Mental Health Hacks – Best Ways to Fight Depression and Anxiety
Life has become more demanding, we are expected to perform the best, work all kinds of hours in different aspects of life including personal and professional. The pressure, stress, and the demanding deadlines put a tremendous amount of pressure both on your body and mind. We do so much for everyone else but what do you do for yourself? Have you ever thought about your mental health? Did you know exercise and supplementation can contribute to your overall wellness and mental health!! Yes, you’ve heard right our body and brain needs supplementation whether it be meditation, natural supplements or just a well versed conversation with a friend or counselor. In the following article, you will come to know how the natural remedies and exercise can contribute to your mental health while reducing the symptoms of many brain related diseases.
Can we cure depression and anxiety?
Would you consider depression as a disease? We take it as a normal phase of life. But in reality, depression can create many severe health complications. You can be deprived of sleep; you could possibly lose interest in work and in life. You could feel lonely and isolated. You may feel unhappy even when the regular things you used to get pleasure from, gives no pleasure anymore. If you feel physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, lack of sleep, irritability, restlessness, tightness of the chest, stomach churning, and a overwhelmed feeling you may want to look at making some changes in your life. Many people go through this phase in their life and turn to alcohol which only makes matters worse. The intelligent one is the one who takes the adequate steps to overcome the conditions. If you have become depressed or anxious for a period of time, take action and get the necessary treatment.
There are many things you can do to treat the symptoms when you feel them:
Increase the happy chemicals
There are four primary chemicals in the brain that effect happiness: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins which help us achieve a stable mood and a happy mood. Busy lifestyles do not offer you the time to achieve happiness within your life nor the ability to maintain the chemicals and fitness levels needed to maintain this. The work pressures and the responsibilities we have in life make it difficult for most of us to be happy. When we feel stressed, we feel anxious and sometimes depressed, we do not allow the time to enjoy the company of our family and friends. At some point in our life we all know we are going to face these issues. It is imperative to find a solution in order to enjoy your life and take advantage of the small things that make you happy!!
Serotonin
Serotonin is the well-known happiness chemical can be improved by a few different methods and supplements. The use of Tryptophan and or the intake of foods that contain Tryptophan can help improve your serotonin levels. Rhodiola is also widely used to increase levels of serotonin and help mental and physical fatigue. One of the best and easiest methods on how to increase this feel good chemical is exposure to the sun and or a sun lamp in the darker months.
Dopamine
Dopamine is the reward chemical in the brain. When you achieve a personal goal, find satisfaction in accomplishments, help out people, the brain releases the “good job” chemical and we feel very happy and content. Make sure you engage in volunteer work and set personal goals for yourself to improve this chemical output.
Endorphins
Endorphins are produced by the central nervous system most of you are probably familiar with the release of the chemical when you finish a workout or a run. They make us feel lightheaded at times, help us deal with pain and help us feel euphoric. That is why we need to ensure that exercise and diet is conducted as much as your schedule allows promoting the release of this compound.
Oxytocin
Oxytocin is the “warm and fuzzy” chemical being released when we cuddle and have interaction with family and friends. Loving and touching animals and pets also assists in making us release this very complex compound. Deep tissue massage and acupuncture is one of the best ways we can combat the effects of depression and anxiety.
You can improve all of these chemicals by visiting a gym taking tai-chi and yoga! Supplements such as Vitamin B-100 complex, Omega 3 fish oils and Ashwagandha are very beneficial in boosting your overall mental health and well-being. Diet, conversations with family and friends, exercise will release all of these feel good chemicals as mentioned above and create positive blood flow in the body which creates a state of well-being. Mindfulness training can help you combat stress and anxiety when used in the appropriate fashion. Try supplementing with probiotic foods and supplements to increase the release of happy chemicals in your gut (90% of serotonin is in the gut) this will also boost your immune system.
Cortisol
It is important to note that when in a state of distress and hard times our bodies are releasing a huge amount of Cortisol. This has a huge impact on how we look and feel. It is a stress hormone that is released when our body is undergoing any kind of stress. Cortisol controls the body’s blood sugar levels and thus regulating metabolism, acting as an anti-inflammatory, influencing memory formation, controlling salt and water balance and influencing blood pressure. If we can reduce the amount of Cortisol released in our bodies we can achieve a feeling of wellness throughout the body. Supplementing with Omega 3 and Vitamin C can assist you in this battle!
Mental health and confidence
One major aspect in which people really don’t think of is our confidence levels and mental health, it is important for all of us in this regard. We have all lost confidence on a few occasions here and there but if you are finding it hard to restore your confidence and work to a specific potential, then you need to think of how you can rebuild it. Low confidence can severely affect your performance and your ability to deal with people and stress. According to many studies, exercise can help build a positive image and a positive mind-set. Anyone irrespective of age and gender can practice workouts to boost the self-esteem. Boosting self-esteem and confidence goes a long way toward improving mental health fitness and well being!
How to prevent the mental decline
There are so many items in our lives that contribute to our mental decline; cell phone use, other electronic devices, work, poor diet, toxin intake, lack of exercise. How do we attack these disorders and help put mental issues on the decline. You have to recognize the symptoms and the feelings in your body and not ignore them in order to treat these disorders.
Exercise and supplementation as well as some of the items already mentioned can both relax your body and mind. If you’re totally exhausted and looking from some effective ways to get the relief that you deserve, considering spending a half an hour in the gym when you can and it will rejuvenate your mind. Find the proper balance in your life!! You will feel more positive, confident and relaxed. Remember the supplementation as noted above can really help you improve your mental health they can be a great addition to fight many mental disorders and get relief from depression stresses and anxieties.
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