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It’s easy to let yourself go when you’re stuck in a deep depression that makes you feel self-conscious and like there’s no way out. Taking proper care of your physical self in support of your mental health is the first way to getting back in control.

Your physical health is connected to your emotional and mental health, which is why it’s so important to take care of your physical health. The likelihood of you staying well decreases as your physical health declines.

Practice Proper Hygiene

Practicing proper hygiene is crucial for your self-esteem, mostly because you’re putting yourself out there in the world. If your hygiene is bad, you’re going to have issues with your self-esteem and be in a constant state of anxiety.

Feeling at your best starts with practicing proper hygiene, which can start with taking a shower, brushing your teeth, and putting on fresh, clean clothing. It may seem difficult to keep up with showering and brushing your teeth as you should on a regular basis if you’re depressed or struggling with your mental health, in general, but it’s important.

Your oral health will also play a very large role in this, as well. Taking care of and getting help for dental emergencies as soon as they occur instead of letting them fester and destroy your oral health is one way to get your physical health back on track.

Poor hygiene will not only change how people view you, but how you view yourself. It will make people worry about how you’re doing.

Live a Healthier Life

We all love junk and comfort food, but it doesn’t comfort or help you in the long run. Changing your diet to healthier choices is actually one of the best ways to kick yourself out of depression without making a serious effort. This also includes avoiding alcohol and drugs, as well, which only bring your physical health down more.

 

Having a regular sleep schedule where you get enough sleep each night can be difficult to do if your mental health is unwell. The best thing you can do is try to sleep at night, take very few naps, and don’t sleep to avoid regular life. Sleeping too much or too little will exhaust your body and your mind over a short period of time. It can have serious consequences in the long run, unfortunately.

 

Managing your levels of stress as best you can will also help your physical health improve. Your body holds a lot of tension in when you’re stressed out, which can lead to serious aches and pains over time. Stress does a serious number on your body and, sometimes in quick periods, your mental health.

If you know you need to visit your regular doctor more often than you already are, try your best to do so. The more your doctor knows about your situation and what you’re going through, the more advice and help they can give you.

Finally, make sure you start exercising. You don’t need to do anything too extreme, even just running in place or some jumping jacks for a couple of minutes to an hour a day can make a world of difference.

Treat Your Body with Care

Treating your body with care is extremely important for your mental health, aside from trying to live a healthier life. This includes eliminating self-harm, destructive ways, and not relaxing your body as you should be doing.

You can make a world of difference in improving your mental health by doing something as simple as using a moisturizer on your body, or taking a long, hot bath to relax your body and your mind.

Eliminating self-harm can be difficult to do, especially if it’s been going on for years. Self-harm and destructive ways that are directed toward your body, such as cutting or burning yourself, should be swapped with something else.

For example, the next time you get the urge to harm yourself, take a pencil, a piece of paper, and draw or write about what you’re feeling.

Taking Care of Your Body to Better Your Mind

Mental wellness starts by caring for your body. If you need help with tracking how you’re doing, you can try The National Institute of Wellness screen test that gives you a wellness score based on your answers.