Three Tips to Improve Your Mental Health

Did you know the gut is called the “second brain?” More and more research is connecting gastrointestinal symptoms like heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux, and bloating with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. If you routinely have these GI symptoms, your gut might be telling you something. Luckily, you can take various simple steps to improve your mental health, so here are three tips to improve your mental health.

You Are What You Eat - There are some specific foods you can consume to promote gut health for improved mental health -

• Select foods like whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, legumes, and fish, and use olive or avocado oil. These foods help lower your risk of developing depression by up to 35%.

• Limit fried, processed, and sugary foods and drinks, which can change the gut flora or decrease the good bugs in the gut.

• Include foods called prebiotics, which help increase the good types of bugs in the gut. Good prebiotic choices include raw or lightly steamed asparagus, garlic, leeks, onions, apples, and berries.

• Include foods that have live bacteria that help the gut. These foods are called probiotics, and some easy-to-consume foods with probiotics include yogurt containing live or active cultures, miso soup, and tempeh. Apple cider vinegar is an easy way to get your probiotics. Add a couple of tablespoons to 16 ounces of water with lemon or lime juice. It is a great way to get more water and probiotics for daily gut health.

Move Your Feet - Another way to support your mental health is to get active and stay active. As little as an hour of exercise a week can help elevate your mood and decrease anxiety levels because of the impact

on endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. Walking for 10 minutes several times a day can help those minutes add up all week.

Manage Your Stress - Taking steps to manage your stress will also positively affect your mental health. Build a toolbox of skills and techniques to quickly turn to when you feel anxious or distressed. Some things for your toolbox might be:

• Breathing exercises to help you relax and reduce shallow chest breathing in favor of deep diaphragm breathing.

• Practicing gratitude by reflecting on things you are thankful for to help you change your mindset.

• Using your senses to help you change your focus – squeeze a stress ball in your hand or even tightly grip and release the steering wheel a few times; click a pen or listen to calming music or sounds; look at a photo of something positive such as an inspirational quote or a picture of a loved one or a favorite vacation spot; suck on sugar-free lemon sour candy or drink mint tea; smell essential oils or scents that are calming such as lavender.

• Repeat affirmations or positive mantras to yourself to help you shift your focus.

• Use a feelings wheel to help you process your emotions and feelings so you can understand the emotions you are feeling and why you are feeling them by identifying and naming the trigger.

If none of these tips help you feel better, and you need support, don’t hesitate to reach out for help -

• Text MHA to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor

Or

• Call 1-800-273-8255 to reach a trained crisis worker for support.