5 Healthy Habits to Improve Your Mental Health
May is Mental Health Awareness month and in honor of that, I want to share basic habits to start implementing daily to improve your overall mental health. These foundational tools can help set the tone for your daily life and assist you in being able to manage your stress and anxiety.
Movement
Moving your body in some way can be very effective in taking care of your mental health. Physical movement and exercise releases endorphins and these endorphins help reduce stress and improve your mood. This can be done in so many ways, big or small. You can take an exercise class at your local gym or go on daily walks in your neighborhood. You can try stretching your body in the morning or before bed. There is no wrong way to do this. Anything that gets your body moving is beneficial to your mental health.
Nourish your body
Speaking of the body, ensuring that we are taking care of ourselves physically and nourishing ourselves with what we need plays a large role in our mental health. Physical health and mental health go hand-in-hand. Honor your mind-body connection by checking in with yourself on how you are taking care of yourself. Checking in with a nutritionist can be helpful to make sure you are getting all the nutrients and vitamins you need. Staying hydrated is important in maintaining mental clarity. Last, but not least, don’t underestimate the power of getting outdoors and into the sun. Too little Vitamin D is linked to higher symptoms of depression and anxiety, so getting some sun every day is healing.
Sleep
We all hear about how important sleep is for us, but truly, it is. Continued poor quality of sleep is linked to poor mental clarity and difficulty managing emotions effectively. It is linked to higher rates of stress and depression. We process information in our sleep and it is key in memory and making connections. Practicing good sleep habits leads to restful, quality sleep. Creating a bedtime routine for yourself to cue your mind and body that it is time for sleep. Taking a warm bath or practicing another relaxation exercise can be ways to do this. It is also important to avoid screens at least 30 minutes before sleep to reduce “alertness” and improve the quality of sleep. That is a hard habit to break sometimes, so replace scrolling on your phone with reading a book or other calming activity.
Journaling
The act of writing can be a healing exercise. It helps to bring emotional awareness and overall stress reduction. There are many ways to practice this and sometimes prompts are helpful. Some ideas to practice would be to write down what you are feeling a sense of gratitude for, what your “highlight” moments of the day were, big or small. Write what emotions you are experiencing, or just freely write whatever comes to mind at the end of the day for release. Take the pressure of that journaling needs to be a certain way. Do what works for you.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is defined as, “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and without judgment”. Mindfulness is linked to decreased stress and anxiety and an increase in the ability to be present and engaged in your daily life. There are many ways to practice mindfulness. You can attune to your senses while walking, eating, or just wherever you are. You can practice deep breathing exercises and notice what arises in your body. There are many apps you can use for guided meditations such as Headspace or Insight Timer if that is what works best for you. The key to mindfulness is to practice it nonjudgmentally. Sometimes it will feel more natural than other times, but keep practicing.
I hope these tools are helpful for you to practice and implement into your daily life. If you want more support or guidance in your mental health, establish with a therapist who can help.
With love,
Hannah
Note: Everything posted here is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for individualized mental health treatment. If you would like to start therapy with me, click HERE.
