Here are 10 top tips to improve your mental health

and your situation

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1. Eat well and get enough sleep

When you sleep, your body can reset from the day’s stresses and take a break from overworking. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your stress levels are high, and there’s a good chance you’re not giving yourself the time to breathe. You might suffer from feelings of overwhelm, or you might not have the energy to do all the things you want to do.

That’s not good for your mental health. Lack of sleep makes you more prone to stress, which can cause inflammation and potentially raise your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and depression.

How can you benefit from these tips?

If you want to learn how you can improve your mental health, these ten tips will provide you with the guidance you need.

If you are suffering from depression or any other mental health condition, or are interested in learning more about mental health, these tips can help you achieve the best possible outcome.

Here are 10 tips that will help you improve your mental health.

1. Get Enough Sleep

All of us need adequate sleep. When we aren’t getting enough sleep, our mental health suffers. If you do not get enough sleep, your brain won’t function at its optimum level. As a result, you may feel more stressed and tired, as well as suffering from more depression symptoms.

The best way to improve your mental health is to improve your sleep pattern.

What do you need to take away from these 10 top tips?

What do you need to take away from these 10 top tips?

Urgent action is needed to improve mental health, writes Dr Dan Poulter, Conservative MP and minister for mental health.

The World Health Organisation has recognised the need for governments to implement and address mental health conditions on a global scale.

To give people with mental health problems a real voice, I have set up a parliamentary campaign to fund research, raise awareness and raise money for essential services.

Over the next three years, we aim to invest £1.2bn to tackle mental health and increase access to better care.

Having suffered from depression for many years, I know that it can feel like there’s nowhere to turn, but there are a number of steps you can take to improve your mental health.

Know your triggers

Section 2: Staying safe

Section 3: Helping a friend in crisis

Section 4: Stress Relief

Section 5: What’s important to you

1. Know your triggers

Stress can affect us all, but it can be especially dangerous for those with a mental illness. Being aware of your stressors can help you better cope with them.

Spending time with loved ones is a great way to take a load off. Limit social media and be wary of how many phone notifications you engage in throughout the day. In addition to social media, sleep is also essential for your mental health. Make sure to get the appropriate amount each night, avoid screens 30 minutes before bed, and get plenty of sleep so you can improve your mood.

Another stress reliever that can be as simple as making a meal or seeing a friend is nature.

Take care of yourself

Everyone has mental health, even if they are not aware of it. When you are healthy, you have enough energy to accomplish your goals, do things you love, and live a meaningful life. If you find yourself feeling low, you can use these tips to get back to your healthy state.

Eat well

It’s important to be healthy. Make sure you take care of your body, including your brain, with the right diet. Getting enough rest can help increase your mood. Eating high-quality foods with balanced nutrition, like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and lean meats, can help create brain health, especially in older adults.

Practice daily relaxation

Losing yourself in a simple activity can help reduce stress and improve your mental health. All it takes is a few minutes to take a deep breath and release tension.

Stay positive

The less stressed you feel, the better it is for your mental health. In order to create stress for yourself, you have to be anxious, unhappy, upset or in a bad mood. Therefore, you can avoid that.

Be grateful

One of the best ways to lift your mood is to be thankful for what you have. This can involve what you eat, the people around you, how you are doing in school, or how things are going in your career.

Do something out of the ordinary

If you need to feel like you’re on the right track, one thing to do could be to get on a roller coaster. Most people like roller coasters. It’s one of the most popular amusement parks attractions. Go with friends to create a mini-escape.

Get an extra hour of sleep

Sleep is very important. Not getting enough sleep will make your mood worse.

Avoid being so hard on yourself

Doing things that take you out of your comfort zone is a great way to change and grow. Try new things and learn about yourself by allowing yourself to have fun and experience new things.

Reflect on the past week

Take some time to reflect on how you spent your time, what you accomplished, and how you felt during the week. If you spent your time or worked toward goals, then that’s a great thing to focus on.

Practice relaxation techniques

Some people might like to read, meditate, or play a sport to relax. Take a day or even an hour to do something that makes you feel relaxed and have fun.

Exercise

A regular exercise routine is a great way to reduce stress. You might think that exercising is a lot of work and it isn’t worth it, but it really is worth it.

Exercise often

Dr. Madrick says that you should work out six days a week for 20 minutes, three times a week. Aim to increase the time and intensity of your exercise if you can. This helps reduce stress and improves sleep quality.

Try yoga

Try attending yoga sessions on meditation retreats. Yoga instructors will assist you with poses suitable for you, especially if you are a beginner. Having a trainer will also prevent future tragedy.

Get outside

According to Dr. Madrick, “People who live in a city that is polluted, or whose neighborhood is unsafe for them to venture into, or whose house has been flooded, need to get outside of that city for their mental health.”

Get up and move

Take a break once in awhile

When you’re super stressed, it can be hard to listen to your body, stop what you’re doing and take a break. Mindfulness is one of the best ways to recover from high stress levels.

How do you stay connected to the world when you’re stressed? Do you know how to breathe? I’m sure that everyone can relate to stress and how it affects their mental and physical health. The above tips are my attempts to keep it together while working a high-stress job. Please share your own tips below:

1. Ask for help

A common concern that women have is that they don’t want to appear weak, so they’ll “just take it”.

Take it from someone who knows: asking for help doesn’t make you weak, it makes you strong. Most of the time, if someone is willing to help you, they don’t really want to.

Don’t use social media too much

You know this. You should not look at your phone during the day to the point where it literally makes you tired. (It literally does.) Get outside. Call a friend. Watch a movie. Talk to a stranger. It’s all a good start to a better week. But if you’ve spent the last five years scrolling through Instagram looking at how cute your cousins’ baby has the cutest mullet you’ve ever seen, stop. No good will come from that. No good will come from texting or calling someone five times that day, either. You’re supposed to make a friend (or ten) and make your relationships meaningful, not be a helicopter parent, hover constantly, and freak them out when they don’t text back immediately.

You know this. You should not look at your phone during the day to the point where it literally makes you tired.

Don’t let yourself get into bad habits

The old saying, “Just do one thing right, everything else will fall into place,” applies to the mental health of you and your loved ones. If you want to keep your mental health in a healthy state, it’s important to make it a habit. Try to do one thing a day that is good for your mental health. If you smoke cigarettes, then only smoke one cigarette today. If you are a person who watches too much TV, then only watch one show today.

Do it for you and your family

Find out what it is that you would like to get out of your habit and do that one thing every day. Also, try to make your habit something that is not always hard, but sometimes enjoyable. If you enjoy cooking for your family, then cook your family dinner every day. If you like reading every day, then read to your kids every day.

Get plenty of sleep

We’re a lot more productive on five to six hours of sleep.

At least nine hours is recommended to improve mental health.

De-stress your life

Cut back on caffeine and stress. Avoid stress altogether by minimizing decisions, deadlines, and events.

Take a long, uninterrupted bath

When you’re in the tub, put music on and close the door. Invest in the right shower products, too.

Take deep breaths

At the beginning of your session, try to focus on making a relaxed, yet significant, exhale. Repeat for at least five minutes. It can help you refocus your mind.

Drink water

Everyone who exercises regularly knows that drinking enough water is good for you. Keep it up and your body will thank you.

Meditate

Meditation has benefits that are harder to ignore than most people realize.

Try to reduce your screen time

Let’s face it, our phones are here to stay. Take a break, put your phone down, and spend quality time with your loved ones.

Dr. Gary Brown, a licensed clinical psychologist, stated, “Spending time with loved ones is often one of the best ways to reduce stress. Focus on what you value and feel the benefits. Rekindle some friendships. Keep up those relationships that have gone cold. Share good moments with family, and don’t be afraid to break down and cry if you need to.”

Take steps to self-care

Conclusion

The NHS knows how valuable the Mental Health Awareness Week can be to raise people’s awareness of mental health and improve people’s lives. That’s why they have put together some great tips to help you achieve a balance in your life and stay mentally well.

Show your support for this important week by using these tips to improve your mental health and get the support you need.

While you’re there, why not find out what’s happening in your area? There’s loads of great events happening for Mental Health Awareness Week!