5 tips to boost your mental health
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is "a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community."
Tip 1:
Eating Healthily Can Be A positive Influence on Mental Health
Eating a healthy diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, which can reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
Additionally, a healthy diet can help you feel more energetic and alert throughout the day. Finally, a healthy diet can improve your mental health by providing you with the nutrients your body needs to function optimally.
Take a look at our blog about the benefits of drinking more water.
Tip 2:
Exercise for Mental Health & Wellbeing
Exercise is one of the best ways to improve your mental health. It has been shown to improve mood, relieves anxiety, and reduce stress.
Exercise has also been linked with better cognitive function, better sleep, and reduced risk of chronic diseases.
A study published in the journal "Psychosomatic Medicine" found that people who exercised reported better cognitive function than those who did not. The study participants were assessed on measures of memory, attention, and mental flexibility.
The researchers found that those who exercised had better cognitive function than those who didn't even after taking into account other factors such as age, sex, and obesity.
Take a look at our blog Wellbeing Tips for Busy Women
Tip 3:
Stay Connected with Friends and Family for Better Mental Health
Mental health is essential for overall well-being, and it can be improved by connecting with friends and family that you enjoy being around and make you feel valued, and loved.
Spending time with loved ones can help reduce stress, boost morale, and provide support during difficult times.
Additionally, social support has been shown to be beneficial for mental health overall, including reducing the risk of developing depression and anxiety.
So whether you need to reconnect with old friends or make some new ones, reaching out is a great way to improve your mental health.
Join online communities with people who share your values and interests, and stay up to date with information and content that inspires you - you will have great talking points to create new friends and have conversations with then!
Tip 4:
Take Time for Yourself and Your Own Wellbeing
It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But spending time for ourselves is key to maintaining a healthy mental state. Let go of negative thoughts of self-care being an act of selfishness and replace them with positive ones.
Self-care is restorative and essential for one's mental wellbeing.
If there is one thing we all learned from the pandemic, it is that we cannot afford to neglect our own needs. For our mind and our body to be at our very best, we have to recognise that the two are connected.
The better we care for ourselves physically, the better we feel about ourselves emotionally. The better we treat ourselves emotionally, the easier it is to invest time in ourselves physically.
Tuning out negative self-talk and removing yourself from situations that are not serving you, is a form of discipline that is linked to self-care.
Even if that is taking a long bath and reading a book, painting your nails, doing a face-pack....do what you need to do to be at ease with your own thoughts in a calming state even if it is for just 10-minutes a day.
Affirmations and seeing your favourite positive quotes can also be really helpful to help break negative thought cycles.
Check out our Top 10 Female Empowerment Quotes here.
Tip 5:
Get Professional Support For Depression, Anxiety & Stress
Mental health has been considered a taboo topic for a long time. However, this is no longer the case.
The stigma surrounding mental health is slowly starting to dissipate, and more people are beginning to understand and accept that mental health is just as important as physical health.
There are many benefits to getting professional support for mental health. Trained professionals can support you by allowing you to talk freely in a non-judgemental environment and can help you better understand your actions and emotions and the consequence of staying stuck in repetitive behaviours.
If you can afford to get help it's worth the investment - and will help you deal with your symptoms more effectively.
Below is a list of professional resources and support services for mental health challenges that could be effective and helpful for you:
Conclusion: Implementing at least one of these tips into your daily routine will help boost your mental health and improve your overall wellbeing. If it does get to a point where tips 1-4 aren't making a big enough difference, do consider the benefits of tip 5 and getting professional support.
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Giovanna