{"id":27074,"date":"2015-03-12T08:00:46","date_gmt":"2015-03-12T15:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=27074"},"modified":"2018-02-15T11:08:52","modified_gmt":"2018-02-15T19:08:52","slug":"5-ways-to-improve-your-mental-health-and-increase-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/5-ways-to-improve-your-mental-health-and-increase-happiness-0312155","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health and Increase Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"YoungYour mental health affects your overall health more than you may realize. When you are stressed out<\/a>, angry<\/a>, or sad<\/a>, your body suffers, too\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhether it be in the form of digestive issues, headaches, back pain, or any number of other physical symptoms.<\/p>\n

Most people I meet in my practice want to improve their well-being<\/a> and increase their daily happiness<\/a>, but they often feel powerless to make it happen. It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our problems are entirely outside our control or caused by other people. Simply by changing our own actions and establishing new habits, many things may begin to improve. When you are happy and at peace, your body feels better and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re able to respond to challenging\u00c2\u00a0situations in more effective ways.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many people turn to pills to achieve that outcome. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), about 35 million adults in the United States take antidepressant medication<\/a>. Medication alone generally won’t make a person feel better, but there is a great deal of research to support the effectiveness of psychotherapy<\/a> and lifestyle changes, and medication in combination with those things has been shown to be helpful for some people.<\/p>\n

Here are five things you can do to start feeling better without the aid of pharmaceuticals:<\/p>\n

1. Exercise<\/h2>\n

I love my workout videos. In one of my favorites, fitness trainer Jillian Michaels says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When you feel strong in your body, you feel strong in your mind.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I agree, and so does mental health research! Numerous studies have linked regular exercise to improvements in mood<\/a> and decreased anxiety<\/a> (e.g., Childs and de Wit, 2014; Aguedelo et. al., 2014; and Shoenfeld et. al., 2013).<\/p>\n

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In essence, exercising helps your brain chemicals to work correctly. When they do, many things about your health and well-being improve. Exercise is so good for mental health that, in many studies, it has been shown to be as effective as antidepressant medication (e.g., Blumenthal et. al., 1999). I frequently recommend at least 45 minutes of vigorous exercise\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthink workout class or a run\/jog in the park\u00e2\u20ac\u201dabout five times a week. Making this part of your routine can help lift your mood, decrease anxiety, boost self-confidence, reduce negative thinking and worries, and improve sleep. Plus, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the best anti-aging secrets! When you exercise, your body is more effectively oxygenated, which helps prevent signs of aging<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Eat ‘Happy’ Foods<\/h2>\n

“Happy” foods\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfoods that either improve mood or help to make you feel calmer\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcan be a bit of a catch-22 because some of these foods help in the moment but make things worse in the long run. These foods are what we often call \u00e2\u20ac\u0153comfort foods,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d such as macaroni and cheese, pie, and fries. They do work to make you feel better quickly, so they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re an easy trap to fall into.<\/p>\n

Researchers believe that comfort foods may be comforting because they alter the brain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s response to sadness. A better strategy, however, is to make a habit of eating foods that build up the brain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153good chemicals\u00e2\u20ac\u009d over time and keep them at healthy levels. These are the foods we often call \u00e2\u20ac\u0153super foods,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d such as wild salmon (or other fish high in omega-3s but low in mercury), berries (especially blueberries), whole grains, green vegetables (kale is the king of them all), avocado, nuts, and seeds.<\/p>\n

3. Volunteer or Make a New Friend<\/h2>\n

Social support is one of the best predictors of health and longevity. Volunteering is a great way to both get out of your own head (spending too much time in your head may lead to excessive worrying<\/a>) and to make new friends. Resolve to make at least one new friend this year, and volunteer at least a few hours a month.<\/p>\n

4. Understand\u00c2\u00a0Your Thinking Style<\/h2>\n

One of the reasons we sometimes get into a funk\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand we all do from time to time\u00e2\u20ac\u201dis that we make \u00e2\u20ac\u0153thinking errors.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d To eliminate these errors, familiarize yourself with what they are and begin to notice when you do them. Thinking errors (sometimes called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153unhelpful thinking styles\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) can lead to anger, sadness, anxiety, frustration, and low self-esteem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Below are a few examples:<\/p>\n