Mental health is one of the four cornerstones of health that needs to be addressed. An imbalance of mental health can really impact the other areas of personal health and can lead to depression, anxiety, social stress, paranoia, low self-esteem, insomnia or hypersomnia, weight gain, mood swings, and more.
Ultramods try to keep their mental health in balance so they can get through life easier. Sometimes, with poor mental health, the simplest tasks can seem daunting. You go from "making coffee" to "filling up the pot with water, putting a filter in place, putting ground coffee into the filter, pressing the button, and waiting"; such a simple task becomes a daunting procedure. This can happen to anyone.
A quick self-assessment of your own mental state:
What are your long term goals?
What are your short term goals?
What problems/issues are you currently facing? How can you deal with them?
Does anything seem "never ending"?
Have you become dependent on anything such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sugar, gaming, etc to get through your daily life?
Do you have any trauma or major issues affecting you mentally?
Do you have any fear or hate issues that mentally affect you (either as recipient or contributor)?
Do you deal with sudden mood swings, such as being quick to anger or quick to cry?
Are you happy with where you are at in life? (Work, relationships, socially, education, etc)
If anything stands out, you might want to look into ways of dealing with your mental health. It might be individual or group therapy, removing a bad element from your life, putting yourself on a strict schedule, talking to a doctor regarding issues, start a regular relaxing activity, begin journaling, or talk to a friend.
Self-care is a big part of taking care of your mental health. The majority of people find that regular exercise, a good diet, and good sleep is enough to keep them positive most of the time. When more self-care is needed, you may find the following options as easy self-care:
Yoga
Meditation, 20 minutes daily
Massage or other body work
Giving yourself time to read or create art or bake/cook
Connecting with nature (hiking, walk through a park, going to a beach, etc)
Journaling, writing or drawing
Working a puzzle, crossword, logic problem
Regular hot tub or sauna use with or without friends
Visiting an art gallery or museum or zoo or public gardens
Enjoying music
Cleaning your living space
Why is this an Ultramod concern?
If your mental health is good, then it will reflect in the rest of your life. You'll be more productive, you'll feel better, and you won't have to deal with the literal weight of mental issues. Keeping yourself in good mental health can allow for new ideas and better brainstorming, which can positively effect your work, education, and side projects.
It's also nice not to use mental health as a crutch. Some have legit issues, but there are those people who like to have some sort of crutch (usually indicating a health imbalance) and it isn't necessary.
What do you like to do for self-care? Comment below.