World Mental Health Month, held annually in October, is a stark reminder that not only are mental health issues pervasive worldwide, but they are on the increase. Mental health plays a major role in influencing your overall health and general wellbeing, and learning how to improve your mental health can contribute significantly to a more satisfying and productive life. Exploring ways to improve mental health can also increase your resilience to everyday stressors.
Review Your Mental Health State
Learning how to recognize coping mechanisms specific to you can help to improve mental health. Try writing down your feelings each day for a week. Find a quiet spot free from distraction, where you can reflect on your day. Here, you can highlight the intensity and frequency of any negative feelings you experienced. Ideally, reviewing your mental health will become a daily habit in the future.
Early warning signs of compromised mental health may include:
- Sudden shifts in emotions (mood swings, feeling depressed, irritability, sudden anger)
- Recurring fears and anxieties
- Increased social withdrawal and isolation
- Apathy: loss of interest or enthusiasm for activities previously enjoyed
- Significant increase in the use of alcohol or other addictive substances
- Feeling overwhelmed or finding it hard to complete your daily responsibilities
- Unexplained physical symptoms, e.g. headaches, stomach aches, or muscle tension
You may find:
- You do not exhibit any early warning symptoms and feel confident that you are coping. However, an absence of these mental health symptoms does not automatically imply good mental health. You will still benefit from trying to improve your mental health: the goal is to maximize your wellbeing.
- You are experiencing anxiety. Having one or two of the warning symptoms is not a diagnosis of a mental condition, but may possibly indicate a need for further evaluation. Try to identify what is triggering these negative emotions. Learn about ways to improve your mental health and practice them regularly.
- You are experiencing several symptoms which are persistent and are resulting in considerable impairments in your relationships with others or your ability to function at work. You should consult a medical health practitioner. If you have suicidal thoughts or intention, or thoughts of harming others, seek professional help immediately.
Important Ways to Improve Mental Health
Learn to let go of things you cannot control
There are many things you cannot control, change, or influence, such as government policy, the weather, or the feelings and behaviors of others. Try blocking out the effect of these uncontrollable events on your emotions. It will help free you to focus your energies on the things you are able to influence.
Make relationships a priority
Social interaction is considered to be a basic need, just like food and water.
Meaningful relationships contribute to your sense of belonging, your contentment, and even your longevity. Make time to maintain and increase your face-to-face connections with others: reconnect with old friends, or meet up regularly with current friends. This extends to strangers too; exchanging pleasantries with those who come across your path also fulfills your need for interaction. Family and friends double up as a source of emotional support too: reach out to them when you feel overwhelmed.
Care for your body
Be physically active
There is a significant correlation between mental health and physical health: an improvement or deterioration in one can lead to an improvement or deterioration in the other. Regular exercise can boost your mood, your energy levels and your general wellbeing, and help you to sleep better too. Find activities you enjoy and consider exercise within social groups such as walking clubs, Pilates, or team sports, which are often more motivating and pleasurable.
Maintain a healthy diet
There are important physical benefits from following a nutritious diet. It helps you to maintain a healthy weight, bolster your immune system, and live longer, by preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. It can also improve your psychological wellbeing.
Get quality sleep
Both quantity (seven to nine hours) and quality (uninterrupted) sleep are imperative. Regular, quality sleep restores your energy levels and your mental capacities, and is necessary for coping with daily stress. Practice sleep hygiene, e.g. no screen time two hours before bedtime and keeping your bedroom dark and quiet during sleep.
Find purpose and meaning in life
Purpose is what motivates you to take on each new day. It encompasses what you care about, what you want to achieve, and how you are going to reach your goals. Having purpose and meaning also improves your mental health and thus your ability to manage stress. Find purpose by identifying things you care about, reflecting on your core values, recognizing your strengths and talents and drawing inspiration from people that you admire.
Learning effective ways to improve your mental health need not be over-complicated. Start by selecting a few strategies that you feel might work well for you and then commit yourself to improving your mental health by incorporating the strategies into your daily routine.