Healthy Body, Healthy Mind.
We all know it’s important to look after our physical health, and it’s just as important to take care of our mental health too. Improve your mental fitness with these tips!
Just like maintaining physical fitness, keeping mentally fit can take regular effort and attention. Taking care of your mental health helps you tackle the challenges that come your way so that you can continue to live positively and learn to accept and grow from events that don’t go exactly to plan.
Shape up mentally with these healthy body, healthy mind tips.
Stay Active
Keeping physically fit and healthy is not only good for the body, but also the mind. Staying active helps improve mental health by enhancing your sense of wellbeing. When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins. These powerful chemicals help energise you throughout the day and generally make you feel good. Physical activity helps relieve tension in the body, and focussing on how you feel physically during exercise, can release worries from the mind. This in-turn can help you sleep better, and boost your overall mood. So find a sport or activity you enjoy, schedule it, and get out and do it regularly. Even making the choice to take the stairs instead of the lift, do some stretches during the day, or walk instead of drive can help out your mind and body.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep is so important for your body and brain. A lack of sleep makes us irritable, unhappy, and more likely to turn to unhealthy habits to keep us going. When you get a good night’s sleep you feel more alert and ready to take on the day ahead of you. Though everybody is different, it is recommended that you get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day to help your body get into a routine. Switch off from social media and all other screens at least half an hour before bedtime to help calm your mind. And try to limit the amount of caffeine you have during the afternoon and night.
Eat Well
Good food = good mood. It’s true that we are what we eat, and what we put into our bodies not only reflects how they look, but also how they feel. If you eat well, you’ll feel better. So load up on all the good foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and make sure you drink lots of water. And it’s also important to treat ourselves now and again and not feel guilty about it, because life is for living well after all!
So take time out to look after your mental health just as you do for your physical health and you’ll be on the right track to improving your overall sense of wellbeing. And don’t forget to check-in with your friends for a chat.
