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5 best Daily Hacks For Your Mental Health

Health Hacks

5 best Daily Hacks For Your Mental Health

Over time, these small changes can help you build a positive mindset and improve your mental health.

My friend once told me something off the cuff that was one of the funniest and most accurate things I’ve ever heard, and I still think about it several times a week.

“Humans are just like computers. When we get too tired, you just have to turn us off and on again, and then we’ll work better again. Should we get some sleep?”

I laughed out loud, and we called it a night. But really, I think about this all the time. If I’m working too late, or I just have a fuzzy brain, I often imagine myself in bed, holding down my “off” button and falling asleep.

what are some ways that you can do a quick reset in order to get through the many challenges of our day? Here are 5 best hacks you can do in minutes to get grounded, centered, ready, and improve your mental health.

Here are 5 best Daily Hacks For Your Mental Health 

1. Do a short mindfulness or meditation exercise

I think one of the most common misconceptions about meditation or mindfulness is that you have to have hours to devote to sitting cross-legged in a silent room with ambient music playing. I’m being over the top here, but I know a lot of people have avoided meditation or mindfulness because it seems hard or super intense.

Many studies have shown that adding a mindfulness practice as part of your routine can reduce stress and anxiety levels. When practiced over the course of six to nine months, meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety levels by 60%! It can even help with good sleep hygiene; studies show meditation can help reduce insomnia by 50%.

So next time you feel your stress levels rising, make time to engage with your breathing and try some mindfulness meditation.

For more mindfulness or meditation you can visit any of this site, There are many app-based platforms to help on your mindfulness journey, even YouTube videos and Spotify playlists to aid you.

Here are some of my favorite for your mental health

  • The Mindful Movement: The Mindful Movement is an excellent YouTube channel with a number of guided meditations of different lengths, and info on meditation practices.
  • myndstream: myndstream is a record label that features many incredible ambient artists. They curate playlists that I find fantastic when I want to meditate, or need a calming background for working.
  • Calm: Calm is the leading meditation and mindfulness app, and has great guided meditations to help you on your journey.

Hope this few sites, hope you will able to  help you improve your Mental Health.

2. Schedule time time distractions and short breaks 

Build time into your schedule for checking your phone, some mindless scrolling, logging onto Twitter and checking MailOnline, or whatever it is that distracts you from what you should be focused on. Your scheduled distractions could be 10 minutes at the end of the day, or short bite-sized moments throughout the day.

We all deserve a break, and by allowing yourself to have a break, you’re being kinder to yourself, which is much better than scolding yourself every five minutes for your wandering eye during the latest Zoom meeting. Taking breaks is actually shown to help increase productivity. Studies show that taking short breaks can significantly improve focus.

You don’t have to follow this exact schedule, you can find something that works for you, but the popularity of this idea shows that many people benefit from adding this type of structure to their work lives. Another popular time-management strategy is called the 52-17 rule, with 52 minutes of productivity followed by a 17-minute break.

3. Engage in a short exercises that fit into breaks in your days

This one might be easier if you are continuing to work from home. But there are ways to get exercise, even if we’re stuck back at the office.

My thoughts on meditation also hold true to exercise. I think people often fall into the trap of “all or nothing” when it comes to exercise. Either I’m going to do five Peloton classes before 9 a.m. this week, or I will spend the whole weekend watching Netflix on the couch.

Let’s be honest, either side of this coin can be an unhealthy way of approaching exercise. First off all, now more than ever, it’s really important to be kind to ourselves. Getting down on ourselves because we missed the early morning yoga class again is certainly counterproductive to our overall mental health. Try to remind yourself that there is always tomorrow, or later today, and that there is nothing wrong with baby steps.

Here are a few ways I try to integrate movement and exercise into my day, even if I can’t get to the gym or make the virtual exercise class. I don’t claim to be a fitness expert, these are just some things that work for me. You should always exercise within your limits unless supervised by a trained professional.

  • Stagger crunches, squats or push ups throughout the day. I personally hate doing 5 or more sets of something in a row. There’s just so much time waiting on the mat, catching my breath and dreading the next set. I’d much rather do a quick 20 sit-ups to get the blood flowing between calls. Staggered throughout the day, you may find yourself putting up some impressive numbers!
  • A quick lunch break yoga class: If I have the opportunity to take a longer break for lunch, or have a few extra minutes between calls, I like to take the chance to do some yoga, often led by a teacher online. I love Yoga With Adriene, because I can always find a short practice, or a long one if I have extra time, that suits how my body is feeling, and any particular areas where I feel tension.
  • Two short walks instead of one long walk. I love walking, and I think it’s a highly effective way to stay in shape. I always appreciate when I can clear my head with a long hike or walk around the neighborhood, but if I simply don’t have an hour to spare, I try to get two short walks in. One in the morning to start the day with a bit of fresh air, and one after work to process the day and separate my work day from my personal time.

Always remember that your mental health is very important.

4. Eat Healthy Diet

I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of getting into a work tunnel while running on adrenaline, only to come up for air at dinner time and realize that you missed lunch. Add this to all the societal weirdness that we’ve all internalized about eating and food, and it’s understandable that so many of us are skipping meals, especially on busy work days.

But if you missed having a healthy breakfast, or you need a pick-me-up midday, it doesn’t mean you should reach for the fast energy of junk food. Healthy food is much more likely to provide sustainable energy and improve your mood and work performance. A U.K. study found that workers who ate five portions of fruits and vegetables per day had 25% better work performance.

So here are a few of my favorite snacks for when you feel your energy and your mood flagging during the day. I tried to keep them friendly for as many dietary needs and preferences as possible.

  • Customized trail mix. One of my favorite things to do when I hit Whole Foods is pack a bunch of bags of bulk ingredients to make my own special trail mix blend. I love being able to customize what I like and want in terms of energy and nutrition. And if I’m being honest, it’s actually just super fun to pour them all into my giant Mason jar and have my week’s munchies at the ready. Try chocolate chips for that extra kick of energy.
  • Avocado with a favorite cracker. A half an avocado is almost a perfect snack, packed with good, healthy fats! (Don’t be afraid of fats! We need them!) I like to slice it criss-cross, like a hash-tag, then pour a tiny bit of olive oil and maybe some sherry/balsamic vinegar. Add a little salt and pepper and you have the perfect healthy dip for your favorite cracker.
  • Baby carrots or celery with hummus or nut butter. This is a quick dipping situation that is packed with vitamins, protein and fiber.

Tips: Remember, your mind needs fuel. Whether you are feeling down or just lagging behind in your energy levels, ask yourself when you last ate something healthy, and get your body what it needs! with this you can achieve a healthy living for your mental health

5. Step out for Some fresh Air

Stepping out for some fresh air will help to improve your mental health, to start, sunlight is truly amazing and healing. Getting sunlight, especially in the morning, will help regulate your body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that causes sleepiness and helps regulate your circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle. To follow my favorite computer metaphor, getting early sunlight will help your hard drive stop spinning when it’s time to power down.

Even if it’s just for a minute, getting some fresh air can be just the pick-me-up you need to tackle a difficult conversation, or to dial back some rising anxiety. This is a great practice to make part of your daily routine, as well as a nice way to break up your day or combat stress when it arises.

Sunlight is also one of the easiest ways to get a dose of Vitamin D, which is crucial for many of our body’s functions, including the strength of your bones and the health of your immune system. Healthy body, healthy mind.

Sunlight has also been shown to produce an increase in serotonin, a chemical linked closely to mood, focus and calm.

 

I hope that some of these tips help you navigate your day to day, and feel a bit lighter and more focused in other to stay healthy and improve your mental health.
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