One important part of staying fit and keeping healthy is learning how to take care of your mental health. At the end of the day, there are many different things that you can do to try and keep yourself mentally healthy, but if you are down in the dumps then you may not have any idea where to start. If you want to take a positive step forward, then this is the guide for you.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Sleep is super important when it comes to your mental health and your physical health. Sleep helps you to regulate the chemicals that are in your brain, and it’s these chemicals that help to transmit information. If you do not get enough sleep, then you may find that you begin to feel anxious and stressed. This resource by the Sleep Foundation is a great option if you feel as though you just aren’t relaxing as well as you could be when the sun sets.
Eat Well and Make Healthy Choices
Eating well isn’t just important for your body. It is also very important for your mind. There are certain deficiencies, that can include iron or even Vitamin B12 and this can give you a low mood. If you can, you need to try and eat a very balanced diet. If you are a stressed or an anxious person, then you should try and limit caffeine if possible as this can help you to alleviate some anxiety. Of course, if you don’t eat well then this will be having an impact on your physical health as well. If you want to try and make a positive change then you need to try and make the effort to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into your diet. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you are able to really benefit your health overall.
Avoid Alcohol and Drugs
Drinking and smoking is not good for your health at all. When you have had a few drinks, you may feel more depressed or anxious the next day. This can have a huge impact on your mental health. Excessive drinking for long periods of time can leave you with a thiamine deficiency too. Thiamine is super important for your brain function and if you aren’t careful it can lead to motor coordination problems, confusion and even eye issues. If you smoke, then your body and your brain will go into withdrawal and this will make you both irritable and anxious. Other drugs will often leave you in withdrawal and this will cause a low mood and anxiety too. More severe effects include paranoia and delusions.
Get Lots of Sunlight
Sunlight is a fantastic source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is super important for your body and it is also vital for your brain. It encourages your brain to release chemicals and this can improve your mood. Try and get out in the sun if you can, but at the same time do make sure that you do your part to keep your eyes and your skin safe. During the winter, people don’t often get enough sunlight. This is known as SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. Some people may find that using a light therapy lamp can help them greatly when it comes to alleviating symptoms.
Managing Stress
Stress is quite often unavoidable but at the end of the day, you have to take the time to know what triggers it. Knowing how to cope is absolutely essential if you want to maintain a good level of mental health. Try and manage all of your responsibilities and make a list of when you can resolve every issue. If you break down your worries and your stresses, you may find that they become much more manageable. Try and avoid burying your head in the sand but don’t wake up every day thinking about the problems that you are due to face. Try and think about maintaining a good healthy balance and also keep a journal if this helps you. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you are able to deal with just about anything without any stress.
Activity and Exercise
Activity and exercise are essential if you want to maintain a good standard of mental health. Being active gives you a good sense of achievement and it also boosts the chemicals that are in your brain. This helps to put you in a good mood. Exercising helps you to eliminate low mood and it also helps you with anxiety too. Believe it or not, activity and exercise are also ideal if you want to live a longer life. If you are one of the people who dread exercise then you should know that you do not need to run a marathon and you don’t need to play football for an hour and a half either. Sometimes a short walk or even some getting out and doing some gentle activity can help you so make sure that you explore this as an option if you can.
Do Something you Love
Try and make time for doing the things that you love. If you like going for a walk or if you enjoy painting, then set aside time to enjoy yourself. If you do not spend enough time doing the things that you love, then you may find that you become both irritable and unhappy. It doesn’t matter whether you make time at night or first thing in the morning because it’s essential to your mental health and your physical health.
Connect with Others
Make a conscious effort to maintain relationships if you can. You also need to talk to people when you can. Having friends is important for your self-esteem, but it is also important if you want to provide support when you’re not feeling too great. Research has shown time and time again that talking to others is also important if you want to improve your memory. If you need a boost, then you can easily check out Everyday Power as they have loads of great motivational quotes available.
Do Things for Other People when You Can
Helping others isn’t just great for your self-esteem. It is great for you as well. Helping someone can help you with your self-worth and it can help you to understand your place in the world. Feeling as though you are part of a community can also rocket your well-being. If you can, try and find out what groups there are in your local area and make a special effort to try and attend them. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you can get the best boost to your mental health.
Ask for Help
One of the good and the most important ways for you to try and keep yourself healthy mentally would be for you to try and recognize when you are feeling stressed or generally unhealthy. There is absolutely no shame in you asking for help, especially if you are feeling stressed or anxious. Everyone goes through rough patches when they are not feeling as good as they should. If you can, you need to try and speak with your friends and family if you feel as though your mental health is getting on top of you.
Give Yourself the Chance to Take a Mental Health Day
You have to be able to recognize when it is time for you to take a mental health day. If you can recognize this, then you will be way more productive and you will find it much easier to cope with everything. Don’t worry about being selfish, and instead, think of it as a form of preventative medicine. Take a day and give your brain and your body chance to catch up. If you do this, then you may find that you can stop yourself from taking multiple sick days in the future.
Do Something Other than Stay in Bed
If you have spent the last week watching Netflix every night and now you feel tired and groggy behind the wheel, then this is a sign that it just isn’t working for you. Use this time to read, speak to a friend or even do some coloring. You can also take a bath if you feel unable to unwind. Either way, zoning out can be a therapeutic medicine, but if you are constantly staring at a screen then this can have the opposite effect. If you want to do something about this, then you need to try and mix things up a bit. Make sure that you take some time for yourself and stop things from being so crazy. If you can do this for a little while, then you will soon find that you are able to reap the benefits far more than you realize. It can also help you to feel much better about yourself and the outlook you have in life, so keep that in mind if you can.
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