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How to maintain your Mental Health

Keep your Brain sharp

By david gikandiPublished 5 days ago 4 min read
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How to maintain your Mental Health
Photo by ALAN DE LA CRUZ on Unsplash

How to Maintain Mental Health and Keep Your Mind Sharp

Our brains require specialized maintenance to remain healthy and functioning, but regrettably, some of our habits can harm them even without our knowledge.

To prevent brain damage, we must deliberately create beneficial behaviors and refrain from adopting negative ones. Here are some Ten poor habits can cause damage to our brains.

1. Working when unwell.

Stress from overwork can occasionally result in illness. Carrying on with work during illness causes a depletion of mental energy. Keep in mind that your body is working hard to combat any illness or infection it may be experiencing. Work that is both mentally and physically taxing can only exacerbate our illnesses, so give your body and mind time to rest and recover.

2. Consuming excessive amounts of sugar

It is well known that consuming too much refined sugar impairs the body's and brain's capacity to absorb nutrients and protein. This may result in mental health issues like depression, learning disabilities, ADHD, and bad memory loss. Reduce your daily sugar intake carefully and gradually for improved health and cognitive performance.

3. Not eating.

Regular nutritional assistance is necessary for the healthy brain to function as intended. A busy lifestyle may force someone to occasionally skip meals, which deprives the brain of glucose and other nutrients.

Long-term brain cell degeneration could result from this.

4. Excessive indulgence.

Moderate recreation, like watching TV, playing music, or chatting online with friends, is beneficial for maintaining mental and physical well-being. On the other hand, studies also reveal that people who watch television all day exhibit smaller frontal and entorhinal cortex volumes. Constantly using social media also seems to exacerbate feelings of loneliness, anxiety, sadness, low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts.

Become more aware of how you use your leisure time and the type and amount of entertainment you consume.

5. Not getting a good night's sleep.

Decision-making and long-term memory can be impacted by sleep deprivation. The brain's cerebrospinal fluid helps remove extra protein while you sleep.

Amyloid, a protein that can cause Alzheimer's disease and the memory loss that goes along with it, may build up as a result of poor sleep. Make sure you are receiving adequate sleep by adhering to a healthy sleep schedule throughout the night.

6. Grumbling

Complaining takes up valuable time, which is bad for everyone.

Researchers have even demonstrated that a person's brain is physiologically harmed by whining for thirty minutes a day. It's noteworthy to note that it benefits both the person complaining and the person listening. Both making and receiving complaints has an impact on the neurons in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in cognitive processes and problem solving. Additionally, whining is linked to negative energy, which is harmful to your general well-being.

Discover shrewd strategies for managing your feelings and the things that are going on in your life.

7. Passivity

Lack of exercise and lethargy cause the brain's power to diminish, which also causes instability and a deterioration in motor function.

Engaging in physical activity triggers the release of endorphins, a happy hormone that keeps you looking younger and maintains optimal physical and mental health. Regardless of your mood, get out of your house every day and take a lengthy walk or engage in some physical activity outside. If you're young and in good physical condition, engage in some physically demanding activities.

8. Being in the dark a lot of the time.

Reduced sunshine exposure can lead to a drop in serotonin production in the body, which regulates mood. Reduced light can also affect the brain's melatonin balance, which controls sleep patterns and is created during the dark hours. According to some research, an excessive amount of time spent in dim or gloomy environments may alter the structure of the brain and have an impact on learning and memory. Aim to obtain some sunlight on your body throughout the day and steer clear of spending extended periods of time inside closed, dimly lit areas. Take use of the early or evening light.

9. Not giving the brain enough input to allow for thought.

A person's brain shrinks when they do not think much, so it is important to exercise your brain every day. Learning new skills, solving problems, reading, writing, and intellectual difficulties are all activities that improve and train the brain to work better and prevent deterioration.

10. Harboring resentment and unpleasant recollections.

Anger and unpleasant thoughts or traumatic memories cause the brain to release adrenaline and other neurochemicals.

This produces a dissociation between the area of the brain responsible for reasoning and cognitive effects, bringing the emotional side of the brain to the forefront. You should consider your options for responding to the circumstance and what makes bad memories come to mind. Make a conscious, gentle effort to alter the way you think.

These ten routines or habits are bad for your brain. We frequently are unaware of the consequences of these behaviors. It's time to intentionally develop healthy habits if you want your brain to remain in good shape for the rest of your life. We have techniques like yoga and meditation that help shield the mind and brain. Develop outstanding behaviors to ensure that your health remains fantastic throughout your life. Make your life lovely and joyful by doing these things seriously.

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