As of now, mental health is the latest buzzword..
Reason being that just like our biceps & glutes, our mind is a muscle. One that in order to function at its best, needs to be worked out on the regular. Hence the birth of the term mental health & why health itself is now being evaluated in a whole new different way; physical aspects are just the start! Take the time to investigate mental health & almost immediately you’ll see why.
While our physical health affects the way we look & the overall function of our body, mental health dictates how we do virtually everything!! So really, it wouldn’t be far wrong to say that mental health underpins our entire existence. Just as it influences important business decisions we make, it also determines our attitude towards our family, setbacks & even how we raise our kids. Something that then determines how they grow up & treat their kids &…
Yep. Your mental fitness is no laughing matter. So in an effort to help you keep it in check & set yourself up for a joyous successful life, we’ve come up with 6 essential tips that you can implement today to start improving your mental health.
Table of Contents
1) Calm yourself by playing music
Notice the first word – ‘calm’.
See, mental fitness is really all about focus, as without it you’ll lack discipline – the essential ingredient for anyone looking to function at their highest level. Analyse the rich & famous, & you’ll soon see that the one common attribute they all share, is an intense focus for what they do.
Lack focus & you’ll be unable to depict a clear vision, all of which means that you’ll execute & move in the direction of a goal. Remember: a focused mind is unstoppable! And that is exactly why listening to music can be such a powerful tool for enhancing your mental fitness.
Not only can tranquil music (especially Classical) help you block out the noise & find clarity, but it can also prompt activity in new areas of the brain too. A biological quirk that can mentally give you a competitive advantage.
2) Get enough sleep
You may hear people say that “in order to get to where I am, you need to give up sleep”. And while in some respects that’s true, depriving your body of sleep over a long period of time can dramatically impact both your mental & physical health.
Sleep is your body’s time for regeneration. So to deprive yourself of sleep, you’re really just at the foot of a downward spiral. Go for long periods with a severe lack of sleep & your body can even start to shut down.
Memory functions & concentration are usually the first to go. Both things that begin to drag down your productivity & in turn, affect your mood.
If you’re struggling to get enough sleep, try…
– Establishing a regular sleep routine.
– Avoiding caffeine & alcohol before bed.
– Creating a calming bedtime routine that you repeat each night.
– Avoiding working or using electronic devices 1 hour before bed.
3) Trade your smartphone for a brick phone
As great as smartphones are, too much screen time has been proven to severely impact your mental health. The scary truth being that both phones & social media are actually designed around the very concept that leads to depression, stress & anxiety. That concept is dopamine.
The feel-good chemical in our brain that gets released every time we accomplish a goal or make significant progress; dopamine is that feeling of ‘ahhhh’ you get when you stand back & admire your work. A switch that’s also triggered in your brain every time you receive a new follower, get a new notification or receive a spurt of likes.
Point being that it’s this exact mental mechanism that social media & smartphones are all built around. They’re designed specifically to trigger the release of dopamine, as it’s this which keeps you interacting with the device/ on their platform.
Switch out your smartphone for an old-school brick phone however & you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll feel like a weight’s been lifted off your shoulders. You’ll feel more at ease, happier & quickly lose that habit of ‘checking’ your phone. Plus, with there being no social media apps on a brick phone, you can choose when you interact with a platform, opposed to being ordered to do so by your notifications.
In other words, you’re taking back control.
4) Watch your diet… like a hawk
Want to know why you shouldn’t eat unhealthy?
Your body makes new cells using the food you eat aroundabout every month. So really, by choosing to eat an unhealthy diet you’re in essence sabotaging yourself. Low quality food creates low quality cells.
All of which (as you’ve probably guessed by now) can drastically impact your mental state & influence the decisions you make. Plus, factor in that around a whopping 60% of your brain is actually fat & by consuming the wrong sort of fats, you could even be causing lowkey brain damage!!
The good news is though, by changing your appetite & eating healthily you can make yourself fitter both in a mental & physical sense. In other words, eating healthily could not only make you feel better about yourself & be more creative, but also (if it prevents you from being depressed) even save your life.
5) Engage in daily exercise
If you’re out to improve your focus & level of concentration look no further than exercise. A pastime that’s arguably the best thing you can do for your mental fitness, because according to science getting physical actually increases the size of your brain, more specifically the hippocampus & prefrontal cortex.
All of which helps to safeguard your long term memory & prevent the development of diseases such as alziemers. Plus exercise also serves as a great outlet too. If you’re one to bottle up your feelings, take up something aerobic like swimming, cycling or boxing. Sport is a great tool for venting – i.e. putting your negative emotions to positive use.
Want to discover more about the effects of exercise on the brain? Jump into this TED talk…
A few quick benefits to note are…
– Improved focus and concentration
– Increased brain volume
– More connections between brain cells
– Increased production of neurotrophic factors (substances that support the growth and development of nerve cells)
– Reduced stress and improved moods
6) Get social or schedule some ‘you time’
As much as being on the go 24/7 can get a lot of things done, it also takes a toll on your mental health.
Yes, the dopamine rush you get when ticking something off your ‘to do’ list is pretty great, but with that being said, sometimes taking a day out to clear your mind or relax with friends & family, is actually the right move. In many cases, doing so does wonders for your mental health.
And what’s more, if you’re struggling with something, this time out gives your subconscious mind the time to work on a solution. Who knows, you may even come across some inspiration because of what someone says or something you see.
Either way, taking some time out often does more good than bad. It allows you to reassess where you are & re-approach a problem with fresh eyes.