Ultimate Mental Wellness Hacks

There is no black magic or an ancient secret that you don’t already know. I am going to share an anecdotal-based approach. The two hacks I am going to share are:

1- Running

In my experience, there is nothing that gives you that blissful calm like running followed by meditation. It is the ultimate mental wellness hack.

You start running to improve your cardiovascular health, loosen that extra belly, build muscle, and sometimes make up for that extra dessert. Running has a strong connection with your brain health; as you start to run, your heart pumps harder and pushes blood at a much faster rate. As you may know, as your heart continues to push blood, your body starts to release endorphins. These hormones work as a natural high.

Regular running activity will stimulate the creation of new blood vessels to supply more blood to the brain, so the mental advantages don't end when you finish your run. Exercise may also create new brain cells in particular regions through neurogenesis, potentially improving overall brain performance and preventing cognitive decline.

There is something magical about running; after a certain distance, it transcends the mind. A bit further yet, and what you have before you, laid bare, is the soul.

Kristin Armstrong

Running high is the same thing but on a much bigger scale. Running or any other kind of strenuous exercise helps to release endorphins. Here are the 5 wonders running can do to your mental health (Amazon affiliate link).

1. Manage stress levels
2. Fight Alzheimer
3. Boost brainpower
4. Increase productivity
5. Create productivity

Next time, remember these 5 mental health benefits if you feel lazy or thinking of skipping the running session.

2- Hiking

Hiking is really close to my heart than running. I want to be candid; I have never been that active in my life. I have been hiking for more than a decade but did not know the hiking benefits of mental health rather than physical health. I do hikes to enjoy nature and to spend time outdoors.

The outdoor research by Stanford univeristy is part of continuous work to look at the relationship between nature and human well-being. Daily's Natural Capital Project has been in the vanguard of this effort; the project aims to determine the public's valuation of natural resources and forecast the benefits of nature on mental health.

As I said, I have been doing hikes for more than a decade, now I educate people around me, friends and family, sharing my thoughts with Medium family to go out and have fun on the trails. I feel there is a more need to do hikes amid pandemics when almost everyone is stressed and working from home without any social life. Here are the top 5 hiking benefits for mental health.

1. Help us to unplug the technology and connect with nature
2. Help body to improve sleep
3. Improve our memory
4. Help us align our internal clock (circadian rhythm)
5. Boost our creativity

When you become part of your natural surroundings, it allows your mind to make new connections — in the same way, that everything is connected in nature.

— Trimble

In short, running and hiking are the keys to excellent mental health. To get exceptional mental health — go get a grip on running and hiking to keep your life balanced.

Thank you for reading!

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I wish you happiness and good health. This article was originally published on another platform. If you enjoy writing, you can join Vocal as a creator to find your voice and reach out to a broad audience. I also write on Medium and NewsBreak.