Maintaining good physical health often helps to improve your overall mental health. Below are a few tips for sustaining a healthy lifestyle:
BE ACTIVE: studies have shown that exercise helps to reduce anxiety and depression as well as improve mood, self-esteem and cognitive functioning. Working out can also be a healthy way to combat stress or troublesome side effects from medications you may be taking to alleviate your symptoms. A study done by the National Institute of Health (NIH) found that “all it takes is 30 minutes a few times a week to produce health benefits” from working out. Find what motivates you and incorporate some exercise into your daily routine.
EAT HEALTHY: Research shows that people who consume nutrient-dense diets tend to feel happier. Nutrient-dense diets usually consist of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free milk products, lean meats, chicken, fish, eggs, beans and nuts. You should limit the number of fats and sugars you ingest. Making sure to drink plenty of water is also key to a healthy mind and body.
AVOID SMOKING: In addition to being bad for you, smoking can cause added issues to those individuals already dealing with a mental health condition. Certain medications cause an increased risk of heart disease and smoking elevates this risk. Smokers also tend to break down medications faster than nonsmokers resulting in increased doses of medication and/or experiencing unpleasant side effects.
STAY AWAY FROM ALCOHOL/DRUGS: The use of alcohol/drugs can worsen one’s mental and physical health conditions. Many commonly prescribed psychotropic medications for mental health issues have a combined side effect with drugs or alcohol that can cause toxic results. To avoid these risks, limiting or staying away from alcohol/drugs is your safest option.
GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP: Lack of sleep negatively impacts one’s mental health. A person experiencing anxiety may struggle to fall asleep, causing them to feel fatigued or out of sorts the next day. As a result their anxiety increases, making it even more difficult for them to fall asleep the next night and so the negative cycle continues. For Adults, it’s important to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night and for children/adolescents 9 hours of sleep is appropriate. Make sure you’re engaging in activities that help you wind down at night so that your mind and body can relax and get some rest.
Take Care,
Rachel Banner
jmcounselingblog 