Mental Health and Wellbeing Checklist

Most of the time, we create checklists for various aspects of life, such as finances, career, education, and so on. However, it is equally important to put together a mental health checklist. Your mental well-being deserves as much attention as your financial stability, career growth, and other areas of life. It is essential to prioritize and take care of your mental health, just like you would with your physical health.

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To stay on top of our mental health, we need to turn our attention more to prevention and early intervention. By prioritizing mental health and wellbeing, we can attain better overall mental health and proactively prevent psychological and emotional breakdowns.

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What is Mental Health and Wellbeing?

According to World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.

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Here are the key things to include in your Mental Health checklist:

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Assessing your mood: To assess your current mental health, evaluate how you are feeling at the moment. You can seek assistance from professionals who conduct mental health assessments or utilize online mental health screening sites. For example, if you are feeling emotionally stressed and is unsure, you can read credible blogs or articles to learn more about it. This will help increase your awareness of how you are feeling and the extent to which it is affecting your functioning. You can rate your mental state on a scale from 1 to 10 and keep track of your daily feelings. You have the option to use either a hardcopy or softcopy journal. If you notice a lower rating, it is a sign that you should prioritize your mental health and seek appropriate attention.

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Understand how much your mental state affects your daily functioning.

Next determine the extent to which how you are feeling are affecting several areas of your life Take a moment to specifically identify the causes of negative emotions and recognize your stressors. For example, it is natural and normal to be stressed sometimes. However, if stress starts to negatively impact your daily life, it's important to take action. To begin, consider talking to a trusted friend or family member. If you require additional support, reaching out to a therapist is a recommended step.

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Who can you count on for support?

Social supports have shown to have tremendous benefit to mental health. Social support involves having a trustworthy, loving and caring network of family and friends whom you can rely on during your times of need. They could be your co-workers, family, friends, a religious community, healthcare provider or other trusted individuals. They are the kind of people you can confide in, talk to about how you are feeling, who listen to you and have your best interests at heart. Also, you could consider exploring support groups or speaking with a therapist.

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Which activities bring you joy and fulfillment?

These may include hobbies such as gardening, painting, reading, or playing a musical instrument. Activities could also include watching a funny movie or visiting a loved one. By planning experiences that you can look forward to, you can enhance your overall well-being. You can also consider keeping a gratitude journal to write down things you are grateful for each day.

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How do you practice self-care?

Self-care involves being intentional about engaging in activities that promote our physical and mental well-being. It is a practice that varies from person to person, as individuals have different ways of nurturing themselves. For some, that can mean trying relaxing activities, eating healthy and regular meals, staying hydrated, exercising, taking walks, or connecting with nature. For others, self-care may involve activities such as journaling, practicing gratitude, or listening to music or podcasts. The form of self-care can vary depending on individual’s needs and preferences.

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A mental health checklist can help promote awareness, prevention, and early intervention. Unlike physical illnesses, mental health problems often lack visible symptoms and can go unnoticed until they reach a crisis point. Engaging in daily check-ins on our mental health can help us recognize sooner when we are struggling and gain a better understanding of ourselves, leading to improved mental health.