5 Simple Ways You Can Boost Your Mental Health

It is a normal thing to experience changes to your body and brain as you age. Still, there are a lot of things you can do to help slow decline in memory and also lower your risk of developing diseases like Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Here are five things you can do to boost your brain health and to keep your mind always young.

Eat a Healthy and Balanced Diet

The food we eat has a tremendous role in keeping our brain sharp as well as healthy. Haven’t you seen how a car functions at its optimum level when it is loaded with premium fuel? Similarly, your brain also needs good foods which contain nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that not only helps in nourishment but also protects it from oxidative stress.

When we talk of brain foods, the first food that should top the list is fatty fish which is loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids. This fatty acid plays a vital role in boosting brain functioning and also to slow down the ageing of the brain. One can also consider adding foods like blueberries, nuts, eggs, oranges which all are excellent for keeping food brain health.

Give Yourself Plenty of Rest

As your brain is working all day long, it needs at least 7-8 hours of rest per night. When you are not getting enough sleep, you not only overwork your brain but also make yourself prone to irritability, restlessness and anxiety. So, it is suggested that you get sound sleep every night.

One of the biggest obstacles that prevent most people from getting good sleep is that of blue-light which is emitted from electronic gadgets like smartphones and laptops. So make sure you shut these gadgets 2-3 hours before sleep. Also, try to sleep at the same time every night as it will create an internal clock that will let you doze off faster.

Quit Smoking and Drinking

If you are looking forward to improving your mental health, you need to get rid of both these addictions. Did you know smoking and alcoholism are among those addictions, which can potentially harm all of the organs in a human body? Though the physical effects are very slow to manifest, it does harm our body badly in the longer run. So, there is a need to quit both these addictions at the earliest.

Speaking of quitting, smoking and drinking are among the toughest to get rid of due to their highly addictive nature. You can use good substitutes to overcome these addictions if you don’t want the pain of experiencing those withdrawal symptoms. To quit alcohol, you can try drinks like Soda and Lime or even Berries in iced water which helps in giving you the euphoria you need without harming your body. To overcome smoking, there is a gadget called E-cigarette, which are excellent substitutes of traditional cigarettes, as it completely avoids the usage of the harmful tobacco.

Remain Social

Having a rich social circle helps tremendously to combat stress, depression, mood swings and it also supports great intellectual stimulation. Also, Several studies have shown that people with most social interaction experience the slowest rate of memory decline. So you can see how a mere social interaction with your peers has a significant effect on your overall health.

If you are someone who is struggling with being social, you can try rekindling your old friendship to reconnect with your good friends. As you have shared history, you will have plenty of stuff to talk about. It is suggested that you try starting conversation with strangers as friendship can bloom at any point of time. This is how great friendships are made which stay for a long time.

Never Stop Learning

Whenever you learn something new, you exercise your brain which boosts cognitive functions such as concentration, memory recall and attention to detail. By constant learning, you also reduce the chances of dementia, which happens to quite a few people in the later stages of life. If you can keep your mind young by always being curious, you will see how fresh and rejuvenated you will be even at your old age.

To start with learning, whenever you are reading or analysing something, try to make it more meaningful instead of just cramming up things. By understanding concepts of the things you are learning, it is likely that you will remember them for a long time.

In Short,

Focusing on your brain health is one of the best things you can do to boost your concentration, focus, memory, and mental agility, doesn’t matter what age you are.

By incorporating the above steps into your everyday life, you’ll get to stimulate your mind, sharpen your cognitive skills, and also learn something new and enriching along the way, too.