FIVE WAYS TO BUILD MENTAL IMMUNITY
Mental immunity is the ability of the mind to cope up with the challenges of life. It is highly dependent on the understanding capability, observation, and reconciliation of painful thoughts or events.
Mental immunity is high when you survive when things get hard, and it helps you sustain and sail through hard times. Emotional resilience is affected by loneliness, change, grief, sadness, fear, uncertainty, etc., and it has a direct impact on mental immunity. In this blog, we will discuss the top three proven ways to become mentally immune.
Five ways to become mentally immune are
- Embrace a hobby
It is ideal to embrace a routine for all the tasks and plan a “me” time. We can develop a hobby that triggers our creativity to create a positive impact on our mental health. Creativity can regenerate the brain’s functional state and helps us to focus more. If you want to be mentally immune, it is ideal to have a focused and contented mindset. If we embrace a creative routine or hobby, or activity, it helps to relax the mind and spread positivity. Mental immunity is developed when the creative process calms our prefrontal cortex reducing the tendency to give room for negative emotions.
- Exercise regularly
Healthy habits as regular exercise can refresh and rejuvenate our brain and lift our spirits. Mental immunity is balanced when you work out on a stressful day, and it wards off your bad mood. Somatic needs will connect mind and body and help in nurturing mental immunity. Meditation can help in guiding your thoughts and relax your body and soul. Breathing techniques like Pranayama and Deep breathing can alter the thought process hindering the mind and allows it to relax, improving mental immunity. It also provides clarity of thoughts and stays focused. When you are clear and focused, your mental immunity is at its best. The best way to stay mentally immune is to go for a brisk walk in the morning with your best friend as it acts as an exercise for the mind and body.
- Communicate
Staying connected with friends and family can lead to positive, memorable experiences in the mind and increase mental immunity. It replenishes the neurons and reduces anxiety or concerns. During pandemic times, mental immunity takes a toil as we are deprived of going out and meeting people. In that case, we can have more face time with our dear ones using video calling or social media or sending messages or scheduling family meetings in zoom calls. These happy interactions can also remove the blockades that can disturb our mental immunity.
If you are in misery, sharing it with a close friend or aide can help sustain mental immunity. If you don’t vent out your negative thoughts, it leads to accumulation in the brain affecting the emotional state. It can also cause stress and affect your sleep. As the saying goes sharing is caring; if you share your problems with your loved ones, it is easy for them to understand your challenges and support. Social support is also an essential precursor for shielding your mental immunity.
- Watch lighthearted movies that makes you smile and laugh
Laughter is the best therapy, and it increases mental immunity. When you laugh, the stress hormones decrease, and immune cells grow. Laughter can trigger the release of endorphins which relaxes our body instantly. Mental immunity is enhanced by endorphins which help in relieving any pain temporarily. Laughing therapy is the best way to improve the functions of blood vessels to increase blood flow. Laughing out loud can protect the person against heart attack and other heart ailments. There is a scientific notion that laughter eliminates worry and also burns calories. Mental immunity is greatly affected by anger as it leads to resentment and bitterness. Laughter calms to anger and diffuses negative emotions. Laughter is good medicine to improve mental immunity.
- Proper Sleep
Mental immunity can get affected due to lack of sleep, and they are closely connected. Sleep deprivation can cause mood swings, increase anger and irritability and, in the long run, lead to mental health problems in both adults and children. It also affects cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, and problem-solving, which takes a toll on an individual’s overall productivity and efficiency. It is essential to maintain good sleep hygiene to improve mental immunity.
Mentally immune people will be strong, compassionate, joyful, resilient, and flexible. Even journaling daily helps in venting out negative emotions by keeping track of thoughts hindering mental immunity. Practicing gratitude and staying positive can add more serenity to mental health. Using the above five ways, you can improve your mental immunity, and it can help transform your life.
