The ABC’s of Mental Health

I recently took a training course related to an emerging area of mental health that focuses on nutritional psychology and it reminded me of the importance of getting back to basics when it comes to anxiety.   There are some fundamental lifestyle behaviors that lay the groundwork for mental health and balanced emotions.  When counseling clients I often recommend improving lifestyle behaviors to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety before moving onto more complex treatments, such as medication.  One of the most basic behaviors is getting adequate sleep.  Most adults need between 8-10 hours of sleep per night to function well.  Inadequate sleep can increase symptoms of depression and anxiety.  To improve your sleep, try these steps:

1.     Give yourself permission to sleep, and remind yourself that sleep is important.  It allows your body to recover.

2.     Have a relaxing bedtime routine (this isn’t just for children). This means try to eliminate use of electronics and television an hour before bedtime. Reading, listening to relaxing music, drinking an herbal tea, taking a warm bath, and mindfulness exercises are good activities to include in a bedtime routine. If you chose to watch television, the further away the screen is, the better.

3.     Create a comfortable sleep environment with limited noise, little light, and a comfortable temperature. Continuous sleep interruptions from pets, family members and loud neighbors will result in inadequate sleep so try to find ways to limit interruptions.

4.      Limit caffeine intake throughout the day. Even better remove caffeine altogether if falling and staying asleep is challenging.

In addition to adequate sleep, exercise and good nutrition are also important to mental health.  For more information on these topics visit a doctor that specializes in integrative health.  You can find one in your area on the links below.

Naturopathic.org


FunctionalMedicine.org

IntegrativeMedicineForMentalHealth.com