Natural Tips to Improve Mental Health

A few days ago, I posted on the effects of mental health on daily living and our relationships with others, where I highlighted some effects of common mental issues such as depression, panic disorders, and others. Following research, I realized mental issues should not be handled with levity, and early stage signs should be properly attended to. After all, health is wealth, and our mental fitness is equal to total wellness.

Today, however, we would look at some natural tips which help improve mental health to alleviate or prevent mental problems.

These tips would be divided into three categories/ methods, which covers:

• Mental Health Tips,
• Exercises for the mind, and
• Healthy meals to boost mental health.

So, let’s get right to it.

Having being a former victim of depression, I can agree to the fact that many people still struggle with mental issues that overtime develops into long-term problems as they are not aware of what to do in order to improve their mental health. However, beyond medications, there are some better, easier ways to tackle mental health issues.

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MENTAL HEALTH TIPS

There are many things we could do to improve our mental health and work towards achieving a total healthiness. Below are some suggested tips to help ease your mental health, which have been suggested by medical practitioners all over the world. So, try them.

• Be positive: Be happy, be positive, is not overrated, as the key to a healthy mind and personality is remaining positive at all times. Yes, sure, we all have our bad and good days, but keeping in mind that everything would be just fine is the key to a great mental health and life. To do this: take a break from all negativities around you, find a balance between positive and negative emotions, and finally, hold on to your positive emotions whenever they come.
• Talk about your feelings: Remember the saying that A Problem Shared is a Problem Solved? Well, it isn’t just a mere statement, as talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health, and deal with times you feel troubled.
• Connect with people: This seems really similar to the point above, but besides talking about your feelings, why not connect with like-minded people and get involved in activities that would give you a great sense of belonging? However, ensure that your relationship with others is healthy and not harmful to your being.
• Ask For Help: Superb! This is a lifesaving tip, and I am a living proof of that. None of us are perfect and neither are we superhumans. We all go through troubling and confusing times, that we just get overwhelmed and can’t figure anything out. If you find yourself in this situation, it is alright to ask for help. Your family, friends, neighbors, or anyone out there might help. In addition, local authorities are also there for you. So, when next you’re stuck, just call out for help.

Quote by Kallam Anji Reddy

• Find and develop a sense of meaning and purpose: The many causes of depression oozed from the inability to find what they were created for and what the purpose of one’s existence is. Now, take a period to explore the world around you, and check out the many options available.
• Take a break and just breathe: This is my favorite tip, because it works, every time for me. A change of scene or pace or just a five-minute break from everything around, can do wonders to calming your mind down. We aren’t robots! We need to stop chasing after time, and just pause, and take in a deep, long breath. A few minutes can be enough to ‘destress’ you.
• Do Something You are Passionate about: What do you love to do? What activities bring out the best in you? Studies have shown that enjoying yourself can help deal with stress. A feeling of achievement is realized when you do something you like, you’re good at, and something that makes you unique. All these help boost self-esteem and reduce the risk of depression and other mental ailments.
• Accept Yourself: I believe we all need to come to terms with the fact that we are all unique in our own ways. You cannot be me, and I can not be you. It is much better and healthier to accept who you are than to be someone who you are not. Feeling good about yourself boosts your confidence to learn new skills, visit fresh places and make new friends. Good self-esteem helps you cope when life takes a hard turn. It helps you know you are special, and no one else can be like you.

To accept ourselves is to accept the fact that what we think, feel, and do are all expressions of the self at the time they occur.

Nathaniel Branden, 2011.

• Care for others: A proverb says that when you show love to others, you give love to yourself. Caring for others is often an important part of keeping up relationships with people close to you. Close, quality, relationships are key for a happy, healthy life. So, spend some time with a furry friend, show love to people around you, practice forgiveness, have time for family and friends, and finally, learn to appreciate those you have around.
• Be Grateful: This is an important tip, not only for mental health but also for total health. Be thankful for all the good things you have, and even those you had. You should be thankful for the little things in life. Being grateful can help you see life in a different dimension. For example, when you are stressed, you may not notice that there are also moments when you have some positive emotions. Gratitude can help you recognize them.

After reading these tips, I’m almost certain you’ve gotten a tip or two to try. Well, let’s not stop there. Here are some exercises and meals that can help you improve your mental health.

Exercise tips To Improve Mental Health

Have you ever heard the phrase; a healthy mind is a healthy body? Well, reverse also is the case, as a healthy lifestyle builds up a healthy mind. Since physical and mental health are connected, here are some ways to take care of your physical health:

• Become Physically Fit: If you are a couch-potato, or a sleep-all-day person, then get up and do some exercises now to improve your mental health. Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and can help you concentrate, sleep, and feel better. Exercise keeps the brain and your other vital organs healthy, and is also a significant benefit in improving your mental health. You could do some simple exercises at home, such as stretching, pushups, jump rope, and so on, if you don’t want to visit the gym.
• Try Some Yoga: Yoga is an answer to almost everything for me. Apart from being a substantial form of exercise, Yoga also helps the body and mind relax by providing postures and routines that encourage healthy body energy flows. Whether it’s a warrior pose you choose, or a downward facing dog, just try yoga today, and you’ll be glad you did.

Yoga is a way to freedom. By its constant practice, we can free ourselves from fear, anguish, and loneliness.

Indra Devi

• Meditation: Oh, the old ancient therapy of seeking inner peace and deep self-awareness. Yep, despite being around for ages, some people are still not aware of the many benefits of focusing your attention and your awareness on something you choose to. To mediate, all you need to do is find a serene environment with no distractions, fit yourself into a comfortable position (i.e., laying down, sitting cross-legged, or even, walking), select a focus for your attention (i.e., old memories, and object, or just your breathing), and let your mind be open. This helps a great deal in calming the mind and is a wonderful way to deal with stress and improve overall mental health.

Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.

Ajahn Brahm

• Relaxation Therapies: Just take a moment to breathe can come in many awesome ways. These therapies are practices you do to produce your body’s natural relaxation response. This slows down your breathing, lowers your blood pressure, and reduces muscle tension and stress. There are various types of relaxation techniques out there, such as deep breathing exercises, self-hypnosis, guided imagery, taking a warm bath, a walk-in nature and many more… All these help to improve the mental focus and health.
• Sleep: Yes, just go to sleep. You know, whenever your laptop or PC is acting up, it’s usually gets all better when it goes into hibernation, or sleep mode. Just like the machine, the human body also gets well refreshed, nourished, and rejuvenated after a good rest-time. Research has proven that people suffering from insomnia are prone to various mental health disorders. So, try as much as possible to develop healthy habits that would not affect your sleep-time.

Sleep is the best meditation – Dalai Lama

Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.

William Blake

Talking about sleep-time, this blog post has been really long, and I’m glad we got here together. However, we would continue this in my next post. There we will not only see some delightful meals that are suggested to help improve mental health, but we would also look at what makes mental health worse, and how we can avoid mental issues.

I hope this has been a rewarding time. I enjoyed writing, but I hope you enjoyed reading.

Till the next post. Take care, be happy, and be healthy.

Best Regards,
Alexandra Oyelola.

Quote from Vikram Patel