BLOG | Five Simple Ways to Boost Your Mental Health

There’s no doubt that 2020 has been one of the most disruptive years for global Mental Health in the history of humanity. As individuals, families, teams, and, of course, collectively. Probably not since World War II has our universal mental health been put under so much pressure.

When it comes down to it, whether one wants to call it well-being, our happiness, resilience or mental health, ultimately that is the spectrum upon which I work and support people.

So, against the back drop of what I believe will be a veritable ticking time bomb of mental health issues facing humanity in Q4 2020 and well into 2021, here are my:  

Counting your blessings every day will improve your mood and your health. While it’s incredibly easy to focus on the negatives in life, when you make it your mission to stay positive and appreciate what’s happening you can significantly boost your mental health. It takes a few seconds to say “Wow, I feel amazing today” or to recognize your own accomplishments or to tell a loved one how much they mean in your life. Its more than simply ‘looking on the bright side’;  its changing the neural pathways in our brain.

Somewhere along the way, we get conditioned to think that being negative is simply seeing reality, but it’s difficult to move forward when everything you see is terrible. Gratitude is acknowledging both the good and the bad things in your life and still allowing yourself to be content. Grounding yourself in the constant awareness of both the good and bad closes the gap between what you have and what you wish you had. When times are tough gratitude helps to capture positive emotions and create a greater sense of connection and purpose.

Research shows practicing gratitude reduces risk of depression and anxiety; boosts happiness, wellbeing and body image; improves sleep; reduces stress; lowers blood pressure; and improves immune functioning. It can even help to make us less materialistic and more generous. So, take out your journal and write down what you appreciate daily or make some affirmative mantras because an attitude of gratitude brings opportunities!

When we take care of ourselves, we can retrain the mind to listen to our body and vice versa.  Your body responds to the way we think, feel and act. So, taking care of your physical health also improves your mental health. Making simple changes to lifestyle habits such as sleep, exercise, nutrition, outdoors activities and self-care can go a long way towards boosting how you feel both inside and out.

First, get enough sleep - 7 or 8 hours a night - and try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day. Science shows going to bed by 10pm and waking up at 6am supports optimal biological functioning.

Second, make physical exercise part of your daily life. With only 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week you can gain immeasurable mind-body benefits.

Third, make sure you are well nourished. Eat nutritious meals with ample vegetables and plant-based proteins. Try to integrate whole foods into your diet, eliminating processed or packaged food products.

Fourth, exposure to sunlight is necessary for our bodies to produce and use certain vitamins and minerals including vitamin D. Sunlight lifts our mood and increases our feelings of well-being as it increases the release of the happiness hormone serotonin making us feel calm and focused.

Finally, treat yourself to indulgent self-care! Enjoy a massage, manicure, or even a long candlelit bath at home.

Meditation improves our mental health by creating immediate feelings of well-being and science has proven its long-term benefits. Studies have shown meditators to have improved sleep; alleviated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain; and augmented cognitive and behavioural functions. Research shows that meditation actively changes the shape of your brain after only 8 weeks! But consistency is key. And from my experience, getting it started that’s the hardest bit.

I encourage you to try and integrate meditation into your daily routine for 5-10 minutes and make it an enriching part of your life. Sit yourself in a comfortable quiet area and set a timer as you breathe deeply allowing yourself to fully take in the present. Notice your thoughts non-discriminately resting in a state of witness observation. Let this cultivate inner stillness and deep presence.

Here’s one of my guided meditation to help Combat the Corona Crisis that will make you feel calm, relaxed and positive.

Evidence tells us that people who are more socially connected are happier, healthier, live longer and have fewer mental health problems. There’s no denying that relationships are one of the most important aspects in our lives. It’s not about the number of friends we have or whether you’re single or married. It’s the quality of our relationships. Research shows that loneliness and weak social connections are as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day in terms of our life expectancy. And are empirically more dangerous than obesity.

Conversely, feeling like you’re part of a community is immensely beneficial to our mental health, providing a sense of identity and purpose. So be sure to spend more time with people that make you feel good, get more involved in your community and let go of the toxic relationships that no longer serve you.

Try new activities or start volunteering and let yourself experience the elevated energy in your life. Relationships and community reduce stress, make us laugh and motivate us to take care of ourselves and achieve our goals so go make plans with a friend, go say hi to a stranger or schedule in some volunteer work this week and let it have a lasting positive impact on your mental health.

Self-awareness is a form of stepping back and observing our thoughts from a reflective state. It’s an act of seeking to understand oneself through introspection. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand why we do or think certain things or why we feel a particular way. Cultivating self-awareness helps us detect and track patterns of our behaviors, thoughts and feelings. There are many ways to cultivate self-awareness such as journaling, grounding exercises like nature walks, personality tests, strengths assessments, mindfulness, and even active listening. Working with a therapist or coach can also help you build self-awareness and strengthen your mental health.

From my experience, in terms of our mental health,  there’s rarely a silver bullet or  magic solution. However, our own solutions are invariably the best. So, notice what works for you and take the necessary steps to make that happen -  for you to feel your absolute best.

We can learn to live with a mental discomforts and even disorders, if we are aware, take action and accept them.

Have a great day,

Andrew