We have a wealth of information at our fingertips about how to maximize our physical health. And we have information about the impact our attitude and self-esteem can have on our physical health.
As physicians and scientists delve further into the mind-body connection, it is more evident that mental health plays a monumental role in our overall well-being. Here are three simple (but unexpected) mental health tips that can help boost your confidence and contribute to holistic wellness.
Finances
Our physical and mental health tends to shift in one direction or another based on a domino effect of events. Difficulty with finances can lead to depression, which can lead to even more financial difficulties, and so on. While money can’t buy happiness, a basic level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes financial stability and security. Implementing a financial plan with an eye toward future stability can help increase your confidence and mental health, reducing the avoidance and coping behaviors which can drain your finances even more.
While major national or global banking institutions may claim to offer a wide variety of financial planning services, you’ll often get the best customer service from local places unique to your neighborhood, like a local credit union in Westwego, LA. Local banking institutions have a vested interest in helping their communities and members thrive financially, and they can be an excellent resource for helping you meet your goals. Even simple things like coming up with a monthly budget or savings plan, no matter how small, can end up making a difference on both your living situation and your self-esteem.
Education
There is a growing body of evidence about the kinds of behaviors which can stave off chronic health issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s, and one factor is maintaining mental challenges in your daily routine. Dedicating yourself to a lifelong path of learning can not only keep your brain sharp, it can boost your confidence in a variety of ways, giving your more topics of conversation in social settings and helping you navigate unexpected challenges with more skill and mastery.
You can keep actively learning by taking an interesting class here and there at a local community college, or even diving into one of the accredited liberal arts degree programs near you. The key is to cultivate the feeling that you are always improving, always bettering your situation, which can have a profound impact on confidence and self-esteem.
Gratitude
Modern society seems so full of things that we wish were different. Psychologists and gurus alike increasingly believe that putting our focus on gratitude can facilitate major changes in our lives, moving us from grumbling unhappiness to buoyant confidence. It’s not that the world around us must change, it’s that we change how we relate to the world — choosing to be happy on our own terms rather than focus on the negative.
Moving forward with an attitude of gratitude can give us the energy and hopefulness required to tackle life’s problems, whereas feelings of defeat and hopelessness can lead to a life of inaction and decreasing confidence. When we get to a place where the mind nurtures the body through healthy attitudes and perspectives and the body nurtures the mind through healthy activity and nutrition, we have put ourselves on the upward spiral to holistic wellness, including unshakable confidence and self-esteem. People who learn to operate on that level seem capable of anything, and they inspire everyone around them to rise as well.