Mental Health

Posted In: Health & Wellness · By: Ian Dimerman · Date: 13 Jan 2008

Emotional and mental vitality are closely tied to physical vitality-just as your mind has powerful effects on your body, so your physical state affects how you feel and think. Social contact can also make a big difference in how you feel

Social activity. Protect or improve your emotional health by staying in touch with friends, family, and the greater community. Whether physically healthy or ill, people who feel connected to others are more likely to thrive than those who are socially isolated.⁶ Volunteering in your community and sharing your wisdom and talents with others is a gratifying and meaningful way to enrich your life. In fact, older adults who regularly volunteer even a small amount of time generally have a greater sense of well-being than those who don't.⁷

Mental activity. Protect or improve your memory and mental sharpness by:

Challenging your intellect on a daily basis . Read, learn a new musical instrument, language or skill. Do crosswords, Sudoku puzzles, jig-saw puzzles or play games of strategy with others. Examples of this include Bridge, chess or Mah Jong games.

Helping your memory - Write down names, dates and any other information which you could easily forget such as bank card passwords or internet log in passwords. Keep routine items such as keys and sunglasses in a specific place.

Preventing Depression- which can lead to quick cognitive decline in older people. Try to maintain a regular exercise regime and as mentioned previously, regular social contact with family and friends. Avoid alcohol and sedative drugs as these can depress your mood. If you feel depressed, seek professional counselling help and/or anti-depressant medication to help you feel better. If you smoke, try to quit as a positive connection between smoking and the speed of mental decline has been noted.

Stress reduction and relaxation techniques- In addition to regular exercise you can minimize the effects of stress on your mind and body by taking 20 minutes per day for relaxation time.

1. Meditation- focuses your attention and helps calm both your mind and body. Daily meditation can help manage a variety of different physical and emotional conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety , depression and chronic pain.
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation- helps reduce muscle tension and general anxiety and may help you get to sleep
3. Breathing exercises- full deep breathing is a good way to reduce tension, feel relaxed and reduce stress.

Positive thinking- Positive thinking may help you live a longer, happier and healthier life. Even the most optimistic person sometimes feels down. Take the following steps to harness the power of positive thinking in your life:

a. Create positive expectations of yourself, your health and your life in general.This type of thinking can help you best recover from surgery and other life crises.

b. Open yourself up to humor, friendship and love. Go out of your way to find reasons to laugh and spend more time with people you enjoy being with

c. Appeal to a Higher Power- whether through your faith or your connection with nature, your sense of spiritual well being can help you through personal trials and enhance your life.