How to maintain mental health?

 Many topics on mental health focus on mental illness, but the absence of symptoms such as depression or anxiety does not necessarily mean mental health. Scholars from the British Mental Health Foundation summarized the best ways to maintain mental health.

Chris O'Sullivan of the British Mental Health Foundation said: "Mental health refers to being comfortable with who we are, what we are, and where we are in the world."   

 

Although the term "mental health" is usually associated with mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, and addiction, research scholars such as O'Sullivan believe that people's attention to mental health should not be limited to whether there are pathological symptoms. Use the mental health spectrum to determine which fluctuations may occur in your life.

More and more evidence show that good mental health is related to physical health and interpersonal relationships. Below we will introduce practical tips for mental health. Note: If you have a serious mental illness, the following suggestions may not apply.

Stay active

The human mind is connected with the body. Exercise has been proven to promote the secretion of chemicals in the brain to make us feel happy. Exercise can help improve sleep quality, reduce stress and anxiety, improve memory and cognition, and even means a greater chance of encountering positive things in daily life.

"At present, there is strong evidence that exercise can prevent and treat mild and moderate depression and anxiety," O'Sullivan told Deutsche Welle. "So even if you are in depression and can't afford to exercise, doing some exercise can help."

n fact, "staying active" does not only mean running or fitness, it also includes various activities that can increase your heart rate, such as gardening, physically exhausting cleaning, or cycling to work. Studies have pointed out that it is more effective to combine daily activities with moderate or even high-intensity exercise.

Going outdoors can also improve your mental state. In a study conducted in 2015, scientists compared the brain activity of a group of healthy people who walked for 90 minutes in the natural environment or in the city. Subjects walking in nature have reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and the prefrontal cortex is the area with dense neural activity when people feel anxious or entangled in negative emotions.

Good eating habits

Many kinds of literature also show that a balanced intake of fruits and vegetables and less processed foods are also the key to maintaining good mental health. Lack of nutrition can affect the formation of brain cells, especially the brain areas that manage emotions.

Recent studies have found that there is an association between bad eating habits and bad mood, and eating more vegetables and anti-inflammatory foods can help prevent depression. The reason is that inflammation affects the intestinal microbiota, which has a significant impact on mood and behavior.

O'Sullivan added that healthy eating habits also include controlling alcohol intake. "Monitoring your alcohol intake is vital. Many suicides are related to alcohol."

Improve sleep quality

So far there is no exact date that can directly point out how long humans will die after lack of sleep. A college student in the United States even has not slept for 11 consecutive days and 25 minutes, but many people know that lack of sleep can make your feet unconscious and uncomfortable. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can negatively affect mood, concentration, and emotional intelligence.

O'Sullivan said: "Basically, modern people don't have enough sleep time." He pointed out: "We all know that sleep is closely related to mental health." As for adequate definition, five hours or eight and a half hours is different from person to person. But experts recommend finding the best sleep hours for you and keeping it as long as possible.

Studies have pointed out that for people who cannot sleep continuously at night (such as night shifts or parents who have to take care of young children), a nap of about 20 minutes can also be quite effective in replenishing energy.

Mindfulness

You may have heard the concept of "mindfulness," but you don't know what it means. O'Sullivan explained it as "deliberately paying attention to what is happening now." He said that "mindfulness" is not yoga or meditation, it is more like a state of mind, allowing us to examine and realize what is happening in our mind and body while managing our attention and emotions. This is especially effective for getting rid of the negative thoughts that are too stubborn.

"Mindfulness" also allows us to recognize that feeling is short and fluctuating. "Our emotions have ups and downs, and we also experience periods of good or fluctuating mental state." O'Sullivan said: "This is what we can work hard to adjust and improve, just like physical health."

Interpersonal communication

Most people are eager to communicate with other people. Evidence shows that the sense of belonging and social connection to the group is no less important than diet, exercise, and sleep. But O'Sullivan pointed out that despite the various means of contact provided by modern technology, "feeling lonely is a common problem in this era."

He said that one needs to establish social connections and confide problems to others, "not only people with mental illness, everyone is the same. Nowadays, people are relying more on electronic devices to connect to each other, but in real life, they lack intersection."

O'Sullivan suggested that if you feel that it is too exhausting to pay attention to the above matters at any time, you may wish to confirm that you "want to actively do things, find a few things that are good for you, and make them your priorities." He emphasized that the most important thing is. It is "find what is good for you, and try to practice it."