PANDEMIC – An outbreak of disease prevalent over the whole world. And currently, we all are facing the same issue. We are locked up in the confined spaces of our homes and unable to go out due to the virus outbreak. And this can be pretty much tiring. Not being able to go out, meet your friends, go to school, college, or work, instead a curfew has been put up on life that what you shall do and when. And the rise in the pandemic is just making the situation worse, it is not only affecting the country’s economic growth but also an individual’s mental growth.
What is a 30-days mental health challenge?
The 30-days mental challenge consists of mini, month-long resets that helps one overcome stress and start afresh. And this 30-days mental challenge is based upon an extract from the book, ‘Body, Mind and Spirit’ by Elwood Worcester and Samuel McComb published in the year 1931, in which the founders of the Emmanuel movement described the radical improvement of life through a month-long experiment.
And the 30-days mental health challenge is nothing but it is a challenge where throughout the month you have to carry out various exercises or tasks that will help you destress. And according to Pinterest, the search for the 30-days mental health challenge has been increased by a whopping 668% over the past year.
And when we come to question that whether the 30-days mental health challenge is useful and successful or not, we have Helen.L.Coons, Clinical Director of Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Service Line, the University of Colorado, School of Medicine explains it to us that it is successful because we tend to do it in chunks every day and not finish off the whole task in a week or so. She further moves on to explain how if we decide to lose up to 50 pounds in a week, it might seem like an impossible task to achieve but if we choose to skip cookies for one day followed by another, it is easier to achieve the goal.
How to do a 30-days mental health challenge?
The 30 days mental health challenge may include a variety of activities and it is upon you to decide which one to take up because of the various number of tests available at the back of your hand today. Although there are plenty of options to chose from but before that there are some ground rules that one should follow while taking the test.
Ground rules:
- Stop thinking it is selfish – It is absolutely okay to take care of yourself and spare a little time for your own self. Remember that you deserve it for all that you have been through in the past and current.
- Tag a friend – It is always easier to achieve goals when you have an accompaniment along with you, who can support and motivate you in the long run where you might be losing hope and would want to give up.
- It is okay to miss a day - It is a 30-days mental health challenge, thus one is expected to complete the challenge within the 30 days time period but it is okay if you happen to miss one, but don’t let that stop you from completing the challenge.
- Continue with the good habits – If you happen to learn a good habit within this time frame, then make sure to continue it further because good habits change you for the better.
And now let's have a look at the 30-days mental health challenge created by Helen.L.Coons.
Day 1: Do a 10-minute deep breathing exercise.
Count the numbers 1-10 backward while you take deep breaths and feel the process of inhaling and exhaling. This can be practiced before you start your day, before an important meeting, before you greet your parents, kids, or partners. This process helps you calm down and makes you think from a broader perspective.
Day 2: Call a good friend or catch up with a good friend.
Call a friend with whom you might have lost contact over the years but was your close friend once. There is nothing better than rekindling an old friendship, if possible make sure to meet them as well, it will help you reminisce the good old days.
Day 3: Schedule your day for some fun activities.
Give yourself a break from the monotonous work life and make sure to schedule a day full of fun activities like playing video games, watching movies, if possible even a trip with your family or friends won’t hurt.
Day 4: Recycle, Recreate, or donate.
Donate away things that you don’t use anymore or never used just bought them for the sake of it. Recreate your old stuff into something new that will change the décor of your house or will give you new stuff to apply or wear.
Day 5: 30 minutes of Yoga.
30 minutes of yoga daily will help you destress like nothing else, and thus if haven’t started it yet, take up this opportunity to do so.
Day 6: Eat a healthy meal.
The current century is all about junk foods and fast foods, people hardly care about what they eat. It is great as long as it suits their taste buds, so take up this opportunity to plan a healthy meal full of carbs, proteins & vitamins to keep you healthy.
Day 7: Listen to your favorite music.
Listen and groove and listen to your favorite music because that will help you unclog your mind and destress yourself from the anxiety caused by your hectic schedule.
The above-mentioned things are the challenges that one needs to follow for the first seven days and thus explained in detail so that one can get a proper gist of the challenge on how to start and move on with the challenge. And below mentioned tips are the ones that you need to do as a challenge for the next 21 days.
Day 8: Get some assistance. It is okay to ask someone for help sometimes and not burden yourself with all the tasks.
Day 9: Read something good. Take out 10 minutes from your busy schedule to read something worth remembering.
Day 10: Go for a walk. Take a walk after lunch to clear your head and start afresh, if not possibly out take a walk inside the home itself, a mini walking exercise would only help you destress.
Day 11: Spa time. Get yourself groomed.
Day 12: Indulge in your favorite hobby. Make sure to have some time to practice your hobby whether be it singing, dancing, or painting.
Day 13: Movie Marathon and Binge watching.
Day 14: Sleep before your bedtime and give yourself a much-needed extra rest.
Day 15: Chose to drink water instead of alcohol or soda.
Day 16: Have a gaming night.
Day 17: Set and accomplish a mini goal like finish reading a book that you might kept half-read.
Day 18: Complete one such task that you have been delaying till now whether be it a doctor’s appointment or a visit to a friend’s boutique.
Day 19: Seize the day by complimenting someone.
Day 20: A night out with friends.
Day 21: Meditate for 5 minutes and learn the art of being calm.
Day 22: Have family time, make sure to connect to your family members even if it is via Skype.
Day 23: Do something unusual, like stargazing at night.
Day 24: Have a date night with your partner, best friend, parents, or siblings.
Day 25: Unfollow negative people on social media and have a much-needed social media detox.
Day 26: Learn to say “No” to things you dislike.
Day 27: Spend a phone-free night. Spend some time without looking at the phone and things and people around you.
Day 28: start journal writing. Write down something good that happened to you that day.
Day 29: Watch a video that makes you laugh.
Day 30: Learn to adopt a new habit. A habit that makes you happy.
Thus, the above-mentioned points are the challenges mentioned by Helen Coon in her 30-days mental challenge but one can obviously follow any other challenge with different challenges for each day depending on which is more suitable for them.
Resources:
The 30-Day Mental Challenge. All you need to do is try | by Mitch Horowitz | Medium
How to do a 30-Day Mental Health Challenge (scoopofthoughts.com)
Image Source: Google Photo