Top 10 Tips for Mental and Emotional Wellness
Strategies for managing your mental and emotional wellness from the perspectives of food, fitness, mindfulness, and relationships.
“For me, I think one of the biggest battles is mentally. You have good days, and you have bad days. Randomly, you’ll feel good for weeks, and then all of a sudden, you’ll have a bad day where you’re really sore. And you end up questioning yourself, like, ‘Am I doing the right thing? Why is this so hard?’” — Jimmy Graham
With all of the numerous distractions, technology, social media, relationships, work demands, taking care of kids and companion animals and God knows what other responsibilities each day, it’s an amazing accomplishment to just remain balanced, clear and sane in the modern world.
But what if you don’t feel balanced? What if sometimes you can feel you’re not taking the best care of yourself? What if you feel yourself heading toward stress, exhaustion or depression? What do you do about it?
As entrepreneurs, it can feel even more daunting with the responsibility of launching, maintaining and scaling a business. All too often, taking good care of our minds, bodies and emotional states is the first thing to get left by the wayside.
Knowing how challenging it can be to take the best care of yourself and bring balance to the busyness of life, we want to share some of our favorite practices with you.
Without further ado, here are our Top 10 tips to help you support your own mental and emotional wellness (especially if you’re already busy, anxious or stressed!)
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1. Get your blood panels and neurotransmitters tested
Studies have shown that depression and other mental health disorders may have a correlation to nutritional deficiencies, specifically, but not limited to, a deficiency in vitamin B12, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, among others. A blood panel and neurotransmitter screening is a great way to get a clear snapshot of your nutrient levels and brain chemicals so you can evaluate how to adjust your diet and supplementation. It’s an investment, but truly valuable if you want to see how your nutrition is affecting your mood and brain health. We recommend the NutrEval and Neuroscreen tests, which any medical doctor can order lab work for.
2. Create a non-negotiable daily meditation practice
The Keck School of Medicine at The University of Southern California has been engaging in ongoing clinical research regarding the effects of regular meditation on brain health and neurological function. They’ve found that consistent meditation practice has positive effects on our emotions and sense of well-being. Creating a non-negotiable 15–30 minute meditation practice in the morning or evening (or both) is something that you can schedule into your calendar. And if you feel like you don’t have enough time to meditate, then wake up 30 minutes earlier than you already do and make room for it. The benefits will likely be worth it.
“It’s sort of my job to feel good.” — A.J. Jacobs
3. Speak your truth and ask for what you want
Howard Wills, the great spiritual coach and healer, likes to say, “Stand up, speak up and do it your way!” Which is a great mantra for speaking your truth and clearly doing what’s in your heart to do. So many of us are in resistance to what our hearts really want or something that’s gently calling for our attention. By lying to ourselves and others about our truth, we create stress hormones in the body like cortisol. By facing your own personal truth and speaking it into existence, you can dissolve the resistance and the fear inside of you. It’s not always easy and is sometimes scary as hell, but you’ve got to speak your truth loud and proud.
4. If you’re depressed, don’t isolate yourself
Shame and guilt are two common emotions associated with depression. I know because I’ve danced with depression and suicidal ideation for years. The thoughts “no one will understand” or “I don’t want to burden anyone with this” actually make those feelings and states of being more intense and can drive you deeper into the darkness. By asking for help and being honest about your situation, you may be amazed at how many people want to give you unconditional love and support. You are surrounded by so much love. You just need to ask for help and surround yourself with people that genuinely want to support you.
“One way to feel good about yourself is to love yourself… to take care of yourself.” — Goldie Hawn
5. Eat lots of brain and mood-friendly foods
There are a plethora of delicious foods available to help with your brain function and mood. Foods such as blue-green algae, spirulina, chlorella, walnuts, hemp seeds, avocado, cacao, pumpkin seeds, ashwagandha, rhodiola, maca and numerous others. Many of these foods contain brain-nourishing essential fatty acids, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D and have adaptogenic properties, which means they help your body naturally adapt to stress.
For more nourishing brain-supportive resources and recipes, check out Jason’s fun and informative Good Mood Food 7-day online video course.
6. Do less and take time to rest
This one may be the hardest one to follow, especially if you feel a lot of pressure keeping up with the commitments and demands of your life. But consider this possibility: are there any superfluous commitments that you can cancel? Meetings you can delete from your calendar? Or ways that you can cut unnecessary distractions out of your life? Remembering that you’re in control of your own schedule is an important reminder in reclaiming time for ourselves to do less and rest more. It was really challenging for me to take a 30-minute nap in the afternoon or early evening, but once I started to simplify my schedule and prioritize my rest, the dividends were extraordinary. Even a quick 15–20 minute power nap helps you hit the internal reset button and gives you a boost to keep going with your day.
“I can only control my own performance. If I do my best, then I can feel good at the end of the day.” — Michael Phelps
7. Make your fitness a priority
Between the mood-boosting endorphins and confidence-inspiring hormones, consistent exercise can be a game-changer for your mental state. What’s more, so much of our identity is tied to the way we look. When you look good AND feel good — that’s a winning combination. One of the keys to staying fit is to actively challenge yourself with a fitness routine that you won’t get bored with. Perhaps you can mix up weight training with yoga. Or indoor rock climbing with running. Experiment with different exercise modalities to find what feels fun and engaging. Instead of work, make it playtime!
8. Spend more time in nature
If you’re a city dweller (hand raised over here) this can be one of the more challenging strategies if you don’t have immediate access to nature. Sometimes you need to get create and carve out the time to get away from the concrete jungle and spend time in the woods or near the water. If you have access to it, the ocean releases negative ions, which may have a positive effect on your mood and mental well-being. Simply going swimming or taking a hike is a great way to ground yourself and commune with the Earth. Even a few hours on a Sunday afternoon can make a huge difference in your mood and mental state throughout the work week.
“If you feel good about who you are inside, it will radiate.” — Patti Smith
9. Do a digital detox
I’m a huge fan of doing a digital detox a few times a year. Hell, even once a month is fantastic. It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed with email, social media, all of the DMs and inboxes to manage. Not to mention the ever-present comparison trap. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your mental health is to simply log off of your digital devices for a few days (or a few weeks!) and see how it affects you. Often, deep attachments, anxieties and fears can be triggered when we willfully take time away from our phones and computers. It’s an opportunity for you to be present to life and to release the fear that your life or brand will crumble without you being online every single day. If you combine this digital detox with spending time in nature, it can be a very healing and rejuvenating experience. AirBnb a cabin in the woods, turn the phone off and leave it in the glove compartment of your car. And watch where your mind goes. It’s a ride, let me tell ya.
10. Know that you are never alone
When we are struggling, in pain, suffering or having a dark night of the soul, it’s easy to feel like we’re the only ones going through it. But you’re never the only one going through a tough time. One of the things that can connect us to a deeper level of compassion and understanding for one another is knowing how much we share our collective suffering. And that collective compassion can be a beautiful opportunity to support one another as a family and community. So, no matter what you're going through, reach out to your loved ones and let them know what’s happening. Ask for their support. And know that they, too, have experienced pain and confusion in their lives. We are here to hold each other in unconditional love and presence. And by sharing the truth of your experience, you give others the opportunity to extend that love and presence to you. There’s nothing to fear.
“When you take care of yourself, you’re a better person for others. When you feel good about yourself, you treat others better.” — Solange Knowles
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Originally published at https://www.wellevatr.com.
