The Five Best Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

In a world that is moving faster and providing us mass amounts of stimulation everyday, it's important to know when you have to take more time for your mental health.

You won't be able to properly interact with others if you're in a state of being where you're stressed out, tense, and only able to think about the next task you have to complete.

Incorporate these five simple habits into your life and you will start to see your mental health improve quickly and drastically.

Return to your breath

It seems like it would be a simple concept to be able to take a deep breath in and out when you're feeling overwhelmed with life. But a deep inhale in and exhale out isn't always going to do it. Meditation is recommended for those who have trouble managing their stress, but not everyone wants to set aside fifteen minutes of the day to sit in silence so they can observe their thoughts.

Here's where we can simplify meditation. You could be shopping for groceries, walking your dog, or even at your job while you practice this breathwork technique. Box Breathing is an easy way to put yourself in a meditative state no matter where you are in your day. Simply breathe air into your lungs and count up to four seconds. Hold that air in your lungs for four seconds, and then slowly exhale for four seconds. You'll feel immense amounts of tension be released from your body.

If you'd like to get into meditation but need to ease yourself into it first, I recommend you start with sitting or laying down in a comfortable position and playing meditation music such as solfeggio frequencies, nature sounds, or binaural beats. You can find them on platforms like YouTube or Spotify for free. These are highly effective for putting you into a relaxed and clear state of mind.

Know when to rest

If you're someone who's constantly finding something new they want to accomplish, or needing to stay busy twenty-four seven, you may want to make sure you have time set aside in the day that is solely for relaxing. Allowing your brain to have some downtime is important because human beings are not meant to be constantly stimulated. Overstimulation is one of the quickest ways to achieve a state of exhaustion or burnout.

Taking a twenty-minute nap during the day is an easy way to reset your mind and body for the day. If you have to take a day to yourself away from friends or family then I highly recommend you do so. Taking just fifteen minutes out of your day where you stay off of electronics and allow your mind to just wander from thought to thought is a simple way to improve your mental health.

Sleep should be your top priority. If you're not getting at least seven or eight hours of sleep every day then you should reconsider why you aren't. We can all find ways to fit in at least one extra hour of sleep into our schedule every night. Everyone should get enough sleep because it is fundamental for good mental health. If you want to become a healthier person overall and change your diet and start exercising but you're not getting enough sleep, this would not be as effective if you were to just get a few extra hours of sleep.

Gratitude will nourish your soul

It’s easy to get caught up in the moments of life that make us forget everything we have to truly be grateful for. If you work with aggravating coworkers, deal with drama from friends and family, or if your coffee machine suddenly broke, it's almost routine for us to become so flustered by these small and unimportant moments in life. We allow it to take up all of our brain space instead of using it to be even more grateful for other areas of our life.

The mere fact that you're reading this means you probably have some kind of technological device that lets you connect to other human beings or open yourself up to different opportunities and ideas you might not have come across without it. Right here, right now, you are alive and breathing with eyes you can use to read these words. I know that seems too basic but we don't actually take the time out of our day to appreciate these things as much as we should.

Take this feeling of gratitude you have for something no matter how big or small it may seem and allow it to fill you with immense amounts of joy. This practice will continually remind you how valuable your life is and why the moments you become frustrated with are tiny in comparison to things you have in life to be grateful for.

What are you eating?

One of the most effective ways to improve your mental health is to check what's in your diet. You don't have to become a vegan to have decent mental health but if you're constantly eating processed foods you may want to reconsider your choices.

I recommend you do the research necessary to figure out what nutrients your body might need the most. The chemicals in our brains are in direct communication with the chemicals in our gut. If you're not taking caution to eat nutritious or healthy foods, your mental health will start to take a toll as well as your physical.

Lacking the proper nutrients can make it challenging for your brain to function properly. Aim for natural foods that have all the minerals and vitamins you may be lacking in your diet. This is much more effective than buying supplements. If you're going to take a supplement you have to be careful and ask your doctor if it's safe for you to use first.

Find a supportive community

Humans are social creatures and the people around us directly impact us. It's important to have people in your life you know genuinely care about you.

To put things in perspective, there are millionaires who suffer from mental health issues because they have no one in their life they feel they can confide in or trust. Start finding people you know who can hold space for you when you feel overwhelmed and alone. It doesn't make you a bad person for needing a little help sometimes. Simply checking in with just one good friend is all that’s needed for you to feel better.

If there's a hobby you enjoy or a topic you love to learn about, there's most likely an online community you can find somewhere that's full of people with this same interest. Sometimes all humans need is to be reminded that they're loved and appreciated.