World Mental Health Day

On #worldmentalhealthday let’s share our best practices for mental wellness and emotional fitness. Just like physical training, our brain requires regular exercise too. Nearly 1 billion people suffer from mental disorders and no one is exempt. Here are some mental wellness tools that have worked for me, but are also backed by science to combat depression, anxiety and to fortify your mental health…

-Nature therapy AKA “Eco therapy”. The sounds, smells, visual stimuli in nature release feel-good brain chemicals that are linked to lower anxiety and stress. Can’t get outside? Even images of nature, a houseplant, or candles that smell like pine can do the trick.

-Movement as medicine. Aerobic exercise moves blood, breath, and sweat. Exercise provides a smorgasbord of physical and emotional benefits for the mind and body that can’t be beaten. Just a short walk of 15 minutes will help you connect with your body and breathing then the brain will follow.

-Connection (human or animal): Love, touch, community is therapeutic. Call a friend, pet a dog, join an online group. Left alone, we aren’t always our best advocates. Talking is one of the most prescribed therapies for anxiety and depression.

-Journaling. The act of writing our thoughts regularly is a way to get good ideas, hopes, dreams, and even toxic feelings out of our brains and into our consciousness. Even if you write jibberish, the act of putting it down on paper alters the pattern of a spinning brain.

• Altruism. Helping others feels good and reduces the feeling of isolation. When we volunteer or help someone else, we feel a sense of belonging and purpose. Often it’s easier to help others instead of ourselves, but the result helps us too!

What are your tactics for mental wellness? Let’s share them with each other. #BeGood #WorldMentalHealthDay

Sources: World Health Organization, MentalHealth.org, Harvard Medical Journal, WebMD, psychology friends and my own personal experience.