Nine Daily Steps You Can Take to Improve Your Mental Health

Mental Health

In the modern world, people are starting to struggle with their mental health in ways never seen before. Unfortunately, this means that there are many people out there who are struggling from day to day, and who don’t know how to climb out of a dark hole once they fall into it. Although there are some measures you can take to tackle a mental health problem when it has reached its peak, there are many steps you can follow in your daily life, which will improve your mental health for the long run and give you a better quality of life to enjoy.

Improve your diet

There are lots of people who find it easy to make a distinction between body and mind, but this is something that should be debunked. Your body and your mind are one, which means there are certain foods that can negatively impact your brain as much as they are your body. As with many health problems, one of the first steps to seeing improvement is by adjusting your diet to include foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals and cutting out any food that makes you feel bad. This includes consuming foods like salmon and blueberries to aid a healthy brain functioning and cutting out caffeine if it is starting to affect your anxiety negatively.

Exercise more

Improving your diet often goes hand in hand with revamping your exercise routine. Over the years, there have been numerous scientific studies which show how exercising more can positively impact your mental health. This is mostly due to the endorphins and serotonin that are released during exercise. It can also act as a great stress-buster if you need to work out any difficult emotions going on in your head. The best exercise for mental health is widely considered to be yoga, where the meditative aspect has been shown to reduce Depression and Anxiety.

Sleep more

Unfortunately, many mental health problems bring Insomnia with them, which means you may be struggling to sleep at night. A lack of sleep can make you more irritable and more reckless and can even lead to psychotic episodes. If you settle into a good exercise routine, you will see a marked difference in how you sleep. More remedies include facilitating a peaceful, safe environment to sleep in, and turning to natural remedies like lavender sprays to induce a calm sleep.

Use natural remedies

Natural remedies don’t just aid a good night’s sleep. In fact, they can be used to treat other mental health issues, such as anxiety. Having a relaxing cup of chamomile tea can help keep you calm, but you can also use a rollerball of essential oils such as neroli as a way of tackling any fatigue you may be feeling. A popular treatment in Europe is St. John’s Wort, which has been used for hundreds of years to treat Depression as it stimulates serotonin production in the brain. Moreover, the benefits of hemp and cannabis are now being discovered in how they can combat a multitude of mental health problems, such as Anxiety to psychotic disorders. Visit Healthy Hemp to find out how you can incorporate it into your diet.

Spend time in nature

Often, it is people’s busy city lives which contribute towards a decline in mental health. If this is the case, then it’s wise to head to your nearest natural setting to breathe in some fresh air and relax among the trees. You can do this by taking a short holiday, or by taking short walks during work breaks in nearby parks to reap the benefits that science claims will help. Being in such a setting allows you to soak up some Vitamin D, which is vital in combatting low moods and boosting your energy.

Make use of natural light

The light you find in nature shouldn’t only be accessible in a natural setting. In fact, you can make the most out of your home by trying to direct as much natural light indoors as possible. This will help you seek sunlight, even in the winter months, but it will also act as a great calming mechanism in times where you’re feeling worried. If you can’t change your windows to direct more light indoors, then invest in some mirrors to place in strategic locations around your house, so that every room is lit up.

Buy an SAD lamp

It may be that your mental health suffers the most in winter, which is a common problem among people who live in places where little sunlight comes through the clouds in darker months. Having natural light indoors won’t be enough, so it’s a great idea to buy yourself an SAD lamp, which will allow your body to produce all the Vitamin D it needs to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder. Hopefully, you can see an improvement in your mood as the days morph into summer.

Talk to your friends and family

It is very easy when you are feeling low to shut yourself off from your loved ones. Yet, they will be a great support network if you can get into the good practice of opening up to them. This will be difficult at first, but the more you are able to talk about which problems are plaguing you, you can make sense of whatever is going on inside your head. Your family and friends will also be able to build up a bank of resources to help you in your time of need. Sometimes, they can be a huge help, but it is also essential to be aware that professional help can be more beneficial to both parties when times get particularly tough.

Don’t be hard on yourself

When you are feeling lonely and confused about your mental health, many peoples’ first step is to punish themselves for not feeling great. The key fact to remember about mental health is that anybody can suffer from bad times, no matter how wealthy or lucky you have been in life so far. Once you accept that you are allowed to feel low, then you can work on trying to make yourself feel yourself again as time passes.

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