Ways to Protect Your Mental Health If You Can’t Afford Therapy

 

Ways to Protect Your Mental Health If You Can’t Afford Therapy

There are several threats in the modern world. both those that originate from without and those that originate from within. Building a sturdy wall of defense around our mind is crucial if we are to safeguard and maintain our mental health. But the builders must be paid, and regrettably, that is frequently a luxury enjoyed only by the wealthy. Of course, we're referring to therapists and mental health specialists who can be quite beneficial but are unquestionably not inexpensive. Fortunately, even if you can't afford counseling, there are still measures to safeguard your mental wellbeing.

Spend quality time with your loved ones

Although you might not be able to pay them, your friends and relatives may be able to fill in for them and assist you on occasion. Who needs a therapist when you have a best friend, we've all jokingly remarked. Although they lack the training and experience of a trained therapist, your friends can offer you the best support when you need it most. They can listen to you, comprehend your difficulties, and offer guidance.

Sometimes, all we need is a shoulder to rest on and someone to encourage us when it becomes a little difficult to breathe. A meaningful chat with a trustworthy person can relieve a lot of your stress. Your brain can gain a lot from a simple cup of coffee with your close buddies.

When you share your life with someone, it becomes simpler. Additionally, because humans are social creatures, spending time with the people you care about has been shown to improve general mental health. So, in order to do this, be sure to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones.

Focus on yourself

Family and friends can be a tremendous source of support, but depending on your unique circumstances, they can also be the main reason for mental health issues. In either case, you must discover it within yourself if you want to be truly at peace. Establishing and maintaining mental health is mostly a difficult do-it-yourself task, even with the army of therapists. Self-focus and self-discovery are difficult, multi-layered, and multi-step tasks. You can start with the most basic yet potent triad:

:

1. healthy habits
2. self-care
3. gratitude

Sleep more, eat healthier, and hit the gym

Homeostasis, a mechanism that means balancing out all the active processes, underlies the operation of your entire organism. That implies that your mental and physical health are always interrelated and have an impact on one another. You must first care for every cell in your body in order to protect your mental wellness.

Help your body heal

It's important to emphasize that one of the key components of a healthy lifestyle is sleep. Your body needs it to rejuvenate, especially your neurons, which control how well you think. On the other hand, sleep deprivation can seriously harm your psychological self, resulting in worry and sadness. So, regardless of how hectic your schedule is, be sure to find time to sleep.

Get all the right nutrients and exercise

Yes, a slice of pizza with a lot of cheese on top can make us instantly happy. But that doesn’t last long. Its ingredients stimulate the secretion of dopamine in your brain but don’t have a true nutritional value. The satisfactory effect of dopamine is the reason why you’d rather have a slice of pizza than broccoli when you’re sad, but you should actually choose some more nutritive foods. Lack of necessary nutrients can impact both your physical and mental health negatively.

This mechanism is similar in substance addictions, too, just to a greater extent. Just like you want that pizza when you’re sad, an addict wants the drug they use, and it can easily lead to a relapse. So, according to experts, it’s important to https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/269421913370313847and resist the urge. Some of the healthy coping skills to prevent drug relapse are proper eating and regular exercise because then, your dopamine levels won’t drop too much, and the urge will be less compelling.

Self-care: a magical recipe or a myth?

We don’t even need to introduce you to the concept of self-care. People talk about it so much that you probably think that it’s some kind of new-time sorcery that doesn’t really work. But, the basis of self-care is self-reflection, which is the basis of all therapy concepts. So, self-care is actually one of the best ways to protect your mental health if you can’t afford therapy.

Remind yourself to be grateful

The majority of therapists worldwide concur that Thanksgiving should last all year long, not just on one day. Okay, so you don't have to bake a turkey every day, but no matter how difficult things are right now, take at least five minutes each day to think about all the things for which you are grateful. You'll feel encouraged and motivated to keep going after hearing this. It will serve as a reminder to you that you are leading a worthwhile life that is worth fighting for every day.

Find additional support online

We do not advocate living a life of virtual isolation. However, it can occasionally be quite useful. You'll undoubtedly come across many folks who are experiencing the same thing as you because the internet is like a gigantic beehive. That could occasionally provide the small jolt you need to begin moving again.

So, as you see, there are many ways to protect your mental health if you can’t afford therapy. Besides, no long-lasting fortress can be built around your psychical being without effort on your side. When the times get rough, make sure to stick to the basics. Choose the method that it’s the easiest for you at the given moment and carry it out. Find a little piece of peace and find the way that works for you to make it grow.