What a healthy diet and exercise do for your body, mental hygiene does for your mind. Learn how to simply let go of pent-up emotions and negative thoughts.
Table of contents
1. What is mental hygiene?
Mental hygiene is a branch of applied psychology . Its primary focus is on dealing constructively and independently with the diverse and stressful impressions of everyday life. Thus, mental hygiene is, in a sense, a form of care for your inner life .
We absorb so many stimuli every day that at some point it simply becomes too much. Mental hygiene helps you develop strategies that help you empty yourself or organize your mind . This way, you actively prevent stress by allowing your emotions and thoughts to run free.
The goal is to be able to relax better , but also to actively maintain your mental health . Good mental hygiene can, among other things, reduce your risk of burnout and mental exhaustion [1].
2. Benefits of regular mental hygiene
According to a study by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), a good 60% of Germans complain of being regularly exposed to emotional stress in their lives [2]. In most cases, the main reason for this stress was cited as an accumulation of obligations and the associated worries .
But even if everything is going well for you and you're not having any problems, mental hygiene can be a wonderful way to center yourself in your daily life and let go of pent-up thoughts , feelings , and worries . Through this active attention, you become free and open to new things.
This makes mental hygiene essentially a form of emotional empowerment : You alone decide how you want to feel and ensure that you actually feel that way. This thought alone can often help reduce feelings of powerlessness , sadness, or anger , and make you feel strong and vital again.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : The best foundation for a healthy mind is a balanced nutrient balance. With MOOD , you support your mental health from within – with exquisite plant extracts, valuable amino acids, and an extra dose of vitamin D !
3. 4 mental hygiene exercises
At its best, mental hygiene is like a kind of inner cleaning : what you no longer need is evaluated and then simply removed. There are many different techniques you can experiment with. What they all have in common is that they help you relax and/or express your emotions and thus release them.
meditation
Studies have now shown that regular meditation can significantly reduce your stress levels , improve your sleep quality and generally make you happier and more carefree [3].
By focusing on yourself and looking inward calmly, meditation helps you let your thoughts come and go. This way, you learn that there's actually no reason to cling to negative things and constantly overthink everything.
Autogenic training
Autogenic training is like a type of autosuggestion : You suggest a certain feeling to your body, and it then actually feels it. Autogenic training is therefore also exciting because it shows you that you are not helplessly at the mercy of your emotions and physical sensations [4].
It's best to practice autogenic training in a quiet place and in a relaxed sitting or lying position. A training session looks something like this:
- Breathe calmly and deeply into your belly . Close your eyes as you exhale.
- Imagine you're in a quiet, safe place —a safe space. This could be anything: from your grandmother's living room to your couch at home or an island in the Caribbean.
- Now try to bring the sensory impressions of your safe place into your mind : hear, smell and visualize.
- Focus completely on how your body feels and don't let any stray thoughts distract you. Just let them come and go. No need to worry or be frustrated.
- Now tell yourself, "I am calm. I am completely calm ." Repeat this mantra over and over until you actually feel that way. In most cases, three to six times is enough.
- Feel deeply into your body . By now, you'll notice how calm and relaxed you are. Enjoy this state of self-hypnosis for a few moments.
- Finally , you need to perform a " takeback " to return to your day. To do this, you say loudly and clearly, "Arms tight! Breathe deeply! Eyes open!"
- Then breathe in and out deeply a few times . Stretch your entire body; get active right down to your fingers and toes!
If you still feel dizzy and tired after the withdrawal, that's okay. In this case, your trance was simply very deep, and you can simply complete the closure again.
Keep a diary
(Writing down thoughts) Journaling or writing a diary is something we should all incorporate into our daily routine . Many studies have shown that regularly writing down and writing down your thoughts , feelings, and experiences can significantly reduce stress and mental exhaustion [5].
To fully reap the benefits of writing, however, you should be completely free and uncensored: keyword stream of consciousness! After all, you're not writing to win a prize, but to simply let it all out.
Journaling also has a positive side effect for creative minds : If you regularly put your inner life on paper, you automatically make room for new ideas and spontaneous flashes of inspiration . The perfect hack for your creative output!
BRAINEFFECT HACK : We have developed a special success journal to support you with your mental hygiene and high performance.
Learning self-reflection
Self-reflection is about gaining a deeper understanding of your fears, desires, and motivations. For example, if you're anxious about a presentation at work or an awkward conversation with a loved one and are driving yourself crazy because of it, it drains you of a lot of energy and vitality.
Sure, in such moments you can say, "I didn't like presenting in school" or "I prefer harmony," but what good does that do you? The fears are still there.
It's much more beneficial to take time to reflect carefully on which of your individual beliefs are making this situation so unpleasant. This will help you build self-esteem and also develop a more positive outlook on your perceived problem.
4. When mental hygiene makes sense
You may already have guessed: mental hygiene is always beneficial for you . You don't have to have specific emotional problems or impending burnout to cleanse your mind of the day's impressions.
If your thoughts are racing back and forth like a carousel at night and you are constantly stressed or never actually leave the office in your mind, you should take the topic of mental hygiene particularly seriously.
You often feel stressed
If you often feel stressed and overwhelmed, rushing from one appointment to the next, and maybe even losing a little sleep because of it, it's time to take your mental hygiene more seriously.
Severe stress and the feeling of being suffocated by obligations are clear indicators that you're taking in a lot from the outside but not letting it out. Stressors are building up in your mind, and as a result, your body is tense, cramped, and restless.
With good mental hygiene, you can simply let out whatever's bothering you . No more repressed feelings and worries lurking underground. You'll quickly notice that you feel less "full" and are much better able to handle challenges.
You can't switch off after work
If you come home in the evening and just can't let go of thoughts about your job, that's not necessarily a sign of high commitment, but rather of acute emotional and mental blockage.
Even high performers need to unwind sometimes . Rest is absolutely crucial for your physical and mental regeneration and therefore also for your ability to solve problems in business, stay creative, and consistently give 100%.
Therefore, it's also a good idea to actively clear your mind after work . You'll immediately notice that your thoughts calm down and you can relax more easily.
Furthermore, mental hygiene is a perfect strategy for refocusing , especially in your daily work routine or directly at the workplace . A positive side effect: In addition to your mood, your concentration and performance will automatically improve!
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Anyone who has ambitious goals in their career and life simply can't avoid a certain level of stress. To prevent this from becoming a problem, we developed STRESS LESS : Your stress management kit with a digital anti-stress coach for your mind and an antioxidant vitamin cocktail for your body.
5. Conclusion
Just as you take care of your body, you should always take care of your mind as well. Especially when you have a lot to do in your daily life, good mental hygiene can not only reduce stress but also actively improve your well-being and resilience.
Mental decluttering can also help you relax and even make room for new and better ideas. There are many different exercises available for you to experiment with.
However, the focus of a good mental decluttering practice should never be on "getting rid of" or "eliminating" negative thoughts and feelings. Rather, it's about actively observing and reflecting on the stimuli that arise, and thus processing them constructively.
6. Sources
[1] Salmon, TW (2006), American Journal of Public Health, Volume 96, Issue 10, p. 1740-1742, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1586143/.
[2] Relax Germany: TK Stress Study 2016, online access at: https://www.tk.de/resource/blob/2026630/9154e4c71766c410dc859916aa798217/tk-stressstudie-2016-data.pdf.
[3] Edenfield., TM; Saeed, SA (2012), An update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depression, Psychology Research and Behavioral Management, Volume 5, p. 131-141, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3500142/.
[4] Stetter, F.; Kupper, S. (2002), Autogenic Training: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Outcome Studies, Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, Volume 27, p. 45-98, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1014576505223.
[5] Gortner, E.; Rude, SS; Pennebaker, JW (2006), Benefits of expressive writing in lowering rumination and depressive symptoms, Behavior Therapy, Volume 37, p. 292-303, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789406000487?via%3Dihub.
