The word “hygiene” typically conjures up images of simple daily rituals like brushing your teeth, dousing yourself in deodorant, or having a shower to keep your body clean and healthy. But experts in mental health claim that a brief morning tune-up might also benefit your mind.
Even just 15 minutes a day spent practicing good mental hygiene can have many positive effects, including better relationships, mood improvement, even deeper concentration, and increased creativity.
How to Maintain a Good Mental Health Hygiene
1. Focus on a specific task
American individuals spend nearly half of their waking hours daydreaming or otherwise preoccupied with thoughts other than the activity at hand. Additionally, people report feeling extremely happy when focusing on a task, even if it’s a straightforward, routine task.
2. Consider the five senses
Experts advise beginning with a daily routine with just one activity. For instance, to start brushing your teeth, you only need to make sure that you continue cleaning your teeth whenever you do so going forward. This entails not organizing your day or thinking back on what your breakfast companion said but concentrating on the numerous sensory experiences of brushing your teeth.
3. Develop a more relaxed mental state
This technique might seem easy, but maintaining prolonged concentration is challenging, especially in today’s world of many technologies and distractions.
For instance, a 2015 study commissioned by Microsoft revealed that:
The average human attention span has decreased from 12 seconds in 2002 to eight seconds in 2015.