May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so to help ensure you’re living a mentally peaceful life, here are some simple tips to boost your mood. These are easy steps to incorporate into your life either on a daily basis or as needed.
Use a Gratitude Journal
Expressing your gratitude, whether directly to another person or in a gratitude journal, is a fast and easy way to improve your mental health. The Mayo Clinic Health System reports that gratitude has a number of benefits, including decreasing depression and anxiety. A gratitude journal can be used on a daily basis to recount one or more things you’re grateful for that day. This can offer an important reminder that even when you’re struggling in certain areas of your life, there’s always something you can find to be grateful for. By focusing on these positives, you can train your brain to look for and appreciate them.
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Spring is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors. Whether that means going hiking or taking a walk down your street, hopping on your bike, roller-blading, skateboarding, or visiting a favorite park, all these things can boost your mood. Fresh air, sunshine, and simply being around nature can do wonders for your outlook. Plus, spending some time communing with the greenery of the outdoors “has been linked to lower risks of depression and improved concentration and attention,” according to UC Davis Health. Even if you’re very busy, taking 15 minutes in the morning, afternoon, or evening for a stroll can have major benefits and will help reset your mind so you can go back to work refreshed.
Listen to Music
Music can be a mood booster that helps lessen anxiety. There’s nothing like being transported for a few minutes thanks to one of your favorite songs to help escape your troubles. If you’re at home or in the car, crank up the volume and sing along! If you’re at the office or studying, you can listen with headphones. Music can actually lower stress hormones, making it a win/win. Playing your favorite genre is a great way to improve your mental health, whether you sing along or not. You might even want to listen to classical music (or other music without spoken lyrics) to try something new and zone out in the relaxed atmosphere. Make sure you always have headphones handy so you can get your groove on even if you’re in a crowded place. Want some song suggestions? Check out our list of songs to boost your mental health.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Getting the requisite seven or eight hours of sleep a night has benefits for both your physical and mental health. If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter or tried to get by on a few hours of sleep, you’ll understand this perfectly. Prioritizing getting your zzzs can help you better maintain control of your emotions and make wiser decisions. Once in a while, we all skimp on sleep, but make sure you’re usually getting all the sleep you require so you can wake up refreshed. Even the most frustrating situation will look at least a little better after you’ve hit the hay.
Socialize with Your Friends
Of course, spending time with your friends is fun. It’s also one of the best things you can do for your mental health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “When people are socially connected and have stable and supportive relationships, they are more likely to make healthy choices and to have better mental and physical health outcomes. They are also better able to cope with hard times, stress, anxiety, and depression.” This doesn’t mean you have to go out every night or push yourself to be with people when you’d rather be alone. But making that effort once in a while, even if it means just watching your favorite show or movie with a friend, can give you a major mental jumpstart and leave you feeling much better.
Volunteer
Being of service to others is a wonderful way to feel good about your actions and help those in need. This can involve everything from serving food at a soup kitchen, volunteering at a food bank, helping with a neighborhood cleanup project, organizing a bake sale or food drive, or working with a local or national organization on individual projects. If you have a specialized skill, see if any groups could use your expertise. Want to make it a group activity? Organize your friends to come with you! You’ll come away from this experience knowing that you were useful to others, which can be a powerful pick-me-up.
Play Video Games
Yes, gamers, it’s true: playing video games can be good for your mind, according to WebMD. The benefits of gaming depend on the type and complexity of the specific game, but it’s said that some games can activate problem-solving skills, help with recovery from trauma, and assist with ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, depression, social interaction, as well as emotional resilience. This doesn’t mean that spending all your free time with a controller in your hands is healthy; however, it’s recommended that you not play more than 10 hours of video games per week.
Laugh Hard
The saying laughter is the best medicine exists for a reason! Yes, it’s true: Laughter is good for you. The Mayo Clinic confirms that laughter can reduce stress, ease tension, and improve both your mood and immune system. Yippee! So go to a comedy club, turn on a comedy special, watch a funny movie, or get together with your most hilarious friend. It will definitely make you feel better!
Meditate
Meditation is a free and easy way to center yourself and get in touch with your emotions. A paper in the journal Cureus reports that meditation can help with social anxiety, PTSD, and depression. You can practice meditation in as little as one minute (no one’s too busy for that!) or for longer periods of time. For a step-by-step meditation guide, check out this New York Times article. There are also various meditation apps that can help walk you through a meditation session, as well as videos for those who prefer a visual reference.
Say a Daily Affirmation
An affirmation is a short, positive statement that you can use to aid your mental health. Stating a daily affirmation out loud to yourself can help solidify the truth of the affirmation in your mind. Studies have shown that affirmations can help reduce stress. Carnegie Mellon University psychology professor David Creswell told The Washington Post that by using affirmations, “You’re giving yourself an opportunity to hold up something you value and cherish and not feel like you need to judge it or have a debate about it in your head or in your writing.”
Use an affirmation that’s specific to your life and honors a positive trait you want to believe about yourself, such as, “I’m doing the best I can,” “I know which boundaries are important to me,” or “I’m an excellent friend.” You can say it every day while looking in the mirror or in the shower; nobody else has to know you’re doing it. Hopefully, in moments of uncertainty and self-doubt, your mind will call upon the affirmations, helping you summon the courage and positive outlook you desire. See Verywell Mind for suggestions of affirmations you can use if you’re not sure how to start.
If you’re experiencing extreme mental distress, seek help from a mental health professional or call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, which is available 24 hours a day in English and Spanish.
Want more ideas on how to improve your mental health? Check out our personally approved self-care tips and important mental health resources if you’re looking for help from professional organizations.
