Exercise
Not only does walking help with energy levels and maintaining a good weight it can also improve our mental health. Going on walks helps clear the mind and a time to reflect and listen to nature. It also reduces stress and improves sleep. While walking and reflecting this is also the opportunity to listen to things such as mindfulness and motivational-related topics which causes us to think but also feel better about ourselves and learn something.
There are times when walking with a friend or a group of people is also beneficial. Being around the right type of company and having meaningful conversations can also improve our well-being while walking.
Moving the body to any type of exercise big or small can help. I’ve spoken a lot about how going on walks really improves my thoughts and well-being and it can also help relieve stress.
4. Music therapy
Listening to music or music therapy helps with depression, stress, anxiety and trauma. It can bring a good mood, and motivation, help ease pain and improves mood. Secondly, it helps with confidence, communication skills and concentration. Music including the pitch, temp and beat affects the brain in many ways. Sometimes it can bring emotion, Goosebumps and pleasure depending on the type of music. I personally have a motivational playlist with songs that help me feel motivated and confident during bad times.
5. Mobile apps
Many people have smartphones and we spend a lot of time doing things which can make mental health worse. This can include scrolling on social media, comparing ourselves to others and playing games. Have you thought about installing an app in order to improve your mental health? There are many apps as well as websites that can help with mental health and wellbeing. Some examples of great apps include Headspace, Calm and Insight timer.
Managing self-esteem
Finding ways of increasing our confidence and self-esteem can improve our mental health. However, It may also lead to fears of rejection. As well as self-help resources and the activities discussed what other strategies could you try?
I mentioned in my managing stress blog that Therapy and Counselling may help us physically and mentally as well as improve eczema. This is due to eczema affecting our self-esteem which can cause upset/distress leading to flare-ups. A therapist can help with coping mechanisms managing stress and anger and how to break cycles. This can include CBT, and mindfulness techniques. These two methods can change your mindset which prevents you from scratching in stressful situations. This can help with the itch-scratch cycle from my previous post.
Conclusion
So we’ve covered the 5 habits and activities that can help. The most important thing is knowing what works best for you. For example, if you know that too much social media will make you anxious then it’s probably best to avoid or limit your time using it. If participating in certain activities does not align with your personal values and causes anxiety, sadness, tension and/or anger then it’s probably best not to practice them. If you are stressed and experiencing eczema issues then my previous stress posts may help you. Please keep a look out for the next post which is about lifestyle and relationships.