Atomic Habits for Mental Health Subtitle:

Atomic Habits for Mental Health
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That is right; the way of looking at mental health comes in a binary approach: you have depression, or you are free of it. Most people say that when diagnosed with anxiety or depression, they think that it is a lifelong thing which makes sense to just learn to cope with it. Such a perspective is limiting, though.

Think of mental health as on a continuum instead. Depression and anxiety can fluctuate in intensity; from the point that they're debilitating, those symptoms tend to have a very broad negative impact on daily living and, in some cases, may never cause such effects. The thing is, these conditions in both cases can be improved and resolved. Small, practical changes can develop over some time into major achievements.

Understanding Mental Health
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Particularly research article says we will have great impacts on mental health. Indeed, daily aerobic exercises can reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms in more than 75% of individuals. In addition, a healthy diet is capable of reducing the risk of depression by up to 35%. Cognitive adaptation through therapy can help 60 to 80% of people.

Sometimes, the resolution of symptoms of depression can be as much as 87% due to treating insomnia. Other alternatives, such as therapy lights or meditation, could also yield better results than medications.

The Challenge of Big Changes
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It can be overwhelming to make lifestyle changes, especially for people suffering from anxiety and depression. For example, people do have the willingness to improve their lives, and this makes them attempt huge changes in their lives. They may decide to either run a marathon or form a habit of getting up early in the morning to exercise, but such a gigantic conversion could prove difficult for many people.

While willpower may help one in the short term, it is not a long-term plan. As the demands of these major changes increase, the motivation to stick with it may dwindle, producing discouragement.

The Power of Small Changes
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Dwelling on massive changes does not mean relying solely on them; rather, it entails taking tiny, incremental steps in small changes and focusing on the bright benefits. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, focuses on how small changes can ultimately accumulate into something huge. For example, while being 1 percent better every day might make one 37 times better by the end of the year.

Instead, I recommend that my clients do not attempt cold-turkey changes with perfectionism for their mental health. Focus on small little things that gradually tend to ease life rather than complicate, like little habits.

Building Momentum with Small Changes

Building on a small habit, for example, like a vitamin every day. This might eventually lead to that feeling just 1% more energetic at times. With the extra energy, one might place a healthy boundary at work, like stopping to answer emails after 5 p.m., continuing to increase that person's well-being. Eventually, small changes would add and become significant for your mental health.

Implementing Tiny Changes
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These mini adjustments can be aptly carried out keeping in mind these three principles:

Pick Low-Hanging Fruit: Start with the smallest effort or that part of your behavior change that is most fun for you. If you love exercise, incorporate that first. If you have problems with that, perhaps start with light therapy.
Build an Enabling Environment: Design an environment in which the new habit would be easier to fulfill; a pillbox to contain daily pills or place the pills within sight.
Use Habit Trackers: Create a 30-day tiny change goal, then start tracking progress: App or even a plain calendar for marking each day.

Examples of Tiny Changes
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Here is how you can practically make these tiny changes that would add up to a great deal for your mental health:

* Try spending about ten minutes in the morning using a light therapy device to boost your mood.
* Take a multivitamin or add a probiotic to your diet if you are interested.
* Add just one more vegetable to every meal.
* Express gratitude daily by appreciating a person every day.
* Minimize exposure to bad news and viral inspirational accounts on your social media.
* Focus on improving your sleep by setting the same time for getting up or trying to reduce caffeine intake.
* Bring mindfulness into everyday life, such as paying attention to your breathing during a break.
* Strengthen your relationships by not continually sending messages to friends or relatives.
* You could give yourself small rules, such as forbidding yourself to think negative things.

The Importance of Connection
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One of the important factors that define happiness and mental wellness is connection and relationships with other people. Simply reaching out, whether by a lunch date with a close friend or texting someone to check in, can make a world of difference in one's mood and feeling of belonging.

Final Thoughts
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Your mission to make progress on your mental health journey need not be scary. Start with one or two small, easily-executable changes, which form the basis for improvement over time. Choose just one change that feels doable, integrate it into your routine until it becomes automatic, and then move on to another.

Change is possible every minute. Every tiny step forward becomes a step towards better mental health. Together, let us embrace small transformations!