The urge to earn more money and power has made our lives very busy and stressful. This leads to high anxiety, thereby affecting your physical as well as your mental health, but practicing positive lifestyle changes will keep your mind calm and relaxed allowing you to better cope with life stresses.
Good mental health is important as it controls the way you think, feel and interact or cope with difficulties. This blog will inform you about some of the most effective habits to maintain a healthy mind and soul, leading to a less stressful life.
MEDITATION
Meditation is a simple and fast method in reducing stress and bringing inner peace. It has been practiced for thousands of years as a source of mind-body complementary medicine. This inexpensive method requires no special equipment and so can be practiced at any time i.e. walking at a park, waiting at the doctor’s office or during short breaks in a difficult meeting.
During meditation, you tend to focus on attention and clear away the information overload. Thus, you are able to gain a new perspective on stressful situations. However, this doesn’t mean that all these benefits end as the session ends. A half an hour session in the morning can carry you more calmly throughout the day. Other than staying positive, meditation also increases self-awareness, improves imagination and creativity, increases patience and tolerance, lowers heart rate and blood pressure; and improves sleep quality.
EXERCISING AND STRETCHING
Taking regular exercising sessions instigates the release of feel good hormones like endorphins that can ease your mind. A single dose of exercise can uplift your mood for several hours. The bar set for improving mood is far lower than it is for weight loss or fitness gains. Following a 15-20 minutes of aerobic exercise session three times a week is also enough. This will include physical activities like jogging, running, swimming, dancing or cardio. However, maintaining the same routine every day will give you better results. So, seek out an activity to regulate the natural fluctuations of mood and help yourself from diving into psychological disorders like anxiety and depression.
MOOD FOODS
When we talk about positive lifestyle changes for better mood, you must know that your nutrition has a powerful impact on your mood.One has to be mindful of what is being added to your plate. Here is a list of food items that can be incorporated in your meals and snacks.
- Salmon rich in omega-3 fatty acids
- Spinach gives you good amount of folate
- Dark chocolate is a delicious treat and also packed with antioxidants and other nutrients.
- Nuts and seeds with plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. For example, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
- Legumes and whole grains are high in fiber and protein.
- Fermented foods which are good sources of probiotics.
HYDRATION
Firstly, let us talk about the problems you will have to face if you are dehydrated. Lack of water in the body makes us prone to feeling angry, anxious and irritated. A study conducted on U.S children of ages 9 to 11 involved three groups, given low(around two cups), high(around 10.5 cups) and ad libitum(as desired) amounts of water. The results showed that the groups who drank low and ad libitum had lower mental flexibility than those who drank high amounts.
The dehydrated individuals show negative effects on energy, self-esteem, short term memory and attention. On the other hand, rehydration reports improved mood, short term energy, attention and reaction time. Here are some tips to stay hydrated all day:
- Consider pairing your meals with water
- Take a fluid every hour
- Keep a reusable water bottle handy
- Eat plenty of water rich fruits and vegetables
SLEEPING
When you get enough and good quality sleep, it benefits your overall health. As children and young people are concerned, sleep also helps in their mental growth and development. On the contrary, even one bad night’s sleep can make us feel grumpy and irritable the next day. However, long term sleep deficiency can be the cause of chronic health problems also.
There are some basic guidelines to know the number of hours you must be sleeping.
- Adults – the adults both men and women need around 8 hours of sleep each day. However, the sleep hours decrease as you grow older.
- Children and teenagers – they need to take 9-10 hours of sleep per night.
The amount of physical activity you do in a day will also be a deciding factor on how long you sleep at night. For instance, playing basketball in the evening will make you tired and sleep more at night.
GRATITUDE
Expressing gratitude is a way of experiencing positivity within oneself. You tend to see good in each and every blessing you have which ultimately gives you an immense amount of happiness. Showing gratitude helps to boost your dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain and arouse the positive feelings of pleasure, happiness and well-being. When you practice gratitude regularly, these neural pathways in our brain will strengthen and create a permanent grateful nature within you. This also encourages the people you show appreciation to, to respond nicely towards others which is a chain reaction of positivity.
MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS
When one thinks of a meaningful relationship, it is a combination of mutual respect, trust, interest, positive regard and value. Thus, they play an important role in lessening any sense of loneliness and create a sense of belonging and purpose. All these factors further help in improving mood and give a sense of self worth. Thus, don’t forget to take care of some of the ways to maintain healthy relationships.
- Communication
- Connect virtually
- Value your partner’s emotions and feelings
- Respect boundaries
REDUCING SCREEN TIME
Spending a lot of time on screens can make you feel as if you’re missing out on your life. When you are on a screen regularly, you don’t get much time to connect with your family and friends which will be depressing and negative for your relations. They are the ones who can help ward off symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Overuse of screen builds up brain fog, lack of attention and inability to regulate your daily cores. Thus, you will become irritated when you do not have a screen. So, limit the time you spend on your mobile or laptop to keep your mood stable. Instead, spend some quality time in nature and feel energetic by attracting the positivity around you.
CONCLUSION
Gear yourself up and practice some of these positive lifestyle changes for a better mood. This will help you de-stress and have a cheerful mood throughout the day. It will also reduce the risk of mental health issues like anxiety and depression while promoting peace of mind.
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