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26 Ways to Boost Your Mental Health

by Steven Borrero

Your mental health might not be in the best state right now, but you’re not alone. The coronavirus pandemic is affecting our everyday lives in different ways and things are changing at such a rapid pace that it’s impossible to know what to expect next.

If you are having difficulty maintaining good mental health practices during this time, here are several tips and strategies that can help.

1. Track gratitude and achievement with a journal. Include 3 things you were grateful for and then 3 things you were able to accomplish each day. Send a thank you note – not for a material item, but to let someone know why you appreciate them. Written expressions of gratitude are linked to increased happiness.

2. Start your day with a cup of co­ffee. Coff­ee consumption is linked to lower rates of depression. If you can’t drink coff­ee because of the caff­eine, try another good-for-you drink like green tea. 

3. Set up a getaway. It could be camping with friends or a trip to the tropics. The act of planning a vacation and having something to look forward to can boost your overall happiness for up to 8 weeks!

4. Work your strengths. Do something you’re good at to build self-confidence, then tackle a tougher task. 

5. Keep it cool for a good night’s sleep. The optimal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Think of something in your life you want to improve, then figure out what you can do to take a step in the right direction.

7. Experiment with a new recipe, write a poem, paint, or try a Pinterest project. Creative expression and overall well-being are linked.

8. Show some love to someone in your life. Close, quality, relationships are key for a happy, healthy life, so try doing something with friends and family – have a cookout, go to a park, or play a game. People are 12 times more likely to feel happy on days that they spend 6-7 hours with friends and family.

9. Boost brainpower by treating yourself to a couple pieces of dark chocolate every few days. The flavanoids, caffeine, and theobromine in chocolate are thought to work together to improve alertness and mental skills.

10. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.  -Maya Angelou. If you have personal experience with mental illness or recovery, then try sharing on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr with #mentalillnessfeelslike.

11. Sometimes, we don’t need to add new activities to get more pleasure. We just need to soak up the joy in the ones we’ve already got. Trying to be optimistic doesn’t mean ignoring the uglier sides of life. It just means focusing on the positive as much as possible.

12. Feeling anxious? Take a trip down memory lane and do some coloring for about 20 minutes to help you clear your mind. Pick a design that’s geometric and also a little complicated for the best effect. 

13. Take time to laugh. Hang out with a funny friend, watch a comedy, or check out cute videos online. Laughter helps reduce anxiety.

14. Go off the grid. Leave your smart phone at home for a day. Disconnect from constant emails, alerts, and other interruptions, then spend time doing something fun with someone face-to-face.

15. Dance around while you do your housework. Not only will you get chores done, but dancing reduces levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), and increases endorphins (the body’s “feel-good” chemicals).

16. Go ahead and yawn. Studies suggest that yawning helps cool the brain and can also improve alertness and mental efficiency.

17. Relax in a warm bath once a week. Try adding Epsom salts to soothe aches and pains and help boost magnesium levels, which then can be depleted by stress.

18. Has something been bothering you? Let it all out…on paper. Writing about upsetting experiences can also reduce symptoms of depression.

19. Spend some time with a furry friend. Time with animals lowers the stress hormone – cortisol, and boosts oxytocin – which also stimulates feelings of happiness. If you don’t have a pet, then try hanging out with a friend who does or volunteer at a shelter.

20. Take 30 minutes to go for a walk in nature – it could be a stroll through a park or a hike in the woods. Research shows that being in nature can increase energy levels, reduce depression, and also boost well-being.

21. Be a tourist in your own town. Often times people only explore attractions on trips, but you may be surprised what cool things are in your own backyard. Do your best to enjoy 15 minutes of sunshine, and apply sunscreen. Sunlight synthesizes Vitamin D, which experts also believe is a mood elevator.

22. Try prepping your lunches or picking out your clothes for the work week. You’ll save some time in the mornings while having a sense of control about the week ahead.

23. Work some omega-3 fatty acids into your diet–they are linked to decreased rates of depression and schizophrenia among their many benefits. Fish oil supplements work, but eating your omega-3s in foods like wild salmon, flax-seeds or walnuts also helps build healthy gut bacteria.

24. Practice forgiveness – even if it’s just forgiving that person who cut you off during your commute. People who forgive have better mental health and have also reported being more satisfied with their lives.

25. “What appear to be calamities are often the sources of fortune.” – Disraeli. Try to find the silver lining in something kind of cruddy that happened recently.

26. Feeling stressed? Smile. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but smiling can help to lower your heart rate and calm you down.

If you’re struggling with pervasive mental health challenges and need some support, we’d like to help.

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