Exercise is important. It helps you stay fit and functional, but if you want to look and feel your best, you have to be in the right place mentally too. Too often, people place losing weight and getting ahead on the job in front of their own mental health and well-being. If you’re restricting calories and working yourself to the bone at work, you’re putting your mental wellness at risk.
Health and fitness goals, even those with the best intentions, can harm your mental health if they’re unrealistic or place too much stress on your body. When you work out and watch what you eat, be kind to your body. Being physically fit and mentally frazzled is self-defeating. That’s why you need ways to nurture mental health and well-being along your journey. Let’s look at some ways to do that.
Manage Stress Through Journaling
The benefits of writing in a journal for mental health are backed by science. In one study, researchers asked 70 adults with anxiety related to health issues to write about positive things in their life and people and experiences they were grateful for. At the end of 12 weeks of expressing gratitude by journaling, the participants reported greater feelings of well-being and less stress. They also developed greater resilience.
Journaling is an activity that’s available to anyone. You don’t even need a fancy journal to write in. An ordinary notebook will do. In your journal, what matters is not what you write, but that it provides a constructive outlet for you to express yourself. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, the act of writing can help you think through your problems and find solutions.
List the things in your life that cause stress, and then find ways to relieve that tension. Is there something that makes you angry or frustrated? You may not feel comfortable screaming at someone but getting those feelings down on paper can have similar benefits. Writing down how you feel can help you deal with thoughts and feelings in a healthier manner.
Make Time for Activities That Soothe Your Soul
Most of the goals people set are variations on losing weight, exercising, earning more money, etc. These are worthy goals but what about taking more time to do activities that soothe your soul? Those are important too. Make a list of ways you enjoy spending your time and set aside some time each day to do those things, whether it’s painting, reading, or writing poetry. Make time for creative endeavors to recharge your mental batteries and it will make it easier to achieve your other goals and feel good about it.
Get Outdoors More
Getting out in nature enhances physical health but also mental health benefits. Research shows outdoor exercise, like walking or cycling, is correlated with lower rates of depression and anxiety. Activity boosts the body’s release of natural chemicals called endorphins that reduce pain and give you greater well-being. Being in nature itself is also beneficial. For examples, studies show spending time in nature reduces rumination, obsessive thinking, and worrying about issues.
Studies also show spending time in green spaces is a spirit lifter and may lower the risk of depression. Such excursions into green spaces also improve life satisfaction. Who doesn’t enjoy the aroma of nature, the warmth of sunlight, and the harmonious melodies of singing birds? Plus, exposing your eyes to natural light has benefits. Exposure to light sets your internal biological clock in a manner that promotes health and mental well-being.
Take More Breaks from Social Media
We live in a world that constantly tells us that we must share everything and be engaged all the time. But social media can also rob you of joy, feed anxiety. and encourage you to compare yourself to others. That’s not healthy! Taking more breaks from social media means you can focus on the people around you and experience things as they happen, rather than on a screen. When taking photos for social media, you are so focused on getting the perfect shot that you miss the beauty of the day. You never experience the moment.
Set aside time each day to step away from social media for 30 minutes or an hour. Turn off push notifications to help decrease the time you spend on your device. Put your devices on “do not disturb” or airplane mode when you are relaxing or sleeping. Give your mind a much-needed rest from the constant chatter and posts that distract you from world around you.
Practice Gratitude
Express gratitude daily. Write down three things you are grateful for every day. If you feel like you can’t think of anything, just write “I am grateful that I have eyes.” There’s always something to be grateful for, and when you create greater awareness of those things, it boosts your mental health. It’s hard to be down or anxious when your thoughts are immersed in gratitude.
Studies show that gratitude may have unexpected health benefits. For example, Greater Good magazine, published by the University of California at Berkeley, points out that some research shows gratitude improves sleep, helps with pain control, and may even improve heart health by lowering blood pressure and improving heart rate variability, a marker of a healthy heart.
The Bottom Line
2022 is a great year to balance out your goals and your life by adopting habits that improve mental health. Keep exercising, keep eating right, and achieving but make time for mental self-care too.
References:
- “Social Media Breaks and Why They Are Necessary ….” 01 Jul. 2019, psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-is-state-mind/201907/social-media-breaks-and-why-they-are-necessary.
- Smyth JM, Johnson JA, Auer BJ, Lehman E, Talamo G, Sciamanna CN. Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients With Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mental Health. 2018;5(4):e11290. doi:10.2196/11290
- ”Journaling for Mental Health – Health Encyclopedia ….” urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentID=4552&ContentTypeID=1.
- Noordzij JM, Beenackers MA, Oude Groeniger J, Van Lenthe FJ. Effect of changes in green spaces on mental health in older adults: a fixed-effects analysis. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2020 Jan;74(1):48-56. doi: 10.1136/jech-2019-212704. Epub 2019 Oct 19. PMID: 31630120; PMCID: PMC6929698.
- Bedrosian TA, Nelson RJ. Timing of light exposure affects mood and brain circuits. Translational Psychiatry. 2017;7(1):e1017-e1017. doi:10.1038/tp.2016.262.
- “Is Gratitude Good for Your Health? – Greater Good.” 05 Mar. 2018, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/is_gratitude_good_for_your_health.
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