5 Ways to Boost your Mental Health

It’s important to take care of yourself. You can increase your physical and mental health by making small changes to your sleep routine, workout routine, diet, social media use, and social life. Below are five ways you can boost your mental health.

#1 tip to boost your mental health

Sleep.

It was a difficult and long night; the baby was awake for most of the night. Laura is exhausted;, the night before, her 4-year-old struggled to sleep. Laura cried. It is not easy to be a mom, she thought. She feels exhausted, irritable, and struggles to remember where she put things.

Most of us have personal experience with sleep deprivation, whether it is because of work, parenthood or late-night partying. Sleep deprivation affects your efficiency, memory, and mood. In the long term, it also increases the risk for long-term health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Here are a few more reasons why you should be protective of your sleep.

• Sleep improves learning and memory.
  Sleep enhance learning; it helps you to learn more skills and remember information. It also increases your awareness and helps you to pay attention in important business meetings or classes.

• Sleep improves our problem-solving and decision-making.
  Sleep deficiency changes the activity in parts of the brain that is responsible for problem-solving and decision making. Studies found a lack of sleep can lead to excessive risk-taking behavior. For example, passing a car on a hill when your line-of-sight is not as clear as you normally would like it to be or harshly commenting on your friend’s political Facebook post, damaging the mutual respect you had, something you’re normally very cautious of.

• Sleep maintains a healthy balance of hormones related to weight management.
  When you are sleep deprived, you tend to feel more hungry than usual because the hormone ghrelin level goes up, and leptin drops. Ghrelin makes you feel hungry, and leptin makes you feel full.

• Sleep helps to strengthen your immune system.
  If you are sleep-deprived, your body might struggle to fight off infection.

It is clear that sleep is important to our mental and physical well-being, but if you’re a parent of small children or have a deadline at work, it is not always possible to get the sleep you need. Try to remind yourself that it is a season, and be thoughtful and strategic in ways you can take care of your mental and physical health by sleeping more. Maybe delegate tasks, ask for help, let go of perfectionism or enforce healthy boundaries. After these busy seasons, always go back to 7-8 hours of sleep, even if you feel you can get by with 4 hours. To learn more ways to improve your sleep, click here.

#2 tip to boost your mental health

Exercise.

Laura is in no mood to exercise. She feels sluggish and worried about the children’s routine. I am doing enough?, she asked herself. She’s only going to the aerobic class because her husband offered to watch the kids, and gently encouraged her to go to the gym. It will make you feel better, he said. Well, she needs to get out, and the gym will have to do.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults (18 and 64 years) should do at least 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activities. If you do more vigorous cardio exercise, you can stick to150 minutes per week. They recommend that you do these activities throughout the week (3 days) and incorporate muscle-strengthening exercises involving all the muscle groups for at least 2 days a week. The good news is the total minutes per week are more important than the length of each workout. Meaning, that 20 minutes before your baby wakes up and the other 15 minutes, while you wait in the car at Gold Fish, can productively count towards your 150 minutes. This means shorter (and random) workouts adding up to 150 minutes per week are beneficial and can lower your risk for:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Type 2 diabetes

• Some cancers

Exercise releases endorphins, which are the body’s natural mood elevators and pain killers; it is time well spent even if you don’t always feel up to it.

#3 tip to boost your mental health

Do a social media check-in.

It is well past midnight, and Chelsie completely lost track of time while scrolling on Instagram. She planned to go to bed early since the kids have a doctor’s appointment early morning. My life is so dull; everyone is going on summer break… I should lose weight before we plan a vacation, Chelsie thought as she switched off the light. That night Chelsie struggled to sleep, she tossed and turned, and when she was able to sleep, she dreamed about her high school friend’s new house and the kidnapping incident on the news.

Social media can be beneficial and harmful, depending on how and when you use it. Social media keeps you informed and updated on the latest news, trends, and long-time friends. The downside is that we have 24/7 access which easily makes it our go-to coping skill, instead of resting, working out, and reading a book. Social media can negatively affect your sleep, self-esteem, and mental health. To navigate your social media use, do check-in and ask yourself these five questions.

• How do I feel after using social media?

• How can I change my social media use to make it more helpful?

• Am I consuming or creating?

• How is social media affecting my sleep?

• How is social media affecting my in-person connections?

#4 tip to boost your mental health

Eat a balanced diet.

It is almost lunchtime; Chelsie had breakfast early this morning and is looking forward to last night's leftovers. As Chelsie and her husband are heading back home from weekly errands, her partner asked if they could make one more stop at the local farmers market. She agreed for the sake of efficiency. As they stroll through the market, her partner casually mentions something about the house chores. Chelsie SNAPPED, and they start arguing about something he mentioned casually and with the best intentions. The effects of the argument lasted till late afternoon.

What and when you eat has a direct impact on your mental health. Here are some common guidelines to better support your mental health through diet.

• Increase intake of protein and fiber.

You can manage your moods by paying attention to your blood sugar levels. Eat foods with a low glycemic index (GI) such as nuts, apples, green vegetables, raw carrots, kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Blood sugars that are off course, can cause feelings associated with mood disorders, such as irritability, anger, sadness, nervousness, and anxiety. HANGRY is real.

• Take care of your gut health

Studies indicate that our gut health directly impacts our mental health, which means a healthy gut can decrease symptoms of depression, anxiety, and brain fog. The gut microbes manufacture biochemicals that the brain uses to regulate mood and have clear thoughts. For example, the microbiome makes 95% of serotonin, a key neurotransmitter that stabilizes our mood and creates feelings of well-being and happiness. Low levels of serotonin are linked to depression. You can increase your gut health by eating prebiotics and probiotics. Click here to read more about the connection between gut health and mental health.

• Drink plenty of water
  Dehydration puts strain on the organs, including the brain, which is responsible for mental health. Mild dehydration can cause fatigue, poor concentration, and headaches, which will directly impact your mood. Studies also find a link between dehydration and depression, and anxiety.

• Limit or avoid caffeine

  Studies indicate there is a link between caffeine intake and anxiety. People with pre-existing anxiety disorders are more vulnerable to caffeine.

• Pay attention to food sensitivities.

  According to Mayo Clinic, sensitives to certain foods or food additives can cause unpleasant physical reactions, which lead to feelings often associated with mood disorders such as irritability, depression, and anxiety. Dr. Ford, the author of The Gluten Syndrome, writes that gluten is responsible for depression in people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Researches speculate it is related to the malabsorption of nutrients that are important for brain function.

#5 tip to boost your mental health

Connect with others.

It was a long and exhausting week with a lot of deadlines and crises. Sarah isn’t looking forward to this coffee date with a friend she met a couple of weeks ago. Ugh…. meeting new people can be so exhausting, Sarah thought; but she is true to her word and doesn’t like to cancel. As they grab a coffee, Sarah realizes her new friend is fun and open-minded. While they talk about similar interests, Sarah notices she feels more energized and optimistic and was thankful she didn’t cancel the coffee date.

Connecting with others takes time, planning, and commitment, but the benefits of connecting with others are well worth it. Feeling close to others and having a sense of belonging increases self-esteem and lowers levels of anxiety and depression; it also strengthens your immune system. Studies show that people who follow a healthy lifestyle but don’t feel connected have a high risk for disease, similar to those who smoke, are obese, and have high blood pressure. Fortunately, it does not matter how many friends you have, as long as you have a subjective internal connection with someone, even if you don’t know them well.

This blog post highlights five ways you can boost your mental health. By following these guidelines, you might find your mood lifting and an increase in your energy levels. Consult a mental health therapist or your doctor if you have persistent symptoms of anxiety, depression, or any other mental health disorder.

Other resources:

Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency

Is Gluten Why You're Depressed?


Information on this website is provided for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by a mental health therapist or other healthcare professional. No information offered here should be interpreted as a diagnosis of any disorder, nor an attempt to treat or prevent or cure any disease or condition. Names, characters, places, and incidents on this website are for illustrative purposes only. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.