Everyone will experience difficult times over the years, and some tragedies can be much more difficult to overcome than others. For example, the impact of a death in the family does not simply vanish after the service at a funeral home. This type of event can easily result in major depressive symptoms that linger for months or years. Depression can impact your overall enjoyment or happiness in life, your personal relationships, your career and more. Regardless of whether you are dealing with the effects of this type of tragedy or another equally devastating event, understand that you can improve your mental health by making a few smart lifestyle adjustments.
Meditate
Meditation offers substantial mental benefits, and it can even impact your physical health in excellent ways. You may think that meditating involves focusing on a specific object or topic, but it actually involves clearing your mind and focusing on being at peace within your body and mind. Clearing your mind of thoughts for even a few minutes requires considerable practice, and there are many apps that you can download to your phone that can teach you how to meditate effectively. Through meditation, you can learn how to control your thoughts even when you are not actively meditating.
Improve Nutrition
When you are dealing with a tragedy, it is easy to let your nutrition fall to the wayside. Some people lose their appetite, and others devour comfort foods. Both of these can have a negative effect on your physical and mental health. Consider planning healthy meals and snacks before you visit the grocery store. By doing so, you may be more likely to make smart food choices.
Get More Exercise
Even mild to moderate exercise can reduce your stress level and improve your mood. This may be something as easy as walking around the block with your dog each day or riding a bike for a few minutes around the neighborhood. Outdoor exercise may be particularly beneficial because you are exposed to fresh air and sunshine.
You can see that these are easy enough steps that most people can take, and they can have a profound impact on the state of your mental health. Keep in mind that depression is a potentially serious condition. If you feel as though you cannot alleviate your symptoms on your own, it is best to seek treatment from a doctor. You may combine your doctor’s treatment with these healthy adjustments to your lifestyle for a comprehensive approach to improving your mental health.
Great article, thank you for sharing. I find that it is important during difficult times in your life to reach out to others, either friends, family or people that you work with. The support of others will show you that people do actually care about your life and what happens to you and will support you through these tough times. The important thing to remember is that you WILL get through this and tomorrow is the chance to start a new chapter in your life. Everyone makes mistakes and with time you can learn to accept them as a moment in time and learn from them. Just remember, you will be ok and people do care, you just have to reach out for help.