For Mental Health Awareness Month, AIM Group in NY offers this guide with 6 ways to take care of your mental health.
What Are 6 Ways To Care For My Mental Health?
- Prioritize face-to-face social connections.
- Cut down your screen time.
- Stay hydrated and choose nutritious foods.
- Get moving with some physical activity.
- Don’t forget your sleep.
- Go outside and get some sunshine.
#1. Prioritize Face-To-Face Social Connections.
Humans are social beings, and strong relationships can have a beneficial effect on your mental wellbeing in a variety of ways. For instance, friendships can ease feelings of loneliness, make it easier to receive emotional support, and give your life more meaning. There are plenty of ways to form positive connections and maintain your friendships: stay in touch by sending messages or funny memes, plan to go for a morning walk or breakfast, give each other a call during your lunchtime, or set up biweekly or monthly dinner dates.
Additionally, taking the time to catch up and joke around when you do spend time with each other can create stronger bonds than just the number of hours spent together. According to a study, this type of connecting and socializing in-person was shown to lead to closer bonds.
#2. Cut Down On Your Screen Time.
Experts suggest that consuming too much information about the lives of other people can lead to feelings of self-comparison and inadequacy, and may result in increased levels of anxiety and depression. To reduce time spent on social media, some tactics to consider are keeping your phone in a drawer or away from your bedroom while sleeping, making a list of alternate activities to replace scrolling sessions, and turning off notifications or deleting social apps from your phone.
#3. Stay Hydrated And Choose Nutritious Foods.
Eating certain foods can positively impact your mental health. To promote improved mental health, consider adding foods rich in mood-enhancing nutrients to your diet, such as berries, bananas, beans, whole grains, and fatty fish like salmon. Ultimately, it’s important to make sure you’re nourishing your body daily – any type of food is better than no food at all.
Drinking plenty of water throughout the day can be beneficial. Not having enough water can deprive your brain and body of the necessary nutrients it needs to function optimally. Furthermore, consuming too much alcohol, caffeine, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars can worsen anxiety symptoms, so limiting these foods can help reduce any negative effects.
#4. Get Moving With Some Physical Activity.
Exercising offers many psychological benefits, such as reducing stress, improving your mood, helping you fall asleep faster and longer, and managing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Everyone’s idea of movement is different, so don’t feel obligated to go to the gym if you don’t enjoy it. Find an activity that works best for your body, health, and interests so that you can make exercise enjoyable.
To begin, try different types of physical activities and continue with the ones that you like the most. Fun activities could include joining a running or walking club, taking a gentle restorative yoga class, doing seated exercises, throwing a dance party, taking stretching breaks every hour, gardening in the backyard, or going on a weekend hike or walk at the beach. In short, you don’t need to do an intensive workout to support your mental and physical wellness.
#5. Don’t Forget Your Sleep.
Getting enough good sleep is not only important for your physical health, but it also has a great effect on your mental health. The quality of your sleep is just as important; if you are having trouble sleeping, it can lead to mental health issues. To make sure you get enough quality sleep, here are some helpful habits you can try: don’t have any caffeine after 3 pm, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, make your bedroom as quiet and calming as possible, and keep the temperature of your bedroom around 65°F.
#6. Go Outside And Get Some Sunshine.
The sun is a great provider of Vitamin D, which research shows can improve how we feel and our outlook. You don’t even need to be out long to gain the benefits – just a few minutes of blue skies can do you a world of good. If you’re stuck inside all day and can’t get outside, try these ideas: take a short walk, sit in your backyard, or stand outside and breathe in the fresh air. Alternately, open the window near your desk, suggest taking a work meeting outside, eat lunch at a nearby park, or exercise outdoors.
AIM Group Offers Primary Care & House Calls In East Hills, NY
At Advanced Internal Medical Group in East Hills, NY we have 40 years of experience minimizing pain with over 20 services in primary care, house call appointments, and a range of other medical services. To learn more about how AIM Group can help you, call 516-352-8100 to speak with one of our team members.