In the recent light of things, "staying healthy" has become more of a fashionable notion. People are moving towards gluten-free foods, cutting down on carbs, switching to low-fat diets, and are sweating on the cardio machine like never before.

All the above categorize an individual as a healthy human being, but that's all that makes someone healthy -- we keep forgetting about one vital factor: our mental health.

Mental illness is still not considered a serious illness in many parts of the world. Most people continue to keep their mouths shut when it comes to their mental health and we are losing a lot of people this way due to ignorance.

For example, let's talk about anxiety. Some statistics quote that one in 13 individuals

suffers from anxiety. It means all of us likely know at least one person who has had anxiety. But, we hardly discuss it in our health routines.

Mental health is as crucial as physical health and it is time we start taking care of it too. Let’s begin by asking ourselves - are we mentally healthy? Now, you will ask me - How does one determine that?

Let’s say, for example - What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you get up? How exactly do you feel when you get out of your bed? That emotion is a reflection of how you are doing mentally. Some mornings, I wake up feeling like a disaster and I know it doesn’t get better until I get myself busy with something or just a cup of coffee.

It annoys me to know that sometimes the only thing we do to work on our mental health is that we ignore it. We find more ways to forget how we really feel about ourselves and that is the beginning of all mental issues. We must instead make some time in our daily lives for emotional well-being. We should start doing things that fix us from the inside because that truly shows on the outside too.

Here’s my advice to you - If you are feeling awful about yourself, do not keep running away from that feeling. Find someone to talk to. Immerse yourself in poetry or music. Tell yourself better things you know and PRIORITIZE your mental health because no one else will do it for you. Treat it like your body depends on it (and, it really does) and then call yourself healthy.

*To dos*

1. Make some time for your state of mind and WORK on it. Don’t let negativity make a home inside of you.

2. Feeling upset? Talk to someone. Write it in a journal. Let your thoughts out.

3. Anxiety does not mean the end of your life. Things always get better. Remember to give yourself that priority in your life and don’t let someone else take you down.

4. Eat healthy and think healthy. Don’t put yourself in places that aren’t good for you. Life is too short to feel miserable about yourself.

5. Put a smile on that face as you are reading this. It all begins with small things!

By: Shraddha Bansode

Shraddha Bansode is a writer from Mumbai, India who survives on tea and poetry. She is an observer on most days and a photographer on the rest. She is always up for a plan that includes breakfast. In addition to poetry, Shraddha loves travel and cats. Visit her at Instagram or totheimaginary.wordpress.com.