By Conor Orr
For Mental Health Awareness Month this year, we are urging everyone to look around and look within. And while this request can mean many things, it is purposely broad to generate some deep consideration to how we’re treating ourselves and others. Here are some concrete steps on how to look around and build a world that supports your mental health.
What steps can we take today to create a better home and work space — a better environment?
- Bring nature inside: While nature provides myriad benefits to your mental health, so does bringing plant life into the home. According to the World Economic Forum, which reviewed more than 40 studies related to plant life and mental health, taking care of a plant can give us a sense of fulfillment, while also improving the air quality in our home and reducing airborne pollutants. Improved air quality can also boost cognitive performance.
- Clean your space: Regardless of where our space is located or what it looks like, we have the option to make it as clean as possible. Spring cleaning is an age-old expression of getting a fresh start after the long winter months, but it is also a boost to one’s mental health. According to VeryWell Health, just the ritual of spring cleaning can give us a sense of accomplishment, a sense of control over our environment, an increased social life given that we’re more likely to invite people into a clean space, and it may set other good habits in motion throughout your life.
- Bring in the community: While someone’s zip code can impact their mental health due to associations with violence or a lack of resources, one thing we can all do from our home base is establish a sense of togetherness. One great way to invite in our surrounding neighbors is to become an advocate for those around you. This could take on a lot of different forms, including groups that encourage neighbors to help one another or creating a group that supports local businesses to help fend off gentrification.
- Focus on your sleep: The benefits of a good night’s sleep can supercharge our brains and bodies. This year, one of the ways you can look within is to see how you’re treating yourself before bed and how we’re preparing ourselves for a very important part of our routine. Optum Health notes that limiting alcohol and caffeine before bed, lightening our meals, reducing exposure to screens and keeping our space dark and cool are all ways in which we can have a better sleeping experience right away.
