No matter what phase of life you’re in, I think it’s safe to say we can always be striving for growth. Whether you want to work on productivity, mindset, knowledge, mental health, relationships, etc…, there is always room for improvement when it comes to your mental state.
Our mental state is one of the few things we have control over in this crazy world. You always have the ability to work on yourself internally and strive for self-improvement. Now is the time for that mental glow up you’ve been longing for!
So what exactly is a glow up? And how do you glow up mentally and become your best self? Let’s dive right into the nitty-gritty of “how to glow up mentally”
What Is A “Glow Up”
If you are going to have a successful mental glow up, it’s kinda important that you know what a glow up IS.
In pop culture the term “glow up” has been used to describe a physical transformation. When someone “glows up” that often means that they have matured and/or become more attractive.
However, the definition of “glow up” can extend way beyond physical appearance. A glow up can be described as a “mental, physical, and emotional transformation for the better”. Notice the mental and emotional aspects of that definition.
A mental transformation is what we are going to be focusing on when learning how to glow up mentally
What Is The Purpose Of A Mental Glow Up?
When you glow up mentally, there are tons and tons of benefits. Mental glow ups can cover a wide range of improvements and transformations. Whether this be learning and expanding your mind or improving your mental health, a mental glow up will improve the quality of your life without a doubt?
Some Of The Major Benefits Of A Mental Glow Up Include:
- Improved self-confidence
- New knowledge
- Better body image
- Stronger relationships
- Healthier coping strategies
- Improved ability to handle conflict
- Solidified sense of self and better self-awareness
- Improved organization and productivity
- Positivity, joy, and blissfulness
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Improved health
- SELF-LOVE!
Now I don’t know about you, but those all sound like things that I want for myself, luckily they are all incredibly achievable when you dedicate yourself to mentally glowing up.
20 Ideas On How To Glow Up Mentally
Schedule Self-Care Days
Self-care is probably the most obvious way you can focus on your mental health and glow up your mind! To begin, it’s important that you take time to schedule some self-care and make sure it is included in your everyday life (or at the very least weekly!)
After some time, you will not need to be as scheduled or rigid with your self-care. It will simply become a habit! However, at first, it can be incredibly helpful to dedicate certain days or certain times each day to care for yourself.
Start with a self-cafe Sunday routine. Then gradually adopt the habits that you enjoy most and add them into your everyday life. Maybe this means you have a self-care night routine every night, or add some self-care habits into your morning…
No matter what it is, make sure you are making time for self-care if you want to glow up mentally. Before you know it you will be self-caring without a thought!
Detox Your Social Media
This is a HUGE one. You would be shocked at how much of the media you consume affects your mental health and well being.
Speaking from personal experience, I used to follow SO many accounts on social media that left me feeling poorly about myself. I would scroll on Instagram for 5 minutes and leave in a funk for the rest of the day. If you find yourself comparing, judging, feeling anxious, less-than or any other negative emotion after scrolling on your social media feed. YOU NEED TO DETOX YOUR FOLLOWING
This doesn’t mean that the people you unfollow are “bad people”. It just means that their content is not helpful in YOUR life
Be honest with yourself here… That is the only way to do it correctly and actually achieve that mental glow up you are hoping for.
Journal More
Journaling is one of the best ways to focus on self- improvement, self-discovery and your overall SELF. Making journaling a habit can do wonders for your mental health and outlook.
If you are hoping to glow up mentally, journaling is one of the very best tools you can utilize. You can find countless free prompts online to get you started on your journaling journey. Personally, I find writing things down a more effective way to communicate my thoughts, when I’m having a difficult time articulating exactly how I’m feeling. Give it a go, I think you’ll find it quite relaxing.
Meditate
Full disclosure, I used to think meditation was totally bogus and only for granola eating hippies. I had never really given it a shot and judged it prematurely! Boy, was I wrong!
It is only since I found out HOW to meditate correctly and actually COMMITTED to giving it a fair shot that I have seen the benefits… And there are LOTS!
Stress management, Self-awareness, improved mood, creativity, and imagination are just a FEW of the many benefits.
Meditation has been a total game changer in my own personal mental glow up!
Spend Time Outside Daily
DO NOT underestimate the power of some fresh air, and if you’re lucky enough a little Vitamin D (This is one of the reasons I’m moving to Mexico, gotta get me some of that D 😂)
I cannot stress this enough. The benefits of fresh air and spending time in nature are unmatched! Rain or Shine, make it your mission to spend at least 20 minutes outside each day.
No phone, no technology, no stress. Just sit, breathe in the air, and take in the sights, smells, and feelings. The happiness, improved mood and mental glow up will come naturally.
Use a Planner
An organized brain is a happier brain. Seriously! Take some major stress off of your mind and invest in a good planner. When you are able to write down all of your to-do’s, responsibilities, upcoming events and important reminders, you have so much more mental space. It’s liberating!
Personally, I’m a fan of the good ole fashioned paper and pen method, but I understand we live in a day and age where most everything is digital and synced across our various devices. Which is why these are my top picks for digital planners for use on IOS or Android. Get planning!
Eat Nutritious Foods (… And Eat Enough)
Fueling your body adequately is an essential part of how to glow up mentally. Believe it or not, what we eat doesn’t just affect our physical health and appearance, it affects our mental health too!
If your body is lacking in proper nutrients from not eating nutritious foods and /or not eating ENOUGH, you are going to feel sluggish, unmotivated, irritable, negative and angry (HANGER is a real thing… Ask my hubby).
The bottom line is, eating enough and eating well can improve your mental state, boost happiness levels and better your overall well-being.
Drink Enough Water
This seemed fitting to list after the last tip for how to glow up mentally… and it just feels self explanatory. Dehydration = headaches , crankiness, lack of energy and just plain feeling bad.
Much like food, getting enough water is ESSENTIAL as well. As living beings, we need food (tip #7), water (tip #8) and air (tip #5). Hey! Look at us, we’ve got it all covered here! 🙂
Some of my fave products to ensure you’re getting in enough water, are water bottles with prompts that encourage you to stay hydrated! and apps that remind you to start chugging.
Move Yo’ Bod
Again, this is not how to have a physical glow up… this is strictly a mental glow up, which requires you to get physical, in order to fire up that mental glow up!
I got into a really bad habit of correlating exercise with trying to alter my body. It led to a very unhealthy relationship with food, exercise and my body.
But, now when I move my body, I move to FEEL good. I move for mental clarity, to feel strong and to clear my mind. Working out is a major stress reliever. Also, working out can improve self-esteem, brain function, mental health, and give you a sense of accomplishment.
Working out is not just for physical results, looks, or aesthetic. Rather, working out can make you FEEL amazing. Making that mindset shift has been a huge part of my mental glow up.
Practice Affirmations.
Affirmations, affirmations, affirmations!!
Like meditation this is another thing I judged way too quickly for a long time. I thought it was silly to recite something I didn’t fully believe, I would say these affirmations and didn’t believe a word of them (a huge sign I needed a mental glow up!)
But, what these fancy influencers say is true; affirmations DO work… but only if you allow them too.
When I first started affirmations, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know if there was a structure, I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know how to form affirmations, I knew nothing!
Because I kept hearing people talk about how powerful they are, I went on a hunt to find the perfect cards. Give it a shot, I promise you won’t sound stupid talking to yourself in the mirror!
Learn One New Thing Everyday
In my opinion, the ULTIMATE form of a mental glow up: EDUCATION!
This doesn’t have to be what you picture when you hear “learn something new!.” This doesn’t mean you have to be sitting in front of a boring textbook, taking notes, and studying (unless that’s your vibe… you do you 😀)
This can be something as simple as looking up a new word you heard someone say or something as complex as learning a new language, learning how to start a profitable blog or better yet, getting out the the 9-5 rat race by learning a “work on your schedule” skill like Freelance Copywriting. Anything that interests you, tackle it head-on!!
There are endless things you can learn in this world… Isn’t that exciting?! Get learning!
Prioritize Sleep
Another one that goes without saying… You probably know that sleep is such a fundamental part of mental wellness.
If you are someone that stays up way too late/or gets up super early, it is time to shift your habits to prioritize sleep. Start by setting up a really solid night time routine.
Be on top of getting things done at night and winding down properly so you can get to sleep at a decent hour. This is sometimes easier said than done, especially if you already have a habit of staying up late. Breaking the habit can be hard, but you will thank yourself down the road. A well rested mind is a healthy happy mind.
Listen To Inspiring Podcasts
When you drive, when you workout, when you clean, when you are relaxing listen to a podcast! There are so many motivational, inspiring, and encouraging podcasts that can help with personal development and your mental glow up.
Some of my favorite podcasts are:
- Goal Digger by Jenna Kutcher
- Kalyn’s Coffee Talk by Kalyn Nicholson
- Take the Cake by Kate Noel (great for body positivity, ED recovery, etc..)
- EmpowerHER by Kaccia Fitzgerald
I love to have these on in the background while I am doing simple everyday tasks. They motivate me, inspire me, and help educate me on how I can glow up mentally and achieve my personal development goals.
Replace Negative Thoughts
Thought replacement is a strategy that I learned in therapy. Basically, thought replacement is exactly what it sounds like: replacing negative thoughts with more positive ones.
That said, the replacement thoughts should be believable in your mind. For example, one that I worked through in therapy was regarding body image.
Initial thought: “I hate how I look.”
Replacement thought: “I am thankful for my body and all it does for me.”
By consciously replacing negative thoughts with more positive, yet believable thoughts, you are actually training your brain to be more positive. Over time, the positive replacement thoughts will come naturally.
Go To Therapy
Building on the last tip for a mental glow up, therapy is such an incredible tool for working on your mental health. Therapy has this negative stigma around it. People often believe that if you go to therapy, you must be struggling with a mental illness.
However, that is not true. Therapy is for everyone. Going to therapy is just an intimate and productive form of self-care. I personally have been going to therapy on and off for years, and it has helped me mature mentally and emotionally… a major help when looking to glow up mentally. Lucky for us, it can even be done from the comforts of our homes, online.
Read Before Bed
There are a few benefits to this one…
Reading before bed:
- prevents mindless scrolling
- helps you wind down
- promotes better sleep
- offers an opportunity to learn something new
- is enjoyable
Self-development, fiction, romance, fantasy… whatever you enjoy reading is what you should stock up on! Reading before bed is such a great habit to start!
Find A New Hobby
Having a hobby is an essential part of your mental glow up because of how much it can improve mental health and your overall enjoyment of life. Hobbies are really special in the way they can fill you with passion and pleasure!
If you are thinking there is not a hobby for you, I am here to tell you that there is. You just haven’t found it yet. I was feeling that way for SO long… and then I decided to start a blog. Now, my blog fills almost all of my free time and I absolutely love it.
Find a hobby. It will teach you tons, offer you enjoyment, and boost your overall mental and emotional health.
Set Goals
Whenever you are looking to improve any area of your life, I recommend setting goals; working on how to glow up mentally is no different! Goal-setting is essential for self-improvement.
Work, school, health, and finance are all common areas that people set goals in. But mental growth is just as (if not more!) important as all of those!
Set some self-improvement goals ASAP if you are looking to glow up mentally.
Surround Yourself With Positivity
As Jim Rohn says, “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with“.
This is so true.
If you want to live a positive life and be a positive person, you need to surround yourself with positivity. Set boundaries on the people you allow in your life. Be picky! Do not allow energy-drainers into your circle. You will be shocked at the difference your company makes.
Spend Quality Time With YOU!!!
If you are wanting to glow up mentally, you are going to have to spend some time with yourself. Like any relationship, the relationship with yourself is going to require energy, effort, and time.
Take yourself out to coffee, go on a shopping date with you: spend some time with your pals “me”, “myself”, and “I”.
Getting comfortable being in your own company is an underrated part of a positive personal transformation. Don’t let this element of self-growth slip by you!
There you have the 20 best way to have a mental GLOW Up
Just pursuing a mental glow up is the first step in an incredible transformation. Sometimes these steps are easier said than done, but trust me. I know from my own personal struggles.
No ones saying you have to do them all at once. Maybe you start by actively taking 3 steps a week and gradually work your way up that mental glow up ladder or… maybe it takes you some extra time to prioritize your mental glow up and that’s okay too.
Whatever the journey, I hope you find some peace in knowing that it’s possible to prioritize yourself and your needs. Now go get that GLOW on Girl!
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