When most people think about mental health, spa days, meditation, and yoga are what typically come to mind. Although these are awesome activities, there is so much more that goes into to your psychological wellbeing. There are many ways to boost your mental health, and by incorporating some of these small changes into your daily life, you can start to see amazing changes.
Make Your Happiness a Priority
When you're caught up in the daily grind of school or work, it can be easy to lose sight of what makes you happy. So many people work for the weekends, spending the majority of their week being miserable and unmotivated. It is so important to make your happiness a priority. Whether it is singing, reading, painting, or watching your favorite show, make time to do the things you love.
Surround Yourself with Positivity
Although there is so much that is outside of your control, you can control many aspects of your environment, especially the people you hang out with. You are the average of the people you spend the most time with, so if your friends are constantly negative, complaining, angry, or just killing your vibe, consider meeting some new high vibe friends. Surrounding yourself with happy, uplifting, positive people, is the quickest way to boost your mood.
Focus on Balance with Food
Food is fuel, and in order to feel your best both physically and mentally, it is essential to eat balanced meals throughout the day. This will keep you blood sugar balanced and your energy high. Although sugary and processed foods may make you feel happy in the moment, they will leave you feeling tired and hangry a couple hours later. Fuel your body with foods that will best support you like colorful fruits and veggies, healthy fats, and clean proteins.
Move Your Body
Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and improve your cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. The best type of exercise? Something you actually enjoy! If you hate lifting weights and running, try spinning and barre. Even low intensity exercises like walking are beneficial (and are highly underrated). The takeaway here is to find something that you love, and commit to it. If you need to link it to something else you enjoy (like watching your favorite show or listening to your favorite podcast) to get started then go for it. Whatever the activity you choose, it is important that it makes you happy, and you don’t spend all day dreading your daily workout.
Get Good Sleep
Running on less than 6 hours of sleep doesn’t make you a hustler or more successful. It just makes you tired and unhealthy. Sleep deprivation sets the stage for negative thinking and emotional vulnerability and can increase your risk of developing certain mental illnesses. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can impact levels of neurotransmitters and stress hormones, which then impair thinking and emotional regulation. In order to make sure you’re functioning at your best aim to get between 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night.