11 Tips to Boost Your Mental Health

Alex Pack is a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Los Angeles.  He works with anxiety, depression, stress, and relationship problems, as well as buidling self-esteem and developing a healthier sense of self.  He believes that through collaborative work, healing is possible.  You can connect with Alex directly via Frame Therapy.

As we enter Spring 2022, there’s an understandable need for tips and strategies for better mental health. We’ve hit the two-year global pandemic milestone and experienced continuous instability on a global stage, often affecting Californians and non-Californians alike. When we have limited power over events that affect our mental health, we need to focus our attention on what we can control.

1. Sleep

Sleep helps our body and mind recover, which we need in order to lead healthy lives. We should be mindful of any changes in our sleep patterns (i.e. sleeping more than usual or sleeping less than usual). Sleep can act as a mirror; it can reflect our mood, stress, and anxiety levels. If you’re having difficulty falling or staying asleep, instead of trying to force yourself to sleep, consider getting out of bed and doing something soothing before returning to bed or incorporating natural sleep remedies into your bedtime routine.

2. Exercise

It’s true that there are different factors that affect one’s ability to exercise. However, it’s still important to mention the benefits of exercise on our mental health. Even light aerobic exercise — like a walk around the neighborhood — can help reduce levels of stress hormones and increase natural “happy chemicals” in our brain. This can in turn help improve our mood and make our stress levels feel more manageable.

3. Food Intake

The kinds of food we eat, as well as the amount of food, affects our mental wellbeing. Food gives us vital nutrients that we need to survive, and it’s important to keep an eye out for the quality and healthiness of what we put in our bodies. Be mindful of any changes in appetite; is it bigger or smaller than usual? This is another way our body gives us more information regarding our mood, stress, and anxiety levels.

4. Social Support

The pandemic has disrupted the way in which most of us receive social support from friends, family members, loved ones, and other communities we are a part of. Humans are social beings; we need to feel connected to something other than ourselves. Naturally, to most people, isolation is one of the most common threats to mental wellbeing. Reaching out to people for support requires courage, but social support is incredibly important. If you’re struggling to feel connected, you can search for local support groups via websites such as Mental Health America and NAMI.

5. Boundaries

Boundaries essentially help us protect our self-worth, emotional wellbeing, and our relationships. They are necessary for healthy relationships with friends, loved ones, family members, and work. Boundary-setting can be difficult for many of us, but remember that they are not selfish or mean. They are fundamental to healthy relationships and healthy life.

6. Limiting Media Intake

In 2022, you can get the news through your television, computer, tablet, phone, and even your watch! Staying informed is okay, but be mindful of the impact on your mental health. Finding a healthy balance for your media consumption in an age of doom-scrolling is of utmost importance.

7. Mindfulness

More people are using mindfulness and meditation than ever before — and for good reason. For decades, empirical evidence suggests that mindfulness practices can help reduce anxiety and stress. Mindfulness teaches us how to relate to our feelings and thoughts in a less judgmental and reactive way, thus making it easier to be present, more grounded, and more connected. Check out several guided mindfulness meditations on tryframe.com.

8. Journaling

Journaling allows our thoughts, feelings, worries, and concerns to live somewhere else other than in our minds. Sometimes our internal world can feel like a big tangled mess, and journaling can help us detangle things in a way that feels more manageable. You can start by writing in a notebook or simply just opening up a note on your phone — whatever works best for you.

9. The Tiny Steps Technique

Accomplishing tasks when we’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious can be really challenging. With the tiny steps technique, start by choosing a task and breaking it down into not just small, but tiny steps. For example, you want to go for a jog. Tiny steps could look something like grabbing your running shoes from the closet, taking out your workout clothes, drinking some water, and so on. It might seem silly, but this technique can be massively effective when we’re feeling overwhelmed.

10. Empathy

Empathy is one of the most powerful tools a person can use. It is our ability to understand how and why others feel the way they do. What we’re starting to understand more is that our ability to understand others also helps us have empathy and compassion for ourselves. Talk about a win-win!

11. Small Moments of Joy

With everything that’s going on in the world and everything that you have been through over the past years, the little things in life that could bring you joy would potentially make a world of difference. Maybe it’s your morning cup of coffee, the sitcom you watch before bed, or the funny way your pet acts. Whatever it is, take a moment to pause and appreciate the joy the small moments give you.