Your mental health is equally as important as your physical health. Though issues like anxiety and depression can often go unnoticed by those around us, they have damaging effects and interfere with your ability to enjoy life. If you’re ready to make a positive change, we invite you to join our 30-Day Self-Growth Challenge.
Yearly mental health resolutions don’t work because we’re often too focused on the end goal rather than the small, actionable steps one must take to get there. When we break down our resolutions into daily, weekly, and monthly goals, it’s much more sustainable over the long-term than trying to overhaul all of our habits and routines at once. This is the beauty of monthly challenges.
The Science Behind 30-Day Challenges
Why 30 days? Your brain was designed for 30-day challenges. That’s actually based on research that shows how our brains distinguish between different types of timelines for goals and actions. Overall, we tend to get better results with “now deadlines,” which typically fall within a calendar month, as opposed to longer “someday deadlines.” This is especially true for people struggling with depression and anxiety, who tend to struggle to imagine the future or focus too much on the future, respectively.
You can take the challenge on your own, though many people find that they stay more focused on completing the entire challenge if they invite one or more friends to join in as well. Along the way, you can share your journey on social media for added support and motivation. For those who prefer to keep their journey private, consider documenting it for yourself with photos and/or written reflections each day so you can see your progress.
Benefits of a 30-Day Challenge include:
- They provide the boost you may need to get started making a change.
- Once started, the daily repetition boosts momentum to implement the desired change consistently.
- As you keep going, achieving small successes can help motivate you to continue.
- Over time, the daily challenges will nurture both your mental and physical health to help cultivate an optimal environment where depression symptoms may lessen.
Who Benefits from This Challenge?
Our 30-Day Self-Growth Challenge can be used by anyone who wants to make positive lifestyle changes. It’s a great way to jumpstart a New Year’s resolution or get into a goal-setting mindset. The plan is also a good fit for anyone who is trying to find inspiration or motivation during a transitional period in their life, like experiencing unemployment, moving on after a breakup or divorce, or overcoming illness.
This challenge can be a helpful tool for people with anxiety or mild to moderate depression. It can also provide some relief for those who are dealing with symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Check with your doctor first before beginning any kind of lifestyle changes.
KCLA patients looking to maintain the therapeutic effects of Ketamine Infusions will also benefit from joining our challenge. Implementing habits that can boost your mood and keep a positive mindset are certainly beneficial if you want to sustain the relief from anxiety or depression that you felt after your infusion sessions.
Don’t Stop, Keep Going
When you’re completing this journey to improve your mental health, you’ll be asked to complete just one small challenge per day. Whether it’s a journaling prompt, a physical activity or making plans for the future, each step along the way will contribute to a better mindset and encourage you to set healthy habits.
You can start the challenge on any day you prefer; if you’re worried about keeping track of the days, it may be easiest if you start on the first of the month.
For some participants, the first challenges are the most difficult to complete. When your mental health isn’t at its strongest, it can be tough to find the motivation to get started. However, it’s important to try to stick to the schedule without taking days off if you can. As you complete each challenge, it helps to give you the boost you need to keep going. That daily repetition is critical for maintaining momentum so that you can see real results within just one month.
Once you’ve completed the initial 30-Day Self-Growth Challenge, take stock of how you’re feeling. Is your mental health in a better place? Are you feeling more positive, confident, and motivated? Are you excited to keep up some of the routines and activities you tried during the challenge? If so, that’s great! Consider challenging yourself by repeating the 30-Day Self-Growth Challenge again, this time tracking your daily moods and behaviors with a Mental Health Bullet Journal.
If you’re not feeling better mentally after the challenge, don’t be too hard on yourself. There may be something more serious going on that’s making it difficult for you to boost your mood. Take our Depression Assessment and depending on your results, talk to your doctor to better understand what’s going on.
If better mental health in as little as 30 days sounds too good to be true, imagine being free from your depression and anxiety symptoms in as little as 1 hour. For more information about Ketamine Infusion Therapy, schedule a time to speak to our patient care staff.
