10 Tips for Taking Care of Your Mental Health
It is a part of general health that often goes unnoticed
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Eat well
A healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains is essential to both physical and mental health. However, there are certain foods that are associated with better mood, such as bananas, beans, and oily fish. You should also limit or avoid alcohol, caffeine, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars.
Exercise
Don’t forget to set aside some time for exercise. It not only makes you physically healthy but is also excellent for your mental health. Experts explain that exercise improves blood flow, allowing the body to get more oxygen, which fosters a feeling of relaxation.
Sleep well
Studies have shown that people who sleep less than six hours a night on average are more likely to have mental distress, anxiety, and depression. To sleep well, avoid caffeine after 3 PM, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, and turn your bedroom into a relaxing space.
Develop hobbies
A hobby can help you overcome trauma or problems that upset and affect you. Try reading, writing, crafts, gardening, photography, or cooking.
Work on your confrontation skills
Confrontation skills are efforts you make through actions or thoughts to handle different demands or conflicts. These efforts may be focused on a particular problem, or they may deal with emotions, interpersonal relationships, and self-care.
Try meditating
Meditation is a practice that regulates the body and mind to lead them to a state of deep relaxation, which is beneficial for mental health.
Practice relaxation techniques
Progressive relaxation, guided imagery, biofeedback, and deep breathing exercises are different practices that are known as relaxation techniques. They are often recommended as a tool to care for your mental health.
Get a little sun
Moderate exposure to sunlight during the early hours of the day is a great way of getting vitamin D, which is associated with better mood. Just remember to use sunscreen to avoid UV damage.
Connect with other people
Social media is often used as a source of entertainment and information, but constantly consuming information on other people’s lives can also bring up feelings of comparison, which promote low self-esteem. That is why experts recommend limiting the time we spend on social media and instead connecting more with family members, friends, and coworkers.
Talk to a professional
All these tips are helpful for improving your mental wellbeing, but they cannot “cure” a mental illness. If you often feel upset, anxious, sad, stressed, overwhelmed, irritable, or unmotivated, talk to a professional.
Sources:
American Psychiatric Association; National Library of Medicine; Mayo Clinic; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
