What is refreshing your mental health?

Refreshing. What comes to mind when that word is mentioned? Cool, fresh air, ocean spray and sound, gurgling brooks, fresh, cut grass? So many images can be conjured up when we say or think of the word refreshing.

Today I want you to think of it in a mental health way. Spring is a great time to “spring clean” your mental health and see what needs refreshed. Refreshing your mental health means taking time for self-care, renewing perspectives on your thought life or the ways in which you manage your mental health, refreshing your environment of home, office and even your relationships.

Simple Steps To Help Refresh Your Mental Health

How do you go about refreshing these areas of your mental health? My suggestion is to first sit down with a pen and paper and create a list of all the areas you’d like to improve for your mental health. Your list might look something like this:

1. Self-care at the end of the day – taking time for a bubble bath
2. Managing negative thoughts with positive self-talk
3. Hanging up positive quotes, sayings, artwork at home or office
4. Making more time for my best friend

You can be as specific and as detailed as you like with your list. Don’t hold back on what you have observed in yourself that you really need. Emotional and mental needs are so important to your everyday life. Don’t ignore the ways you have been feeling. Address these areas in small segments and you will find that you can refresh and rebuild a strong mental health plan. 

Now that you have your list you can begin taking small steps to reach those refreshing goals. What is the easiest way for you to go about starting these goals? Look at your calendar and add in the self-care time, renewing your perspective activities, creating a positive space in your home or office, and reaching out to that friend or family member you need more time with. Even if you begin only once a month for each goal, do that. Whatever it takes for you to create a renewing and refreshing habit for your mental health, put your first step forward. Before long you will be feeling refreshed and less stressed by negative feelings and emotions.

Create Some Refreshing and Positive Artwork For Your Home

I wanted to give you an idea of how to create some expressive art for your walls.

Supplies Needed

Start by grabbing some watercolors at your local arts and crafts stores. Try to get the moist watercolor palettes as they work easier than the dry kind you might be familiar with as a kid. Get some mixed media paper or watercolor paper.

Painting Your Artwork

Sit down and use a paintbrush, choose your favorite colors, begin adding your favorite colors to the paper in a pleasing pattern or design you like. Take some time to practice your pattern or design before actually putting it down on paper if you do not feel confident with watercolors. Play with your brush allowing it to guide the flow of your work. Keep using water on your brush. This will help your colors to flow.

Allow your work to dry and decide how you would like to hang up your work. You can use picture frames, black works well to show off colors, use twine with clothespins to display your work, or keep a sketchbook you can look through daily that holds your favorite paintings.

How Will This Benefit You?

The purpose of this exercise is to help you express positive thoughts and emotions as you use colors and patterns that make you feel happy and uplifted. Creating art has scientifically been proven to enhance mental health and positive outlooks on life. Art creation stimulates the areas of the brain that produce endorphins the feel-good hormones, keeps your mental recall and memory sharp, helps you let go of stress and helps create fresh ideas and perspectives in your life and work. Expressing yourself spills over into every area of your life. Your mental health is vitally important and can be helped immensely by the creation of art.

I hope this short article helped you to be inspired to refresh and renew your mental health this Spring and in all seasons. Please leave me a comment below and let me know if you tried these ideas for yourself.

Happy refreshing!