Did you know that two in ten people have a mental illness? Nowadays many of us are struggling with stress from the increasing demands of life.
Now is the time to make our mental health a priority. But how do you do this? Well, for starters, everyone says that if youre experiencing problems in your life, you should look at therapy. However, therapy isnt the only option and shouldnt always be considered. There are other things you can do to improve your mental wellbeing. This includes reading self help mental health guides such as E-counseling.com or Depression-guide.com. Sites like these have a wealth of information on various mental health disorders. Additionally, you can also improve your mental health even easier. How? By exercising regularly. Here are proven tips to boost your mental wellbeing through exercise and other practices such as mindfulness.
1. Exercise Regularly
It’s a universal fact that exercising keeps your body healthy. What you don’t know is its effect on mental health.
According to research, exercising improves your mental health. It helps control your emotions. But how does it do this?
- It improves your energy levels physically and mentally
- It helps you sleep better. Quality sleep is essential in control of emotions.
- It alters chemicals and hormone composition in your brain byways of endorphin rush’ increasing your feelings of happiness. Endorphin hormones are also responsible for improving your focus and memory.
- It helps you vent out feelings of anger, frustration and a bad mood.
- It alleviates the symptoms of mental illness. For instance, studies show that exercise can be as useful as speaking to a psychologist.
2. Practice Mindfulness
An exercise is a form of meditative awareness that trains your attention to have a wise and skillful relationship with your brain.
It teaches you to unhook from unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. It involves teaching you how to focus on the present moment rather than being lost ruminating about negative judgments or rocking yourself into self-criticism.
Practicing mindfulness helps:
- Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Brings feelings of inner calm and peace
- Improves your stress resilience.
- Helps build meaningful conversations and relationship between people.
- Improves overall sense of life satisfaction.
3. Eat a Healthy Diet
What you eat affects how you feel. For instance, you can observe the effects of sugar on small kids and adults also. Eating heavy carbs makes you feel dull and tired. These feelings are the effects of the food you eat.
But these effects aren’t only associated with sugar and heavy carbs. The food you eat can have a short-term and long-term impact on your mental health.
For example, your body needs a mixture of minerals and nutrients to function effectively. Eating a healthy diet is essential for your mental health.
But do you know what a healthy diet entails?
- A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Regular consumption of water.
- Good sources of protein, from plants or fish meats.
- Grains and complex carbohydrates.
Try to Limit
- The amount of sugar in your diet.
- The amount of caffeine you take in a day.
- The number of intoxicants you take.
- Things you’re allergic or intolerant to.
- Practice Self-Compassion
4. Practice Self-Compassion
At times we can’t avoid criticizing ourselves. This isn’t a good habit at all.
If it persists, it makes you lose confidence, and feel unhappy about your life. Such situations may lead you to depression and anxiety.
Don’t let this happen. Be kind to yourself.
Image Credits: Mental Health from Africa Studio/Shutterstock