Your physical, emotional and mental well-being are intertwined with each other, rising and falling in direct relation. Therefore, it is essential to take care of all three in order to fully thrive in your life. Dilan Abeya, a gym enthusiast, fitness model, and influencer, shares his own experiences of maintaining sound mental health via physical and emotional self-care. His techniques are practical and easy-to-apply because they are rooted in his own experience of overcoming a toxic relationship, poor mental health, and less-than-ideal fitness levels.
Mental and emotional recovery is never linear – you have good days and bad days. However, the key is to remain disciplined in consistently practicing wellness techniques. Dilan’s Instagram post on World Mental Health Day aptly elaborates on this point, “You may have to fight a battle more than once… as important as it is to recognize #worldmentalhealthday, our focus on mental health should extend beyond this annual event. Every day we should check on ourselves and our mates.”
Dilan suggests incorporating a solid self-care plan into your daily life to keep your mental and physical health intact. His idea of self-care includes taking small practical steps ranging from improving physical health to making life more enjoyable through various hobbies and creating good habits as part of one’s routine. Moreover, he advocates that we must each take ownership for making these self-care steps happen, and that no one else can do these for us; hence, accountability for “creating these steps” is entirely on each of us and is a continuous “work in progress” mission to better oneself.
Dilan believes that working on aspects of yourself that “no one can take away from you” is critical: your mindset, character, personality, general fitness and mental wellbeing. As such, he suggests some of the following practices to ensure a healthy mental and emotional outlook.
- Add exercise and detox to your routine
It is important to incorporate physical activity into your life. Exercising releases endorphins in your body – the happy hormones that naturally exist within us – which can help trigger a better mood. Dilan tells his followers to treat exercise as an essential part of their routine instead of viewing it as a chore, something that can be done by shifting one’s mindset on “putting the work in” to get your exercise done. He also recommends cutting alcohol, smoking, and drug intake. These are just temporary fixes indicating an escapist mindset. Do not shy away from asking for professional help if these addictions get out of hand.
- Learn to manage stress
Try to control your overthinking patterns by acknowledging the fact that you cannot control everything. Understand that the only real thing that you can control is “how you react” and “what your thoughts are,” Dilan states that this is “one’s power.” Hence, let go of preconceived ideas and stop allowing other people’s opinions to control your reactions. Once you realize that the final outcome of your thoughts and actions is entirely in your control, you will be able to cut a lot of worries due to external influences in lieu of seeing practical solutions according to what suits you best, not others.
- Seek a supportive community
Who you surround yourself with is critical, so make sure your support system is robust. We are often conditioned to think that strength lies in suffering alone. This is fairly wrong. Dilan tells his followers that there is no shame in asking for help if they feel that a situation is getting out of control. Reaching out to a supportive community and establishing meaningful connections with people who care about you is important. Isolation is never the answer. Seek professional help if you feel a situation is spiraling to a worse place – there are many resources available – so reach-out.
- Eat well
What you put in your body has a very direct impact on your mood. A myriad of research has shown that nutrient deficiencies can cause irritable moods, leading to severe problems if healthy interventions are not implemented. Develop a habit of mindful eating, and over time, you will surely see positive results. Additionally, it’s also a great idea to consult a nutritionist or a meal-prep company who can tailor make a bespoke food plan that meets your body’s specific needs to reach your wellness goals; everyone is different, so speak with specialists to figure out what’s best for you.
- Enjoy life
Dilan advises his followers to pursue their passions. Seek out activities that are enjoyable to oneself and that engage one’s specific interests as opposed to doing what “everyone else is doing” in order to fit into an agenda that might not align with you. Go on a spa treatment once in a while. Read a book. Take a road trip. Start an action plan to turn your dreams into reality. Listen to a podcast. Sing a song. Workout. In short, add spontaneity and recreation to your life through any activity that relates to what fires up your interests!
There are many other aspects that Dilan discusses on his Instagram account @dilanabeya, all with the aim of helping more people help themselves out of testing situations or to guide them to becoming a better version of themselves. Experience Dilan’s mental wellness coaching and life lessons by following him on Instagram.
Instagram: @dilanabeya
Website: www.dilanabeya.com
