How to Improve Mental Health
Keywords: Mental health, happiness, mental illnesses, emotional and social well-being.
How to Improve Mental Health
Staying happy is one of the biggest blessings there is. Most people link happiness with making a huge amount of money. However, this is not the case. The world's happiest countries are not the richest ones. Happiness, success, and mental health come from something totally different. Do you want to make the most out of your life? Read till the end to find out how to improve your mental health and subsequently your happiness.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), more than 20.6% of adults in the United States experience mental illness. It means 1 in every 5 people. These illnesses include depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and borderline personality disorder. Moreover, it is important to note that less than half of the people who have a mental illness do not do anything about it. Only 43.8% of US adults with mental illnesses received treatment in 2019.
So, what can you do to take care of your mental health? Mental health includes emotional and social well-being. We will tell you a few tips to improve your mental emotional, health and some things you should do daily and in the workplace.
Ways to Improve Your Mental, Emotional Health
Let it Out
When you have a lot on your mind and a mixture of feelings towards anything, it’s best to talk to someone about them. Be it your partner, a family member, or a friend; find someone to whom you can let out your feelings without hesitation. Talk to someone who you can trust to make you feel better instead of giving you more anxiety. Venting out your feelings is the best thing you can do to improve your mental health.
Stay Optimistic
An essential part of a healthy lifestyle is optimism. When a positive thought about something or someone occurs to you, keep hold of it and don’t let it go. Try to look at the positive side of everything that happens in life and have a firm belief that everything happens for a reason. Don’t listen to anyone who is spreading negativity. While media may have its benefits, it’s best to avoid it sometimes to escape the negativity.
Be Grateful
At times when you feel nothing in life is going as planned, but you must be grateful for what you have at that moment. Think about the countless blessings you have instead of what you don’t have. It can include health, a home, a car, a loving partner, a caring family, or anything at all, which you are thankful for. This research article talks about how gratitude can prevent people from committing suicide and improve their emotional well-being.
How to Improve Mental Health Daily
Regular Exercise
Along with providing numerous benefits to your body, a fruitful workout session early in the morning will make you feel fresh. If you haven’t done this before, you may consult guides available online telling you exactly how to begin. Staying physically fit is a fine way of improving your mental health. If you feel good about your body, your mind will automatically think positively about everything else in life.
Get Enough Sleep
Research shows that the optimal amount of sleep for an adult is around 7 to 9 hours per night. However, this is not binding and can vary from individual to individual. The amount of sleep you should ideally get depends on your age and health condition. A good night's sleep can really give a boost to your mental health. Also, if someone has a mental health illness, sleep is one of the first things that is affected. So, if you’re unable to sleep well during the night, consider a therapy session.
Balanced Diet
Good nutrition is another way to take care of your mental health, and it is something you need to do every day. A balanced diet will not only enhance your physical well-being, but there are some particular nutrients in food that will also protect your mental health. Some foods are proven to reduce anxiety and stress, while others are considered a cure for depression. Read more about this here.
How to Improve Mental Health in the Workplace
Take a Break
Taking a break or two won't harm your productivity; rather, it would enhance it. A break will help your brain to relax, leading to better retention of information and improved mental health. Your mind can take some time off from worrying about work activities. According to CIPHR, the optimum length of time before a break should be taken varies from every 25 minutes to every 90 minutes, depending on the technique you want to follow.
Socialize
What should you do while you’re on your break? Browse through social media? Most certainly not! You need to get away from the screen and socialize with other people in the workplace. Many offices have indoor sports such as foosball and table tennis. These can be effective for knowing people, making friends, and reducing your stress. Then you can come back to work and be much productive.
Do Something to Help Others
Helping others fosters a lot of positive emotions and gives you a sense of meaning and purpose in life. Even a little deed that benefits someone can go a long way in keeping you happy and improving your mental health. Ask others frequently, “You have a lot on your plate right now. Can I do something to help you?”. Showing some empathy can also be a great way of building lasting relationships.
(Source: dreamstime.com)
Final Words
In this blog, you learned all about mental health and ways you can improve it. However, if you feel you have an illness that needs to be cured, you can sign up for therapy. Also, if you see others around you who might need a session or two, try to convince them to take care of their mental health and sign up for therapy as well.
