It’s a balancing act
Over the last decade, the mental health crisis has continued to grow, and with it, the importance of understanding what impacts mental health and how to help. It is more than just a concept; it is a cycle of habits linked together that impact one’s mental health. Let’s take a look together as to why mental health is more than just mental health.
The Physical Role:
Exercise: Numerous studies have shown that exercise improves mood and self-esteem. When you exercise, the body releases endorphins which help relieve pain, reduce stress, and can improve your overall sense of well-being. Exercise does not have to be the arduous 60-minute workouts you see people do in the gym. It can be as simple as going for a 10-minute walk, or even going up and down the stairs a few times.
Nutrition: Nutrition is a crucial factor in your mental health that you might not have considered. Healthline reports that high-sugar diets show a correlation with depression. One study found that those who had high-sugar diets were 23% more likely to become diagnosed with depression within a 5-year period. Cutting down on added sugar can positively impact physical and mental health.
By eating nutritious foods, you allow your gut to grow what nutritionists like to call “good bacteria”. This bacteria is then able to release the neurotransmitters that improve moods such as dopamine and serotonin.
Sleep: This might not come as a surprise, but sleep greatly impacts mental health as well. A study conducted by the CDC found that individuals who slept less than 6 hours a night were 2.5 times more likely to have “mental distress”. To curb this, try putting your phone down earlier in the night, reading before bed, or meditating.
Resilience. What is it and how should we build it?
Now that we have identified the concerns behind mental health challenges, let's talk about how we can overcome them. Specifically, let's discuss resilience, what it is, and how we can build it.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is how an individual is able to withstand and recover from the challenges they face. Exmaples of such challenges could be getting laid off at work, the death of a loved one, or a stressful day with your kids. Deeper laden mental issues perceive themselves as anxiety or depression symptoms, and how well you are able to cope with them. Building resilience will cause you to be able to overcome and adjust faster to difficulties.
What steps can you take to build your own resilience?
Some easy steps you can take are as simple as building healthy relationships with those around you, taking care of your body physically, and establishing goals.
Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on from time to time. Confiding in your support network is a healthy way to deal with conflicts. Their feedback is important as you might find certain suggestions may help you. A health coach can be a great resource.
Try a meditation or relaxation app to build mental awareness. Building small habits daily in this area strengthens your stress response and your ability to cope with though situations.
As we talked about previously, physical health plays a large role in mental health. Developing healthy habits by goal setting is crucial to building resilience. As you set these goals remember to make them realistic. Far too many people set ambitious goals and end up not completing them. Set these reasonable goals in a realistic timeframe, building to your greater goal.
It is important for you to understand that none of these are silver bullets. It takes time and works to develop your mental health. Many people look for the one solution that is easy to try and feel like it failed. They expected it to be the one solution to improve their mental health. By combining all of these ideas, you will be in the best position to help yourself.
The RestoreResilience Program
RestoreResilience has helped thousands of people develop healthy habits and build their resilience. This digital program is designed to help develop healthy habits and coping mechanisms, which in turn, improve the resilience of the individual.
A Personalized Experience
RestoreResilience offers every user their own personal health coach. By having a coach at your fingertips, you can ask them questions and have them help create a realistic path forward. You can schedule calls with your coaches, text them about meals and get their input, and track your progress.
The Resource Center and More
The Resource Center section of RestoreResilience offers content ranging from mental health coping strategies, to self-guided mental health assessments, to physical health and goal setting. There are also different exercises and meditation and mindfulness activities that you can practice in the program.
RestoreResilience offers countless resilience-building tools right on your phone. As you follow the program, members improve the areas in which they require the most support and then move on to other specifics. The program has proven to improve work-life balance, improve overall health, improve the ability to cope with stress, and so much more.
Your action is needed
As you support your employees on their journey to better mental health, consider that mental health is more than just mental. It is physical, emotional, behavioral, health and more. In order to improve mental health you need to offer resources to build all of these aspects as well.
Want to learn more about RestoreResilience? Contact us today.
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