Are you stressed and struggling to find ways to improve mental in your daily routine? Are you battling with the constant weight of anxiety and emotional fatigue? You might be experiencing mental health challenges.
Mental health is your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It shapes how you think, feel, and interact with the world.
When your mental health is disturbed—whether by stress, anxiety, or overwhelming emotions—it can affect every aspect of your life. It can negatively affect your relationship with people, leaving you disconnected and unable to enjoy life fully. It can also impact your concentrate and making of decisions.
Fortunately, adopting small, sustainable habits such as exercising regularly, resting, and limiting screen time can improve your mental health.
Read on to discover 9 healthy habits to improve mental health. This article will equip you with practical, science-backed strategies to manage stress, elevate your mood, and build a resilient mindset for a healthier, more fulfilling life.
15 Healthy Habits to Improve Mental Health: Ways to Happier Life
Below are 15 healthy habits you can incorporate into your daily routine and transform your mental well-being. These tips can take you from stress and overwhelm to serenity and clarity.
1. Exercise Regularly
Exercise is one of the most common ways to improve mental health. According to research, it provides a broader range of mental health benefits, such as managing depression and anxiety symptoms.
Exercise improves mental health by lowering stress hormones, like cortisol, and stimulating the production of endorphins. Endorphins are natural mood elevators. They can make you feel more relaxed and reduce the physical symptoms of stress during the day, improving mental health.
Physical activity also promotes the release of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that help regulate mood. These two chemicals improve mood, focus, and overall mental health well-being.
Moreover, exercise can act as a distraction to distract you from negative thoughts that fuel depression. Studies show that running daily for 15 minutes or walking for about an hour lowers the risk of major depression by 26%.
When I speak of exercising regularly, I do not necessarily mean going to the gym and working out for long hours. It could involve running, walking, stretching, yoga, gardening, or dancing—any physical activity that gets you moving.
For improved mental health, the general recommendation is doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days, totaling about 150 minutes weekly.
2. Consume Nutrient-Rich Foods
The brain requires specific nutrients to maintain its structure and function. For instance,omega-3 fatty acids are needed to build cell membranes and promote communication between brain cells.
Though your body can produce some of the needed nutrients, it cannot produce enough, hence the need for nutrient-rich foods.
Nutrient-rich foods provide essential vitamins, minerals, and compounds that support mood regulation, cognitive function, and emotional and mental health in various ways. Foods like salmon, walnuts, and flaxseeds give your brain omega-3 fatty acids. These omega-3s have been linked to reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Fruits and veggies such as berries, oranges, and spinach contain antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, that preserve the brain from oxidative stress. If left unattended, oxidative stress can lead to inflammation, which is connected to mental health disorders like depression.
Whole grains have complex carbohydrates that release glucose slowly, providing a steady energy supply to the brain. Sustained energy prevents rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar that might exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Consume nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, dark green vegetables, cereals, and dark chocolates to promote mental health. Some nutrient-dense foods to eat include:
- Berries, oranges, bananas
- Spinach
- Salmon, mackerel, tuna
- Walnuts and flaxseeds
- Yogurt
3. Get Enough Sleep
Enough sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to improving mental health. Sleep allows your brain to rest, repair, and rejuvenate. Research also suggests constant sleep calms your mind, preventing a decline in your mental health during the day.
During sleep, your brain processes emotions, consolidates memories, and restores cognitive functions. This process helps regulate mood and reduces anxiety, depression, and stress related to poor mental health.
When sleep is insufficient, you get fatigued, and the brain struggles to manage emotions. As a result, you become irritable over minor issues and have heightened stress, especially when you can't carry out your daily tasks as usual. Too much stress can exacerbate mental health problems.
Aim to sleep for at least 7-8 hours every night for improved mental health. Researchers found that people who slept 6 hours or less per night experienced frequent mental distress 2.5 times more often than those who slept an average of more than 6 hours.
If you are experiencing sleep problems, try to build healthy sleeping habits, such as consistent sleeping and working up hours every day, including weekends. Stay away from caffeine late at night, keep your bedroom quiet and clutter-free, avoid screens two hours before bedtime, and have better bedding.
4. Cut back on Screen Time.
Spending more time on screen, especially on social media, is a common challenge people, especially the youth face. Being glued to your phone can break relationships and prevent connection. This happens since there is no time to interact with one another and share problems, which might lead to depression.
Too much time on social media can also make one consume false information about people's lives and start comparing themselves. When you compare yourself to others, you can develop low self-esteem, depression, or anxiety, affecting your mental health.
To live a happier life, limit the time you spend on social media. Start by putting your phone in a different room when sleeping. Turn off notifications or lock the phone to avoid distraction. Download time-limiting apps to limit screen time. Applock is an excellent phone lock. It locks your phone or computer for hours you choose to lock it. You can't scroll, call, or even receive a message when the phone is locked.
5. Stay Connected With Your Loved Ones
Social relationships can improve your mental health. When depressed, your loved one can support you by listening and sharing your burden. You may find someone who has gone through what you are facing and advise you, which might help you lessen your burden.
Additionally, loved ones can help you stay grounded and offer perspective when overwhelmed. They can provide gentle reminders of your strengths and past successes, which can help combat negative thinking patterns.
In some cases, a loved one might encourage you to seek professional help if your mental health needs more focused attention, offering you a supportive push toward taking the necessary steps for recovery.
6. Get Outside Your House
Staying in your room during weekends or after work is an incredible way to rest. However, it is not a cool thing to do when you are mentally disturbed. Being cooped up indoors for long periods can contribute to feelings of isolation, boredom, and negativity, which might fuel your mental health problems.
Stepping outside and immersing yourself in nature, or simply being in a different environment, can improve your mental health. It gives you a break from work or home life's constant stimuli and demands.
Studies suggest that even a short walk outdoors improves positive physiological responses and reduces anxiety, promoting calm and clarity.
Stepping out also exposes you to sunlight, boosting serotonin levels and improving mood and overall well-being.
Walk through a park, hike in the mountains, or simply sit outside in the sunshine to help clear your mind and foster a sense of relaxation. Changing scenery helps you become more present at the moment and less focused on overwhelming thoughts.
7. Avoid Multitasking
If you want to improve your mental health, avoid multitasking. Multitasking can lead to cognitive overload, increased stress, and diminished focus.
When you juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, your brain must constantly switch between them. Continual shifting reduces your ability to concentrate intensely on any task, resulting in lower-quality work, frustration, and feeling overwhelmed. The more you multitask, the more likely you’ll feel scattered and disorganized, leading to anxiety or stress.
Focus on one task at a time so that your brain fully engages with the task at hand, avoiding stress caused by inefficiency and unproductivity.
Develop a working plan. Prioritize your work according to its urgency and the time needed. If possible, delegate some tasks to avoid burnout and stress and improve your mental health.
8. Be Kind to Yourself
Sometimes, it's normal to feel like you're falling behind in fulfilling your life goals. Life’s pressures, comparisons with others, and setbacks can sometimes lead to feelings of inadequacy or failure.
However, these thoughts should not define you or become a constant narrative in your mind. Being overly harsh on yourself only amplifies feelings of negativity and hinders your ability to move forward.
Instead, practice kindness and self-compassion. Remember that everyone has a journey, and setbacks are a natural part of growth. Speak to yourself with the same understanding and encouragement you would offer a close friend. Acknowledge your efforts, celebrate small wins, and credit yourself for trying.
9. Build an intense Daily Routine.
Have you ever heard of an idol mind Is the devil's workshop? That happens when you have nothing going on in your life or mind. You start feeling miserable, stressed, and even depressed. You wreck your mental health with negative thoughts.
Have a daily routine of tasks to prevent negative thoughts that might negatively impact your mental health from creeping into your mind. For instance, wake up early every day to set a productive tone. Schedule tasks that challenge and stimulate you, whether related to work, hobbies, or acquiring new skills.
Starting your day with intention gives you a sense of purpose and structure which reduces the chance of idle moments when negative thoughts can take over. Incorporate exercise, meditation, or journaling into your morning to boost your mood and mental clarity.
Conclusion
Practicing healthy habits in daily life is an excellent way to improve mental health. Small, intentional changes like staying active, practicing mindfulness, and nurturing relationships can create a positive, balanced life.
However, remember, mental health is a destination that you can reach wihin a short momen. It is not a journey that requires small, consistent steps. Start today, and let these habits transform you from stress to happiness—because you deserve to feel your best every day.
