Taking care of your mental health is an important part of being healthy and fit. There are a number of things you can do to help improve your mental health. If you feel you could benefit from support for your mental health, reach out to BetterHelp today.
It’s important you know what these things are so you can use them to improve your overall health.
Get Enough Sleep
Physical and mental health is impacted by the amount of sleep you get. Sleeping helps to regulate the chemicals in the brain responsible for transmitting the information.
These chemicals are also important in managing emotions and moods. If you don’t get enough sleep, you will start to feel anxious or depressed.
Eat Well
Eating well is something that will help your body as well as your mind. When you’re deficient in certain minerals such as vitamin B12 and iron, your mood will be lower.
This is why it’s important you eat a balanced diet. If you find you feel particularly stress or anxious, you should try to cut back on caffeine which enhances feelings of anxiety and will make you jittery.
Avoid Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs
Smoking and drinking are not always associated with withdrawal symptoms, but they can cause symptoms which will impact your mental health. When you have a few drinks, you might feel more anxious and depressed the next day and you may find it harder to concentrate.
Prolonged periods of excessive drinking will lead to thiamine deficiency. This is important because thiamine is important for your brain functions and when you are deficient, you could face severe memory problems, confusion, coordination problems, and eye issues.
If you’re a smoker, your body will go into withdrawal between each cigarette. This will make you feel more anxious and irritable.
Other drugs will also bring on withdrawal which will leave you with low moods and anxiety. There are other more severe effects from drugs that affect your mental health such as delusions and paranoia.
Research has also found links between drug use and mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
Get Enough Sunlight
Sunlight is one of the best sources of vitamin D. This is an important vitamin for the body and the brain.
Vitamin D will help the brain release the chemicals you need to improve your moods such as serotonin and endorphins. This is why you should try to get out into the sun when you can, but you need to make sure your eyes and skin are safe.
The ideal amount of sunlight you need is between 30 minutes to two hours. During the winter months, there are some people who become depressed due to the lack of sunlight.
This is actually a disorder known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. There are some people who’ve found using special light-therapy lamps will help to alleviate the symptoms of this disorder.
Manage Your Stress
There are times when you cannot avoid stress. However, when you know what your stress triggers are, you can start managing your stress better which will lead to better mental health.
One of the ways to manage your worries and responsibilities is by making a list or schedule of when you’ll be able to resolve everything.
When you break everything down and write them down, you will realize that they are not as bad as you think. You need to avoid sticking your head in the sand when it comes to your problems and face them head-on advise the psychotherapists at Clarity Clinic.
If you are having problems sleeping or keep waking up thinking about everything you need to do, you should write to them and reassure yourself you’ll deal with them in the morning.
Activities and Exercise
Exercise and activities are essential to maintaining physical and mental health. When you are active, you will not only have a sense of achievement, it will also boost the chemicals in your brain which helps you achieve a good mood.
Exercising has been shown to boost your mood, alleviate stress, anxiety, and feelings of laziness and tiredness. This does not mean you have to run a marathon or play an entire game of football.
A short walk or any other gentle activity will also do the trick for you.
Do Something You Enjoy
You need to make time for the things you enjoy doing. If you like painting, walking or a certain TV show, you need to set aside some time to enjoy yourself.
If you never take the time to do the things you enjoy, you will become unhappy and irritable.
Connect With Others and Be Sociable
You should make an effort to maintain good relationships with others and talk to people when you get the chance. Having friends is not only important for self-esteem but will also provide you with the support you need when you’re not feeling your best.
Research has also found that talking to other people for just 10 minutes will improve your test and memory scores.
Doing Things For Others
Helping others is not just good for the people you’re helping. It’s also good for your mental health.
When you help someone else, your self-esteem will increase. You’ll feel good about your place in the world.
Feeling as you’re part of the community is actually a very important aspect of your mental health. To get this boost to your mental health, you should look at volunteering at your local charities or just be a good neighbor.
Ask For Help
One of the most important things you need to do is to recognize when you’re not feeling good and know when you should be asking for help. You shouldn’t feel any shame in asking for support when you’re feeling stressed or low.
Everyone goes through times when they don’t feel as good as they should. You should try to speak with your family or friends.
If you think your mental health is getting the best of you, you should talk to your doctor.
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