Updated on 4/12/22Our mental health is just as important as our physical health, yet many people discount the need to nurture it. Why is mental health important? When we pay attention to our mental well-being we can stabilize emotions, boost our mood, build and maintain healthy relationships, and so much more.With all of life’s responsibilities, it’s easy to let your mental health drop to the bottom of your to-do list, but prioritizing yourself and your wellness is always worth it for you and your loved ones. Give yourself permission (a symbolic permission slip if you will) to focus on your mental health, explore your needs, and give yourself what you’re missing to be the best version of yourself.Maybe you need to ask for help, call a friend, treat yourself, forgive yourself, or look inward. Whatever it is, make it a priority.It’s important to continuously work at reducing the stigma surrounding mental health so people feel more comfortable taking care of themselves. Mental health awareness month is celebrated every May and is influential in helping promote mental wellness and fight the stigma surrounding mental health.Being mentally healthy doesn’t mean we don’t have any problems in our lives. What itdoesmean is that we’re better-equipped to deal with the curveballs life throws us in a healthier way.When we make mental health care a priority, we can be more:Content with our worldFull of life and fun-lovingAble to deal with stressReady to bounce back from difficult situationsFull of a sense of purposeFlexible in our relationships and environmentsSelf-confidentAble to establish and maintain healthy, fulfilling relationshipsPrepared to recover from disappointmentAble to heal from trauma or griefFocused on establishing a healthy work-life balanceRead on to learn 14 tips on how to improve mental health in constructive, positive ways.“Mental health care is just as important as taking care of our physical health, but most of the time we do not take it as seriously. When we start to prioritize our mental health, we can begin to feel more positive about our life, and can practice dealing with stressors in a healthier way.”Talkspace therapist Bisma Anwar, LHMC

Updated on 4/12/22

Our mental health is just as important as our physical health, yet many people discount the need to nurture it. Why is mental health important? When we pay attention to our mental well-being we can stabilize emotions, boost our mood, build and maintain healthy relationships, and so much more.

With all of life’s responsibilities, it’s easy to let your mental health drop to the bottom of your to-do list, but prioritizing yourself and your wellness is always worth it for you and your loved ones. Give yourself permission (a symbolic permission slip if you will) to focus on your mental health, explore your needs, and give yourself what you’re missing to be the best version of yourself.Maybe you need to ask for help, call a friend, treat yourself, forgive yourself, or look inward. Whatever it is, make it a priority.

It’s important to continuously work at reducing the stigma surrounding mental health so people feel more comfortable taking care of themselves. Mental health awareness month is celebrated every May and is influential in helping promote mental wellness and fight the stigma surrounding mental health.

Being mentally healthy doesn’t mean we don’t have any problems in our lives. What itdoesmean is that we’re better-equipped to deal with the curveballs life throws us in a healthier way.

When we make mental health care a priority, we can be more:

Read on to learn 14 tips on how to improve mental health in constructive, positive ways.

“Mental health care is just as important as taking care of our physical health, but most of the time we do not take it as seriously. When we start to prioritize our mental health, we can begin to feel more positive about our life, and can practice dealing with stressors in a healthier way.”

Talkspace therapist Bisma Anwar, LHMC

14 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

Our mental health affects how we feel, think, and act on a daily basis. It’s more than just “not being depressed” or “not having anxiety” — being mentally healthy takes work. Luckily, we’ve listed out the top 14 ways to improve mental health here.

Therapy

Making a commitment to seeking in-person oronline therapyis one of the best things you can do for your own mental health. Many people have found great success through psychotherapy (also known as talk therapy). Clinical trials have determined psychotherapy can beas effectiveas some medications foranxiety and depression. If you’re experiencing any mental health conditions or struggling in any aspect of your life, therapy might be something to consider.

“Seeking and engaging in therapy is a great first step to improving your mental health. Therapy helps you create awareness and insight into yourself that is needed in order to bring about a positive change in your mental health and overall wellbeing.”

Stay active

Exercise can also help withstressand anxiety and is effective in reducingsymptoms of ADHDas well.

Engage with others and make social connections

Physically being with others is important to our mental health. Humans are social beings. Spending time with other people and making face-to-face connections is imperative to fulfilling our needs from both an emotional and a psychological perspective.

Focus on your stress levels

Stress can be a real killer. It literally affects our mental and physical health in several ways. Stress can quickly lead to anxiety and depression and take a serious emotional toll on our mind and spirit. Being aware of our stress levels can help us redirect our energy before stress gets out of control.Stress managementis essential in keeping our mental health balanced and positive.

Make sleep a priority

Sleep is something most of us take for granted. It’s one of the most important parts of our life, but we often don’t make it a priority. Even just a few nights of not enough sleep can really take a toll on our mental health. Getting enough sleep can help your mind stay sharp, reduce your stress, help with your energy levels, and improve your mood.

Make a commitment to a brain-healthy diet

Eating healthy is a win-win. You’ll not only improve your mental health, but you’ll also feel and think better when you have a healthy diet.

Eat a diet that’s primarily low in sugar and saturated or trans fats and high in healthy essential fats like good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Avoid:

Eat:

Find purpose in your life

It might sound simple, but when we have a purpose in our life, it’s easier for us to focus on the good and get through the inevitable tough times. Having a purpose gives us a reason to work in life. It’s also important to brain health as it encourages new cells to grow and drive new neural pathways. Purpose can help improve our immune system, relieve stress, and eliminate pain.

Remember to find gratitude

Being grateful is a huge component of our overall mental health and well-being. When we regularly engage in gratitude checks, we can learn to focus on the things that matter while letting go of the “small things.” Especially in the age of social media, it’s easy to get caught up comparing ourselves to what we believe others have/are/do (even if it’s not reality).

Keep a journal

Writing regularly can help us process events, emotions, and experiences throughout our day. It can be a way for us to let go of things that maybe weren’t so great. It’s also a way for us to preserve the wins we get.

Be kind

Go off the grid

Disconnecting every once in a while is a great way to recalibrate your mental mindset. If you can’t ditch the phone entirely, consider setting your alerts to do-not-disturb to limit disruptions for a set time period. Do something with a loved one or for yourself during that time. You’ll likely find that you didn’t realize how much you needed a break from the 24-7 way of life technology often brings.

Forgive

Forgiveness is directly linked to our mental health. In fact,researchhas shown us that the ability to forgive others for transgressions can help reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you have to forget what happened or let that person off the hook for hurting you, it’s more of an internal feeling of reconciling your feelings about what happened to let go of it.

Smile

Researchshows us that smiling actually helps reduce stress. Every time we smile, our brain releases neuropeptides, which are small molecules that help us fight off major stress. Even forcing a smile may help improve your mood.

Get outdoors

Getting outdoors can do wonders for your mood. Even the simple act of being out in nature has shownpositive physiological effectson mental health. Going outside for even a half-hour a day has been proven to reduce cortisol levels, which can in turn reduce stress.

How to Get Help with Your Mental HealthYou can improve mental health through the help of support groups, therapy, or any of the individualized options we’ve listed above. Knowing how to better improve your mental health is the first step towards a more peaceful, rewarding, and healthy approach to life. Consider taking that first step towardsgood mental healthwith a licensedonline therapistat Talkspace.

How to Get Help with Your Mental Health

You can improve mental health through the help of support groups, therapy, or any of the individualized options we’ve listed above. Knowing how to better improve your mental health is the first step towards a more peaceful, rewarding, and healthy approach to life. Consider taking that first step towardsgood mental healthwith a licensedonline therapistat Talkspace.

Sources:1. How psychotherapy works. https://www.apa.org.https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2009/12/wampold. Published 2021. Accessed November 6, 2021.2. Choi K, Chen C, Stein M et al. Assessment of Bidirectional Relationships Between Physical Activity and Depression Among Adults. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019;76(4):399. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4175.https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2720689. Accessed November 6, 2021.3. Weir K. Forgiveness can improve mental and physical health. Monitor on Psychology, 48(1).https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/01/ce-corner. Published 2017. Accessed November 6, 2021.4. Kraft T, Pressman S. Grin and Bear It! Smiling Facilitates Stress Recovery. Association for Psychological Science – APS.https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/smiling-facilitates-stress-recovery.html. Published 2012. Accessed November 6, 2021.5. Park B, Tsunetsugu Y, Kasetani T, Kagawa T, Miyazaki Y. The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environ Health Prev Med. 2009;15(1):18-26. doi:10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793346/. Accessed November 6, 2021.6. Ansell, E. “Helping Others Dampens the Effects of Everyday Stress”. Clinical Psychological Science,https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/doing-small-acts-of-kindness-may-lower-your-stress.htmlPublished 2015. Accessed November 19, 2021.

Sources:

  1. How psychotherapy works. https://www.apa.org.https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2009/12/wampold. Published 2021. Accessed November 6, 2021.

  2. Choi K, Chen C, Stein M et al. Assessment of Bidirectional Relationships Between Physical Activity and Depression Among Adults. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019;76(4):399. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4175.https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2720689. Accessed November 6, 2021.

  3. Weir K. Forgiveness can improve mental and physical health. Monitor on Psychology, 48(1).https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/01/ce-corner. Published 2017. Accessed November 6, 2021.

  4. Kraft T, Pressman S. Grin and Bear It! Smiling Facilitates Stress Recovery. Association for Psychological Science – APS.https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/smiling-facilitates-stress-recovery.html. Published 2012. Accessed November 6, 2021.

  5. Park B, Tsunetsugu Y, Kasetani T, Kagawa T, Miyazaki Y. The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environ Health Prev Med. 2009;15(1):18-26. doi:10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793346/. Accessed November 6, 2021.

  6. Ansell, E. “Helping Others Dampens the Effects of Everyday Stress”. Clinical Psychological Science,https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/doing-small-acts-of-kindness-may-lower-your-stress.htmlPublished 2015. Accessed November 19, 2021.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.

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