Mental health is one of those things that many people struggle to maintain. Depression, anxiety and other issues can have a serious impact on your life. There may be times when you won’t be able to handle it all on your own in a safe way. If that sounds like you, then keep in mind that you should always seek professional help when you need it.
While medications can help, there are other options as well. These natural methods can play a big role in fighting mental illness and improving your state of mind. Here is what you need to know:
Cut Negativity out of Your Life
Training yourself to think positively is key for improving your mental health. You can do this by creating a list of traits you actually do like about yourself. Whatever you write down can be completely confidential. You don’t need to advertise them to the world via Facebook or other social media forums. In fact, you will probably get more out of it by just writing in a private journal that is for your eye’s only and no one else’s comments/judgements.
It might also do you well to work on avoiding self-criticism and to focus on your strengths. When you catch yourself having negative thoughts, train yourself to combat them with positive thoughts. You don’t have to do the “think two good thoughts for every negative thought” thing that many people try. That might just get too complicated.
Another thing that might help is volunteering to help someone. This can aid you in learning to value yourself as well. Reducing negativity in your life goes for people in your life too. Removing negative, toxic people from your life is extremely important for improving your mental health. This isn’t always as easy as it sounds, especially if those negative people are close friends or family members. However, you must find ways to do it or they will continue making you miserable. To get more positive people in your life, participate in activities where you can meet new people, such as book clubs and volunteer activities.
Learn Stress-Reducers
Stress is terrible for your mental health, so you will need to find ways to reduce it. Meditation has proven health benefits for the brain. It can help you shift your mental impulses away from harmful habits and reduce rigid thinking. To do meditation properly, you need to be trained in effective methods. Just sitting and staring at the wall without knowing how to put yourself into a beneficial trance will likely not help you. Remember that there are many types of meditation, and different techniques can have different benefits. People trained in Zen meditation have been shown to clear their minds better after a distraction, for example.
Breathing exercises can also help, as can things like aromatherapy. You can use an essential oil diffuser to give aromatherapy a try. All of these methods help decrease stress and anxiety, which will markedly improve your mental health. Once you get into an activity like meditation, you should do it on a regular basis. Make it a part of your routine. If you feel like you may not have enough time, then you may need to sacrifice something. You may need to wake up earlier or take a break at work to meditate or do whatever your stress-reducer is.
Eat Right and Sleep Well
Maintaining a healthy body will help you maintain a healthy mind. Certain foods have even been linked to improved mental health. These are whole grains, leafy greens and yogurt, to name a few. They help in different ways. For example, fermented foods like yogurt have been shown to reduce anxiety and stress hormones. Sleep is also key to improving your mood. When you are constantly tired, you get cranky and irritable. Sleep loss often aggravates symptoms of depression, and people with insomnia are far more likely to develop depression. You can fight insomnia naturally by making a number of lifestyle changes. These include reducing caffeine and alcohol consumption, getting into a sleep schedule and taking a warm bath before bedtime.
Exercise
A healthy exercise routine combined with a good diet can result in vast mental health improvements. Exercise has been shown to lessen the symptoms of depression in patients with mental illness. It will also help you sleep better. As outlined above, better sleep is an important component to naturally improving your mental health. Exercise releases good endorphins that improve mood naturally. Anything from running to Tai Chi to yoga will impact your mood, so you can find a flavor of physical exercise to your liking. Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore. There are plenty of fun physical activities you can consider. Playing tennis and taking nature walks are just two of the many activities you may enjoy.
Always follow the advice of your medical professionals. However, alternative ways to improve mental health have their benefits too. Give these tips a try and hopefully you will see marked improvement shortly.