7 Mental Health Habits That Can Improve Your Life

7 Mental Health Habits That Can Improve Your Life

Mental health affects every area of your life, from the capacity to work and be successful to the ability to have meaningful relationships. Mental health issues can take on many forms, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder (ADD), post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder.

If you’re struggling with any of these increasingly common mood disorders, there is hope. There are several natural ways to boost your mood, enhance your focus, combat negative thinking, and generally improve your outlook on life. Try these researched tips. [Note: Always check with your doctor or healthcare provider before making any changes to your medications or other prescriptions.]

1. Enhance Neurotransmitter Function

Serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters that play a vital role in mood and overall mental health. Most antidepressants target at least one of these brain chemicals. Some natural ways to enhance the function your levels of serotonin and dopamine include:

  • Feast on foods rich in tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin. One study found that middle-aged women who regularly consumed tryptophan-rich protein hydrolysate reported improvements in emotional processing, mental energy, and reaction time. Examples of tryptophan-rich proteins include turkey, grass-fed meat, tofu, fish, beans, and eggs.1 

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  • The amino acid tyrosine is involved in dopamine production; therefore, eating foods rich in tyrosine can help lift your mood, energy levels, and motivation. Protein is the best source, including turkey, beef, eggs, dairy, soy, and legumes. 

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  • Eat more foods that have probiotics and take a probiotic supplement daily. Why? Most neurotransmitters are produced in the gut. The health of your gut and microbiome directly influences your neurological health. It also affects your cognitive function, memory, mood, depression, stress resilience, and overall brain health, all dependent upon strong gut health. An unhealthy gut environment can fuel inflammation in the brain and body and worsen mood disorders and other imbalances in your neurochemistry. Probiotics work by supplying the gut with friendly bacteria and restoring balance. 

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  • Exercise and listening to music have both been shown to boost dopamine, the ultimate feel-good neurotransmitter. 

2. Meditate Every Day, even for 10 Minutes

Daily meditation can be more effective than antidepressants, according to science. Practicing every day alters the brain's connections and structure, protecting neurons and DNA. Meditation also increases your body’s resilience to stress and reduces inflammation.2

One of the reasons for these benefits, according to research, is that when we calm the mind, everything else in the body relaxes, including the autonomic nervous system. Fewer stress hormones are produced, heart rate slows, and blood pressure goes down.

Just 10 minutes of meditation a day helps the brain: Breakthrough clinical studies have shown meditation’s powerful effects on brain structure and function. Regular meditation — again, even just 10 minutes per day — improves areas related to concentration, memory, decision-making, and emotional stability.  

3. Replenish Your Body With Mental Health Nutrients

Numerous vitamins and minerals play an integral role in mental health. For example, low levels of folate, vitamin B4, and vitamin B12 have all been linked to low mood and depression. Interestingly, research has shown that niacin (vitamin B3) helps improve symptoms of recent-onset schizophrenia when combined with vitamin C. Vitamin D is another important vitamin for mood and overall mental health — multiple studies show the connection between low levels and depression. Other important nutrients related to mood include vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, and chromium, and honokiol extract.*

 

Honokiol extract is a natural extract supplement that has been shown in research to support the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA, support mood and brain health, and more.3 Try HonoPure, the purest form of honokiol extract for daily mood support.*

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4. Try Shifting Your Perspective

Making a conscious decision to change your perception from one of negativity to gratitude is a profound way to rewire your brain and treat mental health issues.

Play up the good: Look for things to appreciate every day. Research shows that living from a place of gratitude has physiological and mind-body health benefits.4 One way to practice this on a daily basis: Start and end your day with a “gratitude list” by jotting down things you’re grateful for in your life. The list doesn't have to be long or complicated — try three simple things such as, “I’m grateful for my morning cup of coffee” or “I appreciate my neighbor for helping me mow the lawn.”

Practice forgiveness: A recent study revealed that the simple act of forgiving someone can have a profound effect on your overall health.5 Similarly, practicing gratitude is one of the most powerful tools for unleashing our bodies’ infinite healing ability and achieving optimal health — and this is true regardless of where you are on the wellness spectrum. Healing can happen on every level: physical, mental, emotional, and psycho-spiritual.

Find your purpose: Having a sense of purpose can help fight off loneliness, according to a new study in the journal Psychology and Aging.6 Researchers found that people who reported living a purpose-driven life were less likely to feel lonely. And the less lonely you feel, the healthier and less stressed you are. Purpose can mean different things to different people, but it might include making a difference in your community, gardening, supporting your family, or feeling successful at work.

5. Stay Hydrated

This may seem too simple to make a difference, but it is a little-known fact about mental health. Think about it: Your brain has roughly 73 percent water. Dehydration, even in a mild case, affects your mood, energy levels, and concentration, according to research. Drink up! Water is the best, but other hydrating beverages include hibiscus tea, coconut water, and cactus water.7 

6. Address Inflammation

Research shows that nflammation can contribute to depression. It affects serotonin function, especially in those with an inflamed gut, which diminishes mental and emotional health further. Omega-3 fats, ideally from cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel, and herring, have natural inflammatory-balancing qualities that can help with depression and anxiety.8,9 

7. Try Forest Bathing

Have you heard the term “Forest Bathing?” Known as shinrin yoku in Japan where it first became popular, forest bathing is simply the act of immersing yourself in nature and being present in the moment and with your surroundings. Studies show that spending time in green spaces — like a forest or meadow — helps ease stress, promote clearer thinking, balance mood, and improve immune function. To practice forest bathing, spend quiet time either sitting and/or taking a slow walk in nature, concentrating on your surroundings — this is not the time for a hike or brisk walk. Slow down and take in everything nature has to offer.  

Prioritizing your mental health is so important. By trying these researched steps, you can support your mental health and build a daily routine that makes you feel well, naturally.

 

Sources: 

  1. Mohajeri MH, Wittwer J, Vargas K, et al. Chronic treatment with a tryptophan-rich protein hydrolysate improves emotional processing, mental energy levels and reaction time in middle-aged women. Br J Nutr. 2015 Jan 28;113(2):350-65 

  1. Saeed SA, Cunningham K, Bloch RM. Depression and Anxiety Disorders: Benefits of Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation. Am Fam Physician. 2019 May 15;99(10):620-627. 

  1. Zhang B, Li Y, Liu M, et al. Antidepressant-like mechanism of honokiol in a rodent model of corticosterone-induced depression. J Integr Neurosci. 2020 Sep 30;19(3):459-467. 

  1. Cunha LF, Pellanda LC, Reppold CT. Positive Psychology and Gratitude Interventions: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Front Psychol. 2019 Mar 21;10:584. 

  1. Man Yes Ho, Everett Worthington, Richard Cowden, et al. International REACH Forgiveness Intervention: A Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trial. Preprint DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/8qzgw 

  1. Hill, P.L., Olaru, G., and Allemand, M. Do associations between a sense of purpose, social support, and loneliness differ across the adult lifespan? 2023 Psychology and Aging 38(4) 345–355. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpag0000733  

  1. Armstrong LE, Ganio MS, Casa DJ, et al. Mild dehydration affects mood in healthy young women. J Nutr. 2012 Feb;142(2):382-8. 

  1. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Belury MA, Andridge R, et al. Omega-3 supplementation lowers inflammation and anxiety in medical students: a randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Immun. 2011 Nov;25(8):1725-34. 

  1. Grosso G, Galvano F, Marventano S, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids and depression: scientific evidence and biological mechanisms. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2014;2014:313570. 

 

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