The connection between your daily lifestyle choices and your best mental health are essential to learn about so you can treat yourself well. Feeling good from the inside out requires taking great care of both your physical and mental health. Building habits that support your wellbeing have incredible benefits and can prevent serious symptoms of mental illness or make you feel as good as you can if you struggle. Asking for help and practicing a healthy routine prepares you for long term wellness, especially if mental health challenges are something you suffer from. Explore these easy ways to build the lifestyle you want from the inside out.
Eating Brain Food
If you’ve ever experienced “foggy brain” or low energy levels that spiral into feelings of depression or anxiety, you understand the effects of a malnourished brain. There are many factors that contribute to your brain development and eating a well-balanced diet is a key for optimal brain health. Your brain relies on essential vitamins and minerals to form its neural pathways and support thought patterns that give you mental clarity and boost your mood. Eating “brain food” through a healthy diet promotes your best mental health and can impact your energy levels as well.
Use these ideas to feed your brain correctly:
- Eat foods high in magnesium such as bananas, spinach, and almonds
- Eat water-dense vegetables for energy and hydration
- Include healthy fats such as flax seeds, which promote mental health
- Avoid processed food to decrease “brain fog” and low energy
Fitness to Feel Good
Building a great fitness routine can look like whatever fits into your current lifestyle. You do not need to overwork yourself or set unrealistic fitness goals, instead, find workouts you love and prioritize them in your world because they improve your mental health. Releasing endorphins through exercise is a powerful way to boost your mood and improve your brain activity over time. The extra mental clarity you gain from an active brain helps you work through logic and reason in a productive way and even process negative emotions with more ease. Incorporating fitness into your mental health routine is one of the best ways to protect your mental health and energy levels.
For ideas, consider trying:
- A new exciting fitness class
- Yoga to clear your mind
- Running or walking with loved ones
- Weight lifting to build strength and confidence
Getting Help
Asking for help can be difficult at first, but it is an essential habit to build in order to take the best care of your mental health. There are some challenges and mental illnesses that require professional support, so be proactive and open-minded when it comes to receiving the help you need. There is no stigma associated with working on yourself with a support team, so be sure to enroll in psychological treatment for depression and anxiety, and even attend treatment centers for alcohol abuse and other serious addictions. Resources are available to help you through whatever mental health challenge you may be dealing with.
If you need help, consider:
- Calling a helpline or hotline
- Seeing a licensed psychologist
- Visiting support groups regularly
- Getting inpatient treatment for serious issues
- Reaching out to your support system as a habit
Taking Care of Yourself
Self-care is a powerful habit to build, and like fitness, it can look however you want it to. As long as you approach self-care with the idea of wanting to feel your best, the habits will be easy to keep up with. Learn what helps you recharge your best and experiment with different ways to process your feelings. Be open to conversations with others to help delegate your time so you can rest or get some time away from your responsibilities. Taking care of yourself is a daily habit that requires prioritization and practice, but rewards your physical and mental health immensely.
Ideas for easy self-care include:
- Treating yourself to a spa day
- Getting extra sleep
- Cooking a healthy meal you love
- Taking a mental health day off of work
- Enjoying your favorite books and movies
- Seeing your therapist
Staying Productive
Productivity is a habit you can incorporate both at work and at home. Work is often a major stressor in people’s lives, so notice how your work impacts your mental health. Consider ways to increase your productivity at work if you often feel anxious or overwhelmed. Learning how to do more in less time saves you effort, energy, and stress if you are looking to improve your mental health and responses to stimuli. Increased productivity habits can also reward you with more sleep and time with loved ones.
Learn how to be more productive by:
- Relying on to-do lists or productivity apps
- Batching your time for uninterrupted productivity
- Delegating and asking for support
- Setting healthy boundaries for work and life
The habits you build over time begin with small daily actions you can use to support your best mental and physical health. Whether it is the food you are eating, the way you receive help for serious issues, or the way you take care of yourself, implementing real actions to improve your psyche will pay off in the long run. Enjoy exploring these habits as you work to build your healthiest lifestyle possible.
