How to Maintain Your Mental Health When Life Feels Unlucky

We all go through periods when life feels unfair. Life is unpredictable, and there can be curveballs, often when you least expect them. There are highs, but there are also lows. When times are tough, it can be challenging to manage your mental health, but there are strategies you can employ to protect your mental well-being. This article outlines simple steps you can take to maintain good mental health during difficult spells. 

Reframe Your Perspective

One of the best places to start when tackling challenges and enduring tough times in your life is to reframe your perspective. How you think about different scenarios, obstacles, and stressors can affect how you deal with them and how you manage your mental health. Here are two key points to consider:

The role of mindset when handling adversity

Your mindset can play a significant role in how you handle adversity and can contribute to better mental health and reduced anxiety. Rather than focusing solely on the fact that times are hard, it’s beneficial to try to shift your mindset and stay positive. Concentrating on what is going right in your life, for example, or seeing opportunities for your life to take a different direction, can help you nourish your mental health.

Cognitive reframing can help you shift the focus 

Cognitive reframing is a psychological technique that involves altering the way you think about events, difficulties, or situations. It aims to replace negative thoughts with positive perspectives to encourage different behaviors and emotional reactions. By practicing this method, you can shift the focus from negative to positive. This can not only help you get through tough times but also enable you to discover opportunities for growth and development.

Stick to Healthy Habits (Even When You Don’t Feel Like It)

When life feels unlucky, it can be easy to stray from positive habits, but embracing a healthy lifestyle and sticking to helpful behaviors can have an amazing impact on your mental well-being. Examples include:

Sleep, exercise, and nutrition

Good-quality sleep, regular exercise, and good nutrition are cornerstones of optimum physical and mental health. Try to ensure you get enough sleep, take time to rest and recover, maintain an active lifestyle, and enjoy a balanced, healthy diet. 

Practice mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation

Mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation can help you focus on the present, protect your mental health, shift your perspective, relax, stay calm, and distract your mind from negative thoughts and difficulties in your life. You can explore all kinds of options, from apps, guided classes, group sessions, to independent exercises. 

Embrace self-care

Self-care is all about protecting and nourishing your health and well-being. Embracing self-care is hugely beneficial when life gets tough. Simple things like devoting more time to hobbies, ensuring you get enough rest, and making time for fun can make a big difference to your mindset and mental health. 

Keep routines in place

Keeping routines in place adds a sense of stability and familiarity when life feels chaotic, disorganized, or unpredictable. 

Take a Break from Screens

Recent data suggest the average person spends over 6 hours and 30 minutes on the internet per day. While there are benefits to screen time, such as accessing educational resources and programs and apps that support and encourage healthy living, there are also downsides. Seeing bad news on a loop, comparing yourself to others via social media, and consuming content that makes you experience negative emotions can make your mental health worse. Taking breaks can help you reset, reduce stress and anxiety, and encourage you to focus on other things, such as relationships, hobbies, and work. 

Tips for taking screen breaks

To help you take breaks, here are some tips:

• Limit screen time by setting boundaries and deadlines
• Mute notifications
• Keep devices out of your bedroom
• Introduce rules: for example, no phones at mealtimes
• Spend more time on developing real-life connections
• Devote more time to other activities and hobbies
• Block accounts and unfollow individuals, influencers, or brands that negatively impact you

Focus on What You Can Control

Often, when life gets tough, the factors at play are beyond our control. We are powerless to change situations such as how others behave, losing people we love, dealing with sickness, or seeing friends and family members going through pain. Focusing on what you can control can help you feel more positive.

Zero in on the small things you can change or control

Zero in on the small things you can change or control rather than focus on circumstances or variables that are beyond your control. Try to concentrate on what you can manage, regulate, adjust, or change to help develop greater confidence and an enhanced sense of control. 

Focus on progress rather than perfection

Nobody is perfect, despite what people say or what you may see on social media or movie screens or what you may read about in books or glossy magazines. When life is chaotic, difficult, or relentless, focus on progress rather than battling with perfection. Think about how far you’ve come, what you’re doing to maintain good mental health, and what you’re striving for. Block out negative influences that encourage you to compare yourself to others. 

Seek Residential Mental Health Treatment

Seeking residential mental health treatment provides access to expert support, treatment, and advice via professional, tailored programs. If you’re finding it hard to cope or you’re struggling to make strides despite being proactive in implementing self-help techniques, please know there is help available. 

Jackson House delivers customized residential mental health treatment programs, offering access to experienced, compassionate professionals. 

Residential Mental Health Treatment Near You

We all experience times when we feel unlucky. If you feel like everything is against you, it’s crucial to realize that challenges are temporary and there are ways to get through tough times and thrive. Making changes to your mindset and lifestyle and seeking expert support, advice, and assistance can help you deal with difficulties and capitalize on opportunities. Jackson House specializes in targeted, tailored residential mental health treatment available in California and Oregon. 

If you need help or support, don’t hesitate to contact Jackson House today.