Most common questions used to investigate
Do you sleep well?
Do you eat a balanced diet?
Do you smoke or drink?
Do you get sufficient sunlight?
Do you exercise?
Do you meet with family or friends often?
Common conclusions
Sleep is absolutely essential for good mental and physical health because that is when our body regulates all the chemicals and brings everything in balance. When you don't sleep well, your body doesn't get enough time to repair itself and this can manifest as mental health issues due to dysfunctional hormones. For these reasons, make sure you go to bed early and sleep for anywhere from 7 to 9 hours, depending on your needs.
Eating a balanced diet is essential for good health because if you don't get some essential nutrients like iron and vitamin B, it can cause the dysfunction of your hormones. Many mental illnesses are associated with a deficiency in vitamins and minerals, so make sure you have a balanced diet to get all the essential items into your body.
While smoking and drinking are not always withdrawal symptoms, what it can essentially do is enhance the anxiety and mental stress, thereby leading to poor mental health. In fact, when you consume too much alcohol, you can end up with thiamine deficiency that is known to impact your brain's functioning. Similarly, cigarettes can increase anxiety and withdrawal symptoms. Due to the indirect impact of smoking and drinking on your brain, you must avoid both for good mental health.
Sunlight contains the all-important vitamin D and it plays a big role in regulating our brain hormones such as serotonin and endorphins. Too little or too much secretion of these hormones creates mental health problems for us, hence getting sunlight every day is essential to regulate these hormones and their secretion levels. Ideally, you should get anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours of sunlight every day to give your body enough time to absorb vitamin D from the sun.
Physical activity and exercise are essential to keep your hormones in balance and to improve your mental health. The advantage of exercise is that it reduces stress-related disorders and releases mood uplifting hormones that are sure to make you feel happy. It also eliminates lazy feeling, low feeling, and mood swings. So, start with something simple like walking a few minutes each day and slowly, work your way up.
Humans are social creatures, so having a connection with another human being does wonders for your mental health. It gives you a sense of belonging to a group and the conversations you have with other people can be enriching and mood uplifting as well. So, reach out to family members or try to make new friends.
Tap into your support system as much as you can, especially when you're feeling low and anxious. These conversations and connections are sure to make you feel better.
References
Related Problems
