Your mental health is so important and making time to focus on it is absolutely necessary.

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These days can be mentally challenging for everyone in some form or another and if there is one thing that we could all benefit from, it is learning how to effectively cope with some of the anxieties, fears and stresses that we have collectively been dealing with. So today I'm going to talk about some of the things that have helped me learn how to work through those feelings. Sometimes they work better than others but as you get better and more consistent at implementing them, they really go a long way in helping to learn more about some of your triggers and what you can do to handle them.

Here are the six steps that I have implemented into my personal routine:

Meditation- This is a great way to ground yourself and clear your mind! It is something you can add into your daily routine for as little or as long as you like (could be a min or two or around 15-20 minutes, whatever works with your schedule.

Breath work- I love doing breath work, there are different techniques and levels and it is an awesome way to bring down your heart rate and calm yourself down. I've tried a few different methods but lately I've been using the 5-5-5-5 count that I learned from Darin Olien's book SuperLife (which is a fantastically informative read!), you breath in (through the nose) for 5 sec, then hold that breath for a 5 count, breathe out through your mouth for 5 sec and then lastly count to 5 with no breathing and no air in your lungs. You can do this for as little time as you like (two or three min) to get started and eventually incorporate it into a 15/20 min daily meditation, either way its a great technique to use to calm the body & mind.

Exercise- This has always been a go to for me. Whether its weight training, running, or any physical activity, it is a fantastic way to clear your mind and focus on yourself all in one swoop. It doesn't matter if it is for 20 minutes or two hours, try to get at least three days a week of active movement in for yourself, it does wonders for both the body & the mind!

Taking time for yourself- This one can literally be anything that you like doing that is healthy and enjoyable. I love to read, listen to podcasts or just go for a walk. There are so many things that you can do to just take a moment (it can even be just sitting quietly with a cup of coffee or tea and just enjoying 5 to 10 min), its really is simply about making the time to slow down and be with yourself!

Talking to someone- This can be anything from talking to your spouse (my personal favorite) or a friend or a therapist, whatever it takes for you to be able to express your thoughts (good or bad), fears or anxieties, really anything that is on your mind and then learning how to do that on a regular basis. We all have things that we need to express or get off of our chests and learning how to share those things instead of keeping them bottled up is so healthy for all of us.

Turning off the noise- This is another favorite of mine! We are all so saturated with noise every second of every day, between t.v. to news feeds to social media, we are bombarded with so much information these days that it really can effect your mental health in a negative way. We have to learn when to turn it off, step away and take a break! I make it a point to stay informed and connected but I have definitely embraced turning everything off and doing that fairly often.

I try to surround myself with positive people that bring the joy into my life and have learned to disconnect from the people who bring a negative energy, I will briefly look at or listen to the news but the less the better (just enough to stay informed), I also do not spend much time looking at other peoples social media feeds (I would rather go out and enjoy my own life than spend too much time looking at someone else's), not that its a bad thing at all (its more about balance), just don't let it consume you; and lastly we make it a point (and have done so for a long time) to leave our phones in the kitchen at night and never take them into the bedroom (this is a really good one!). These are just some of the things that work for me, we are all different but hopefully you can find some ways of unplugging that work for you and allow you to decompress.

There you go. These are six great ways of recharging and taking time for yourself that definitely help me to focus on the positive and try to quiet some of the noise. Try to create your own routine, you will be happy that you did!