Do you want to feel happier and less stressed? Most people do! For boosting mental health, small changes can make a big difference. Even tiny changes in how you think, live, and behave can reduce stress, increase self-esteem, and improve your relationship with others. You don’t have to overhaul your lifestyle to feel better mentally. Instead, start by making small changes to how you live.
Let’s look at five daily habits that will reduce your stress level, enhance your mental health, and improve your happiness. Best of all, they don’t take up much time or resources. Keep exercising, but make sure the rest of your life is balanced by adopting these healthy habits.
Get Outdoors for 20 Minutes Each Day
Being outdoors is good therapy for stress or a depressed mood. Did you know that certain trees release phytoncides, chemicals that have physical and mental health benefits? Not only do these natural chemicals improve your mood, but they also lower blood pressure, slow your heart rate, and even boost immune health. So, spending time in nature is good therapy for anxiety, depression, and mental health.
How can you get benefits from the great outdoors? Step outside for at least 20 minutes each day and take a short walk. On days when you have more time and the weather permits, head to a trail and take a hike. You’ll be surprised at how uplifted you’ll feel after your nature jaunt.
Open the Blind or Curtains as Early as Possible
Exposing your eyes to natural light early in the day helps properly set your internal biological clock, the clock the controls hormones and brain chemicals that affect your mood, sleep, and almost every function important to physical and mental health. Light exposure early in the day boosts dopamine and serotonin, two hormones that affect mood.
According to Psychology Today, natural light exposure in the morning may help seasonal depression and nonseasonal depression. A meta-analysis of high-quality, controlled studies found the benefits were comparable to antidepressants. Exposure to natural light early in the day also improves sleep quality.
Reduce or Eliminate Sugar from Your Diet
For many years, doctors said fat was the enemy. But now, it appears that dietary sugar is to blame for the obesity epidemic and its accompanying health problems, like heart disease and diabetes. Several recent studies find too much sugar may also worsen depression or anxiety.
How might sugar negatively affect mood? Consuming foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates, like cookies, white bread, and doughnuts, causes blood sugar swings that can trigger anxiety and cause irritability, followed by fatigue. Plus, sugary foods deplete the body’s stores of B-vitamins that are important for a healthy energy level and mental health. So, reaching for a bag of chips when you feel down is not going to help. Make changes to how you eat; ditch the junk food and choose more whole foods in their natural state instead.
Learn to Say No
Mental health affects every aspect of people’s lives, from family and friends to jobs and finances. It even affects physical health. That’s why it’s so important to take steps to improve it. The inability to say ‘no’ to other people’s demands is a common problem that contributes to stress for many people. It’s one of the top reasons why people live unbalanced lives and experience burnout or feel overwhelmed.
The solution? Learn to say no. Saying yes to everything and everyone, regardless of whether you want to or are in a position to do so, is a drain on your mental health. It can cause you to resent others and even yourself for not being able to handle it all. The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, try saying no. Once you do it, it’ll become easier the next time. Realize you’re not a superhuman and can’t please everyone.
Practice Mindfulness
What exactly is mindfulness? It’s a practice that cultivates awareness of the present moment, as well as the ability to pay attention to thoughts and emotions as they arise, rather than merely reacting to them. Mindfulness has become a buzzword in recent years, and it’s used to describe a variety of practices. But the basic concept is simple: be present, be focused, and be aware of what is happening at the moment.
Practice tuning into your surroundings and what you’re doing at each point in time. Notice the sights, sounds, aromas, and tactile stimulation of everything you do. Immerse yourself in the present and with as many senses as possible. If you practice mindfulness and being in the present, it will become ingrained and beneficial to your mood and well-being. Much of what constitutes stress comes from focusing too much on future scenarios, what could be, rather than living each moment at a time.
The Bottom Line
These small changes can improve your mental health if you’re consistent with them. You don’t have to do them all at once. Try them one at a time and see how they affect your mood and stress level. Making these small changes can have a positive impact on your mood and health if you’re consistent.
References:
- “Nature’s Role in Mental Illness: Prevention or Treatment ….” 24 Sept. 2019, psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cravings/201909/nature-s-role-in-mental-illness-prevention-or-treatment.
- “Mental health benefits of outdoor adventures: Results from ….” 01 Jun. 2016, sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014019711600049X.
- “Phytoncides – Forest bathing health benefits — biofit ….” 21 Oct. 2017, https://biofit.io/news/phytoncides-forest-vitamins.
- “Expose Yourself to Morning Sunlight for Better Sleep.” 23 Jul. 2020, verywellhealth.com/morning-sunlight-exposure-3973908.
- “The Health Benefits of Light | Psychology Today.” 26 Oct. 2017,psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-health-care/201710/the-health-benefits-light.
- “Sugar and depression: What’s the link? – Medical News Today.” 30 Apr. 2020, medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sugar-and-depression.
- O’Driscoll M, Byrne S, Mc Gillicuddy A, Lambert S, Sahm LJ. The effects of mindfulness-based interventions for health and social care undergraduate students – a systematic review of the literature. Psychol Health Med. 2017 Aug;22(7):851-865. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2017.1280178. Epub 2017 Jan 19. PMID: 28103700.
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