5 Realistic Goals For Mental Health

Setting goals are so important because they are a reminder that we should recommit ourselves regularly to self-care and self-improvement.

However, instead of making a list of ten things you want to change about yourself this year, why not commit to real change that has the possibility to last beyond the first few months of the year?

By focusing on the process of change, rather than solely the outcome, your resolutions could really make a difference this year in your overall happiness and satisfaction.

Instead of vague goals, we all fall back on each year, why not focus on what really matters, which is the mindset that is holding you back from making real, lasting change in your life?

Instead of focusing on the habits this year, try goals related to the process of increasing your wellness and overall well-being.

Instead of opting for the same goals, you make every year, make this year the year of living happier and healthier.

Here’s 5  Realistic Goals For Mental Health 

1. Focus on Your Mental Health

When you change your focus to working on your mental health, you can improve not only your mind and soul but also your body.

Your mental health is what drives your ability to achieve physical health, so focusing on it versus other aspects of fitness or diet could lead to more significant improvements in all areas of your life.

Your mental health includes how you deal with and process emotions, how you handle stress, how resilient you are to changes or obstacles, and your overall outlook and mindset.

Focus on this critical aspect of wellness, and you will enjoy significant returns in all areas of your life.

2. Become Better Connected

Make a commitment this year to spending more time with friends and family. Being in the company of trusted friends and family can improve your mental health and can lower your stress, too.

Schedule regular time each week to spend with loved ones, stay in contact with those who live far away, and renew efforts to remain connected to those who have been neglected recently.

A real-life connection is preferred to online messages, so pick up the phone or make a date to see your friends soon.

3. Be More Mindful

When you are mindful, you are living in the moment. You are aware of what you are feeling, how the environment and others are affecting you, and you can embrace the experiences and opportunities as you live them.

Mindfulness teaches you to let go of anxiety about the unknown future as well as anger or sadness about the past, both of which can significantly impact your mental and emotional well-being.

4. Get Outside More

A commitment to spending more time outside can improve your mental, emotional, and physical health in many ways.

Spending time in nature reduces stress, helps you sleep better, enhances your immune system, and can be a wonderful place to get more exercise.

Enjoy your local community parks and walking trails as much as you can this new year to improve your wellness in many areas.

5. Commit to Self-Care

If you make no other resolution this year, promise yourself that you will prioritize your self-care.

Taking time for yourself is crucial, and this simple promise can enhance your well-being.

Self-care can include everything from meditation to your beauty regimen. It’s up to you to determine what you need to feel your best.

4 Ways to Create a Peaceful Mind

Peace of mind is merely a mental and emotional state of calmness.

When you are at peace, you can let go of worries, anxiety, and other mental activities that disrupt your mind.

One of the critical components of peace of mind is being present, which requires letting go of the past and not worrying about the future.

4 Ways to Create A Peaceful Mind

Like all other mental skills, creating peace in your mind must be practiced and learned.

It’s not something that will just happen simply because you want it to, unfortunately.

But, by practicing these strategies regularly, you can become more at peace and develop a calmer mindset that allows you to live in the present.

1. Meditate

The most significant practice you can learn and perfect to develop peace of mind is meditation.

The mindfulness you learn from regular, meditative practice is the cornerstone of all the other skills necessary for cultivating peace of mind.

Learning to meditate and be mindful of how your emotions are affecting you and how your thoughts influence your behavior is crucial.

If you have never meditated before, try a guided practice that teaches you the basics and instills the principles of this practice. There are not many, and it’s easy to learn with just a little practice.

Meditation reshapes your brain and how it is wired, allowing you to better cope with stress and push away negative thoughts as they interrupt your peace.

Meditation practice can reduce anxiety, which is the most likely reason your mind is at unrest, as well.

2. Forgive

Holding onto grudges for past mistakes is robbing you of inner peace.

This type of negative thinking holds you down and keeps you living in anxiety and negativity, which rob you of your peace of mind.

Learning to forgive is vital for moving on and finding joy and peace in your current world.

3. Worry Only About Yourself

When you are constantly thinking and worrying about what others may think of you or your choices, you will not be able to find peace.

Fear of judgment creates the negative emotions that make finding peace of mind difficult. You will never please everyone, and others do not have to live your life or with the consequences of your actions.

Stop caring what others think, and you’ll be much happier and at peace.

4. Be Patient

Patience and tolerance go a long way in today’s hectic world.

When you learn to accept that much is not in your control, you can better roll with the situations life hands you and take things for what they are.

Whether it is the behavior of others, the pace at which the world is moving, or even how much things cost, the only thing you can control is your reaction to these.

Learning patience and tolerance can allow you to put your focus where it needs to be, which is you.

Why is Junk Food So Addictive And Hard to Stop Eating?

To put it simply, junk food is created in order to produce the response you experience as your body consumes it.

Companies put millions, even billions, into research to design packaging that entices you to purchase junk food and then they put more research into choosing the colors, the look, the size, and the taste to make it as addictive and enjoyable as possible.

Plus, your body is naturally triggered by high sugar, high salt, or high-fat foods. When you eat these foods, it just makes your cravings worse and encourages you to eat more even if you weren't really hungry.

Knowing that junk food is unhealthy, though, why can't we stop eating it?

The reason actually doesn't have to do with your willpower, it has to do with your brain.

Food manufacturers have put in plenty of research and, through that, they have identified that salty and sugary foods will make you crave more junk food.

To build on that fact, they have begun using chemicals and components that deliver these flavors in order to strengthen your brain's response to unhealthy food even further.

Naturally, your mind is likely to become addicted to sugar or salt.

There is a chemical process that takes place in many people that leaves them inclined to become addicted to substances like these, and manufacturers know that very well.

With the information that they can get you "hooked" on their products just by using certain flavors, chemicals, and compounds, just about every manufacturer out there confidently pulls out the most unhealthy foods to entice you to eat them.

However, in addition to offering little to no nutritional value, if you took a few minutes to really taste the junk food that most of us snack on, you'll find that a lot of it doesn't have any real flavor at all.

It's just sweet or it's just salty. And that's why manufacturers sell it so well.

5 Reasons Why You Comfort Eat

 1. Unawareness

The first thing is unawareness.

You may not be conscious of what you're eating, why you're eating, or how much you're eating.

If you have never taken the time to stop yourself in front of the fridge and ask if you're really hungry, you likely are unaware of a comfort eating problem.

2. Lack of pleasure

Many women find themselves in a situation where food is one of the few pleasures in their life, so it becomes an easy source of entertainment.

You might turn to food to soothe yourself and help overcome boredom.

3. Inability to control your feelings

From a young age, most of us learned to avoid things that make us feel bad, and food is a great distraction when we are faced with negative emotions.

If you are unable to tolerate the inevitable "bad" feelings of life, you might turn to food to try and get them off your mind.

4. Dislike of your own body

A negative self-image can cause a range of bad habits, but emotional eating is certainly near the top of the list.

If you dislike how you look, it can throw you into a downward spiral of negative emotions and multiple aspects of this can lead you to emotional eating.

5. Physiology

Do let yourself get too hungry?

Do you miss a lot of sleep?

There are lifestyle choices that can make you more vulnerable to emotional eating.

If your body is hungry or tired, it will send a powerful signal to the brain that tells it to eat.

It's much more difficult to fight off cravings and urges when you are hungry or tired already, and it becomes even more difficult to convince yourself to make healthy choices.

What is Mindless Eating? Here’s How to Fix It

To put it simply, mindless eating is a situation in which you are eating, but you are not eating because you are hungry.

Mindless eating is very prevalent, but the thing is, most women don't realize they are even participating in it because the activity is just that: mindless.

You may be fully aware of everything you are consuming, the issue that surrounds mindless eating is that you haven't stopped to ask yourself: Am I really hungry?

The issue with mindless eating, of course, is that it puts you at great risk of overeating.

That means you are likely exceeding the number of calories generally recommended for your body (based on your gender, weight, and height), and in turn, this will lead to weight gain if you continue the habit.

Another thing to consider about mindless eating is that, since it's mindless, you probably aren't opting for the healthiest snacks.

Instead, you are probably eating high-calorie, sugar-filled junk food that isn't doing your body any good.

The core causes of mindless eating, other than feeling like you're "supposed" to eat, include stress, negative emotions, boredom, and a host of other reasons. At the end of the day, however, the only valid reason to eat is that you are hungry.

Simply getting in the habit of asking yourself if you are hungry prior to eating is generally enough to kick the habit of mindless eating, but it will take some time.