Do you sometimes feel like you can’t cope with all the issues in your life? Do you typically feel low when things don’t seem to be going your way? If so, there are proven ways to remedy this! You can break through those negative feelings and thoughts. You can release the pressure valve, breathe again and simply be you.

Try these tips to strengthen your emotional wellness and bring peace back to your life:

1. Know the signs of depression. You don’t need to be deeply concerned or at your lowest point to do mental health research and be able to recognize the signs of possible depression. Maybe you’re battling some of the common discomforts that inevitably arise for everyone. However, if your symptoms are consistent and repetitive, pointing toward depression, take action and seek help. Some questions to reflect over include:

• What do online health organizations and clinical studies say about people with depression?
• What are the major factors contributing to depression?
• Do you have traits that make you prone to anxiety or depression? Are anxiety and depression common occurrences in your family?
• How can you tell if you’re spiraling downward? What are the tell-tale signs that are unique to you and your personality?

2. Have a strong support base. A huge part of achieving and maintaining mental wellness is having a network of loving people in your corner. If you can rely on friends and family or an online community of ‘mutuals’, try to balance out your alone time and solitude with communicating to your support team. Life’s challenges can really take a toll, but you’ll be better able to cope and overcome if you have cheerleaders and teammates rooting for you.

• Spend a lot of quality time with family members and friends doing things you all enjoy.
• Instead of internalizing unpleasant feelings or thoughts, talk with your support network about them.

3. Choose positivity. Working to maintain a positive outlook is significant in helping you to achieve and sustain mental wellness. Being optimistic isn’t an overnight accomplishment if you’re accustomed to feeling down in the dumps. But little by little, you’ll be able to build the emotional strength to stay positive much of the time.

• Assess the pros and cons of having a negative or positive outlook. Which one of the two mental frameworks allows you to gain more and lose less? It isn’t about acting or pretending to be happy-go-lucky all the time as if nothing ever goes wrong, but it’s about making the decision to hope for the best and send good energy out into the world.
• Talk to people around you who have been able to turn negative occurrences into positive learning experiences.
• Connect with your spiritual side and find your strengths.
• Spend some time each day meditating and re-centering. This will help you create mental stability and resilience. Practice and train yourself to be able to bounce back after undesirable news or conversations occur.

4. Keep an active mind. When your mind is active, there’s very little room to entertain negative, depressing thoughts. An active mind that’s engrossed with healthy thoughts and processes will likely stay well, even in some of life’s toughest times.

• Get involved with a charitable organization and focus your energies on giving hope and help to people with varying circumstances of need.
• Take up a sport or hobby that engages you both mentally and physically. The sense of achievement as you learn and perfect the activity will help you to develop mental wellness.

With the myriad of concerns that can present themselves in our fast-paced lives, mental and emotional balance isn’t always easy to achieve. However, with positive effort and focus, you can cultivate resilience.

The steps above are just a beginning. As you go forth on your journey toward happiness and wholeness, you’ll find even more techniques that work for you. Embrace your challenges as opportunities to grow, and you’ll be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.