6 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, making it a great time to put this critical issue in the spotlight. We all have days when we feel down, anxious, and joyful. When we improve our mental health, we will likely feel more joy and fewer days of anxiety and worry, and that's great. Stress and anxiety are something that not only brings us down mentally but can take a toll on our physical health as well. For this reason and many others, it's a great idea to do things to improve your mental health.

Whether you live in Port Orange, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, or elsewhere, you can benefit from improving your mental health.

There are a lot of things that you can do to improve your mental health. It comes down to finding something you enjoy doing that you will want to make a part of your life. Regular practice and engaging in things that will improve in this area will make you feel better, and your overall health and sense of well-being will likely improve.

Here are 6 things that can help improve one's mental health:

• Practice Gratitude. Whether you make a point to start your day by thinking of things in your life, you are thankful for or you maintain a gratitude journal, where you write things down you are grateful for, it can be a mental health game changer. Practicing gratitude teaches your mind to focus more on the positives and to be more mindful. A study published in the Journal of Occupational Health, reports that practicing gratitude is known to be one of the most effective psychological interventions.

• Meditate. This is something that many people think they can't do, but they really can. Just like other things, it takes practice to improve your skills with it. People can choose from numerous types of meditation, including focusing on the breath, chanting, walking meditation, etc. In the journal Cureus, researchers report that meditation helps improve brain function, improve a variety of physical health issues, and improve a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

• Get a Massage. Those who get a relaxing massage know firsthand how it improves their mental health. You walk out of the room feeling calm, relaxed, and stress-free. There are numerous other ways a massage helps improve your mental health. Check out my other post about it here. Massage activates your parasympathetic nervous system, putting you in a better mood.

• Exercise. Being physically active is a great way to help improve your mental health. Your brain increases serotonin when you exercise, which leads to you feeling happier. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), engaging in exercise can help to reduce depression and stress, improve sleep, increase energy levels, and enhance your mood and overall well-being.

• Get Enough Sleep. According to the NIH, sleep helps your brain to work properly, improves problem-solving skills, helps you pay attention, and helps you be more creative. They also report that sleep deficiency is linked to depression. Try to skip using the phone for at least an hour prior to going to bed, too.

• Spend Time in Nature. When we spend time in nature it uplifts our mood. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health reports that spending time in nature helps improve cognitive function, brain activity, blood pressure, mental health, physical activity, and sleep. So, take a hike! You can find great places to hike in and around the Daytona Beach area here.

Only some people will enjoy doing each of these things, and that is okay. It's about finding what works for you personally. You can give some of these a try and determine which ones you like and want to stick with and which ones do not work for you. Having a toolbox of things that work to help improve your mood and mental health can go a long way toward helping to pick you up, keep you going, and improve your quality of life.

Whether you have tried massage therapy or it has been a while, book an appointment with me for a relaxing and therapeutic massage. You may be surprised at how much better your mental health feels after a session. A relaxing massage brings a sense of calm, peace, and relaxation and helps you reduce the stress that makes your mind race.

Zensational Massage Therapy is located in Port Orange, and serves those from the whole area, including New Smyrna Beach, Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach Shores, Daytona Beach, DeLand, Ormond Beach, South Daytona, and beyond. Book some YOU time today!