Tips on Improving Mental Health

14 Jul Tips on Improving Mental Health

Here are some really simple activities to incorporate into your daily practice to improve your mental health.

 1. Focus on past positive experiences

A study published in the journal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice in 2016 found that “Positive emotions are associated with increased mental wellbeing, better physical health and occupational success and thought to increase access to more psychological resources, broaden potential behavioural options and reduce attention to, and experiences of, threat.” (Holden et al., 2016)

Participants focused on their own positive feelings from that memory as well as on the positive feelings of the other person. The results showed that people felt socially safer and more positive and relaxed after the exercise.

2. Look out the window

We don’t know exactly what it is about greener urban areas that causes these sustainable gains in happiness, but it’s probably no coincidence that:

• One study has found that simply looking at a picture of nature is enough to improve cognition (see: Memory Improved 20% by Nature Walk).
• Another has found that outdoor activities have the strongest restorative effect on our mental health (see: Happiness is Right Outside).

3. Drink some tea

Tea is both calming and can make you feel more alert.

Tea contains the amino acid Theanine which is responsible  improving cognition, it also provides the calming effect of tea.

Finally, it is linked to better mental health including stress reduction, decreasing generalized anxiety, and reducing the severity of insomnia.

4. Get moving!

Compared with inactivity, even ‘mild’ levels of physical activity are linked to 50% better mental health. A study condicvted by the university of Queensland found that “Exercise can boost mood, concentration, alertness, and even your propensity to look on the bright side” The study demonstrated that  people who engaged in regular exercise experienced higher levels of optimism. (see: Exercise for Mental Health)

 5. Get your micronutrients

Despite consuming more calories than ever, many people do not get their recommended intake of brain-essential nutrients which include:

1. omega-3s,
2. B vitamins (particularly folate and B12),
3. choline,
4. iron,
5. zinc,
6. magnesium,
7. S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe),
8. vitamin D,
9. and amino acids

Sufficient research in the filed can now that suggest a correlation between many mental disorders and poor nutritional intake. (see: The Importance of Nutrition).