Top 5 Ways To Help Your Mental Health
Posted: May 27, 2021
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It can affect how we feel, think and cope with everyday life. In this blog, we’ve outlined the top 5 ways to help your mental health.
There are lots of things we can do every day to support our well-being.
It’s important to point out that we are all human. We all have mental health, just as we have physical, and it's crucial we take time to look after it.
People who are emotionally intact with their mental health are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. They can keep problems in perspective and bounce back from whatever life throws at them.
Being emotionally healthy doesn’t mean you’re happy all the time, or you don’t suffer from mental health, it means you’re aware of your emotions and can deal with them, whether the feeling is positive or negative.
Eating Well
Throughout life, we’re taught that eating well helps us feel our physical best. What doesn’t always come out of it, is that nutrition significantly affects our mental health.
A well-balanced diet can improve our thought process and make us feel more alert. It can also improve concentration and attention span.
On the other hand, an unbalanced diet can lead to fatigue, slowed reactions and a decreased ability to making decisions. A poor diet can potentially lead to stress and more serious, depression.
To get all the nutrients that help improve mental health, nutritionists suggest eating a variety of meals and snacks. Here are the top three foods to include in a healthy mental diet:
- Complex carbohydrates – These include brown rice, vegetables, quinoa and sweet potatoes. This selection gives you energy and more of a nutritional value that’s found in simple carbohydrates such as sweets and sugar.
- Lean protein – Good sources of protein include chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, nuts and beans. All of these allow your muscles to repair and grow.
- Fatty acids – These are crucial for the brain and nervous system. They include flaxseeds, nuts, eggs, fish and meat.
Exercise
Being physically active is associated with lower rates of mental health problems across all age groups. Exercise is essential for slowing down your BMI and for promoting wellbeing.
Exercise releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and help you concentrate, sleep and overall feel better.
It doesn’t need to be particularly intense for you to feel good or for your body to reap the rewards. Activities such as walking don’t just provide a level of exercise, but it also encourages social interaction.
Experts say most people should do around 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week. This could include:
- Walking or jogging
- Sport – Football, Mixed Martial Arts, Tennis, golf etc
- Stretching, yoga
- Gym or home workouts
Sleep
Sleep is vital to our physical and mental wellbeing. It helps regulate the chemicals in our brain that transmits information around your body.
These chemicals managing our mood and emotional levels, if we don’t get enough or too much sleep, we can start to feel anxious or depressed.
Try to establish a routine of when you go to sleep and when you wake up. The sleep foundation provides tips on how to sleep well, and to overcome problems with sleeping.
Practising Gratitude And Optimism
It might seem simple, but it makes a massive difference to your feelings and outlook on life.
Be thankful for the good things you have in life and hold on to those positive emotions.
Practising gratitude and having a positive outlook can help you see life differently. Both of these don’t mean you won’t feel the opposite, it’ll just allow you to not dwell on the past or worry too much about the future.
If you feel stressed or are having negatives thoughts, take a break and reset.
Connect With People And Be Present
Humans are social creatures. Good relationships are important to your mental wellbeing. Having a good circle of people will help protect you against the harms of stress.
Connecting with others can give you a sense of belonging and reduce any feeling of loneliness. Sometimes just the acknowledgement of others can take a massive weight off your feelings.
Pay more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.
Being mindful of the situation you put yourself in will allow you to enjoy life more and more importantly understand yourself better.
Help Your Mental Health With Us
Here at Ellis Academy of self-defence, we understand the importance of exercise not just for the body but for your mental wellbeing.
For this reason, our programme is designed to enhance the growth and personal development of all our students.
Our staff are also available for support and any questions you may have. Contact us via phone, or email us directly. We look forward to hearing from you!