5 Exercises For Mental Health

Physical health seems to be highly encouraged for the people who are passionate about staying healthy. But are we neglecting our mental health, which is just as important. These “5 Exercises for Mental Health” will help you improve your focus, mental clarity, and stress management.

Why do you think mental health is so vital to living your best life?  We already know that exercising, and eating healthy will result in a healthier version of you, but have you ever thought about how equally important it is to exercise your mind?

If you’re interested in learning more about how to avoid some common mental illnesses which are often times irreversible, read these “5 Exercises for Mental Health”, to start your journey to a stronger, healthier, and less stressed brain.

Positive thinking

 

Positive thinking is the game changer. The power of practicing positive thinking, is shocking. You won’t realize how much you actually sabotage your own happiness, until you start learning how to train your brain to start thinking more positively. Think about that rush of happiness you get when something good happens to you. Everything seems to feel right, go more smoothly, and you start to think happy, more pleasurable thoughts, right?  This happens because serotonin (the happy chemical) is released in the body during these positive moments, and the negativity begins to melt away.

Let’s say you’re upset about something that happened to you at work, and you feel like you want to walk out, and quit. Rather than thinking this way, try thinking about how being there is benefiting you. You’re there for you, not for anybody else. By reminding yourself of this and keeping yourself top priority, you can instantly turn that negative thought into a positive one. This will help you avoid welcoming those negative thoughts, by turning it into something that is helping you.

Explore nature

Studies have shown that natural environments offer more benefits to the mind and body, than going to the gym. The sun offers a variety of benefits, if taken in moderation. 10-15 minutes of sun exposure a day will prevent vitamin D deficiencies, some skin diseases, and provide mental rejuvenation. Getting out, and getting in touch with nature will also provide you with lower levels of anxiety, improved mental health, and you will become less susceptible to other mental illnesses, such as depression.

So go take a walk in the park, go for a hike near tress, mountains, and water; or walk on a beach. Nature will nourish your body from the inside out, and instantly boost your mood.

Soak up the sounds of the ocean, the chirpping from the birds, and the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees. These sounds are shown to improve mood, reduce stress, and rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul.

Meditation

 

If you’re looking to completely transform your brain, take a look at why meditation is so important for your mental health. Meditation is an escape for your brain from all of the stress, negativity, and pressure we feed it everyday. Our minds never get a break, but meditation is a way to solve this problem, by offering brain rejuvenation. Meditation also encourages you to live a healthier lifestyle without you even trying. Soon you will begin looking for healthier alternatives, because the more you do for yourself the more you will want to continue doing.

Try to meditate on a daily basis. Start with 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 minutes at night until you start developing the self-discipline that meditation requires, so that you can begin building the tolerance to start aiming for the recommended daily does of meditation (20 min. in the morning, 20 min. at night).

Yoga

 

Yoga is all about the mind, body, and spirit awakening. Yoga offers so many health benefits not only for your body, but also for your mind. Yoga is a mind-body workout that reduces stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, helps you stay focused, and you are less susceptible to injuries, aches and pains. Combined with meditation, yoga is going to be your superpower to overcoming overall stress, anxiety, and everyday pressures that you might face.

Practice yoga often; in your home, outdoors, or during meditation. I usually perform yoga poses during meditation which not only helps me to be more disciplined during meditation, but it also makes my yoga experience more effective. I’m more relaxed, I feel more flexible, and I enjoy it a lot more when I squeeze in some yoga poses, during meditation.

Brain teasers

 

Think of your brain as a puppy. When you consitently train your puppy, and reward him with treats he will start to behave, and become smarter. Your brain acts in a similar way. Brain teasers will help you perform better because you’re constantly challenging it, and it will continue to develop overtime. Once you stop challenging yourself your brain sort of becomes stagnant, just like your puppy will if you stop challenging him, or your body, once you stop challenging with new exercises.

Try these 4 brain teasers:

• Look at a word, and try spelling it backwards without looking at the word.
• Work on a puzzle.
• Crossword puzzles
• Math games

 

Understand that these 5 mental health exercises are by far the best ways to transform your life into a healthier, happier, carefree one. Be careful not to neglect your mental health, because without mental health we are more susceptible to mental illnesses, which affect millions of people every year. The 5 mental health exercises listed above are easy, they don’t take much time out of your day, and they will make big differences in your life!