Most people, including me, are becoming increasingly aware about the importance of learning how to take care of your mental health. This is not a new topic, its off-limit boundaries were crossed. The wall of shame that has, for a long time blocked the talk about healthy habits for a healthy mind is slowly but steadily falling apart.
However, the talk about mental health is often about mental illness only. The focus is on conditions such as addiction, anxiety, depression, etc. These are all important topics, but what about those people who do not have any symptoms of mental illness. Can they somehow take care of their mental well-being? The answer is yes.
How To Take Care Of Your Mental Health?
Mental health can be nurtured.
Potential complications and future illness can often be prevented. You can look after your mental health in different ways. In this article, we describe the most important ones.
Sleep
SleepSleeping is very important. It relates to your physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation will make you feel tired and it will also affect your emotional intelligence, signs that you need to take care of your mental health.
Lack of sleep harms concentration and mood.
It makes accidents and injuries more likely. Researchers cannot endorse the universal sleeping time that works well for everyone. However, they agree that on average, people are not sleeping enough.
Some people need eight hours, others need less or more hours of sleep. It is an individual choice, and everyone should be able to find their perfect dose of sleep, and subsequently make sure they observe those times of rest regularly.
Catching up works well too, scientists say. If you cannot get enough sleep during the night, take a short nap or two. This will improve your quality of life and mental health.
Physical Activity
Physical ActivityThe body and mind have a very active and intimate relationship. Your physical condition can affect your mental condition and vice versa. That is why physical activity is important if you want to take care of your mental health.
Movement stimulates the release of “feel-good” chemicals in the brain.
It helps us to relieve anxiety and stress. Physical activity improves the quality of sleep and has a positive effect on memory. Running and strength training workouts are not the only types of physical activity associated with these health benefits. Any kind of activity is good for your overall health. Walking, cycling, swimming, yoga, cleaning, or gardening will also have a positive effect.
Spending time outdoors and doing something that increases your heart rate will reduce the type of brain activity associated with negative emotions and anxiety.
Nutrition for your Mental Health
Nutrition for your Mental HealthFood is very important for your overall health and eating with your mental well-being in mind is a must. It is true that you are what you eat. Diet can affect your physical performance and appearance as well as sleeping. More importantly, the foods you eat have a direct effect on your brain.
Most people are not aware of the existence of certain nutrients that can improve brain function and lower the risk of dementia. Omega-3 fatty acids are probably the most important of these nutrients. They can be found in fatty fish and should be included in every well-balanced diet.
A predominantly plant-based diet is also very good for the brain.
If you want to take care of your mental health, it is advise to look into changing certain eating habits. A plant-based diet also helps to reduce inflammation and it improves your mood, lowering risks of depression.
Social Interaction
Social InteractionHumans are naturally social creatures; we crave for connection. When we are lonely, we usually don’t feel good. Overexposing ourselves to those feelings of loneliness can cause mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.
In addition to this, our modern world offers a variety of virtual social platforms where we can connect with others, without having to be expose to them physically and emotionally. These new platforms are supporting the decrease of opportunities for real social connections.
Because of this, some experts describe our age as suffering from a “loneliness epidemic”. They compare the devastating effect of loneliness to the health hazards associated with smoking.
Talking and interacting with other people is valuable, especially if you have a problem.
It is not surprising that the core of any mental illness therapies always includes talking sessions.
The Final Word
The state of your mental health will inevitably change throughout life. This is normal. It happens as a result of various factors. Many of them we cannot influence. However, this does not mean that your mental health will decline. It will fluctuate, and the best news is that you can do a lot to take care of your mental health, improving its elasticity and ability to excel.
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