ways to improve your mental health
ways to improve your mental health
How important is it to look after your mental health? Very,
actually. The way you value yourself, what you think about yourself and
how happy you are as a person have a knock-on effect on all aspects of your
life.
As
LGBTQ+ people, we are more likely to drink more alcohol, smoke more, do more
drugs (and for longer) than straight people. We are also more likely to suffer
from poor self-esteem and depression, and five times more likely to think about
suicide or even try it.
It’s
impossible for us to give you the magic answer into how to stop feeling depressed
or how to prevent it but we do know some tips that you can bring into your
every day life that can help improve your mental health and self-esteem.
1 - EAT HEALTHIER
Have
you ever read those self help books that tell you that you should swap chocolate
for an apple? That’s not real shit. Hello people, we are humans and we crave
sweet and savoury stuff. Eating healthier does not mean binning the Pringles
for a salad, it’s about getting the balance right. There are certain foods that
DO help improve your mood. They are:
Chocolate – Yes...
chocolate! There’s some science behind the theory that chocolate makes us
happy: eating dark chocolate (1.4 ounces of it, to be exact) every day for two
weeks reduced stress hormones, including cortisol, in people who were highly
stressed, a study done at the Nestlé Research Centre in Switzerland (who are
not bias at all *wink wink*). Experts believe it could be thanks to the
antioxidants in chocolate. When you do indulge, be sure to account for the 235
calories that 1.4 ounces of chocolate delivers, or you may be stressed to see
extra pounds creeping on.
Carbs – Despite persistent myths to the contrary, carbs don’t make you
fat and they can boost your mood. In a new study in the Archives of Internal
Medicine, people who for a year followed a very-low-carbohydrate diet – which
allowed only 20 to 40 grams of carbs daily, about the amount in just half cup
of rice plus one piece of bread – experienced more depression, anxiety and
anger than those assigned to a low-fat, high-carb diet that focused on low-fat
dairy, whole grains, fruit and beans. Researchers suspect that carbs promote
the production of serotonin, a feel-good brain chemical. Also, the challenge of
following such a restrictive low-carb diet for a full year may have negatively
impacted their mood.
Fish – Eating
oily, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, rainbow trout) and mussels will give
you omega-3s – a key mood-boosting nutrient and one our bodies don’t produce.
Omega-3s alter brain chemicals linked with mood. Low levels of serotonin are
linked with depression, aggression and suicidal tendencies.
Coconut – When
you’re stressed, the scent of coconut may blunt your natural ‘fight or flight’
response, slowing your heart rate. People who breathed in coconut fragrance in
a small pilot study at Columbia University saw their blood pressure recover
more quickly after a challenging task. The researchers speculate that inhaling
a pleasant scent enhances alertness while soothing our response to stress.
Tea – OK,
it’s not food but drinking caffeinated black, green or oolong tea may elicit a
more alert state of mind, says a study in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers
think theanine – an amino acid present in these tea varieties – may work with
caffeine to improve attention and focus. To reap the benefits, the study’s
results suggest drinking five to six cups of tea daily, although this may
interfear with sleep. Talking of which...
2 - SLEEP
This
should be an obvious one, but a recent study shows that most of us are not
getting enough sleep. You need about seven to eight hours of sleep a night, but
most of us get about five to six. So go to bed an hour earlier if you can.
Those extra minutes can help improve your health.
3 - ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
Here
we go. Betty buzz-kill is on her way to ruin your weekend. No. We’d never do
that. It’s up to you how much alcohol and/or drugs you take. However alcohol is
a major depressant as is the come down from certain drugs. If you are
feeling low the last thing you should be doing is drinking yourself silly or
taking too many drugs.
4 - EXERCISE
No,
you don’t need to become a gym bunny to have a healthy mind, but it’s proven
that moderate exercise can do wonders for your mental health and self-esteem.
If you are feeling low, put your shoes on, turn on your music and go for a 20
minute brisk walk. It’s been proven that 20 minutes of walking can change your
mood. And if you are up for it, turn that walk into a jog. Sweat the badness
away.
5 - TELL SOMEONE
This
is the most important one. The biggest thing you can do to improve your mental
health is talk to someone about how you are feeling. A friend, family member or
counsellor if needed. You don’t need to feel the way you do and there are lots
of people willing to listen. So do your mind a favour and talk.
SUPPORT: Consult
a Psychiatrist. Inform your parents and friends.
Are you depressed?
It’s
totally normal to get down and have days when you feel really rubbish, but that
doesn’t necessarily mean you have depression. Depression is when these negative
feelings won’t go away and affect your day to day life.
People
with depression can feel hopelessly sad. Sometimes it is even possible to be
depressed without having the usual ‘miserable’ feelings. There are lots of
different signs which may point to clinical depression – the main ones are
listed below. Most depressed people only suffer from a few of these feelings
and bear in mind, depression is different in everyone.
Signs of depression
You
may have noticed a change in the way you’re responding or feeling about things.
The following points are indications that it could be depression:
- Persistent sadness, lasting two
weeks or more.
- Loss of interest in your
favourite things.
- Finding no fun or enjoyment in
life.
- Loss of self-confidence.
- Feeling guilty, bad,
unlikeable, or not good enough.
- Feeling empty inside.
- Feeling useless or unable to
cope with life.
- Feeling bored all the time.
- Increased feelings of anxiety.
- Inability to see a future for
yourself.
- Thinking everything is
pointless.
- Thinking life is not worth
living.
- Thoughts of death or suicide.
- Wanting to go to sleep and
never wake up again.
- Especially low mood in the
mornings.
- Feeling more irritable,
frustrated, or aggressive than usual.
- Trouble concentrating on
things, poor memory.
Other signs may include:
- Loss of energy, feeling tired
all the time.
- Changed sleep pattern –
difficulty getting to sleep, bad nightmares, waking in the night, waking
up too early, or sleeping much more than usual.
- Spending less time socialising
with friends or family.
- Loss of sexual desire.
- Changed eating pattern – loss
of appetite, weight loss or comfort eating.
- Getting lower grades than usual
at school, college, or university.
- Not going to
school/college/work, or becoming disruptive.
- Becoming a hypochondriac,
worrying lots about illness.
- More headaches, backaches or
stomach aches than you normally get.
- Turning to alcohol or drugs to
try to make yourself feel better.
If
you recognise some of these symptoms, or if you’re having feelings you can’t
cope with, the best thing to do is contact your GP. If you’re worried about
this, you could take a friend or family member with you for support.
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