The Three Pillars of Mental Health
There is a LOT of information out there about anxiety, stress and depression, and a lot of advice about how to manage the symptoms of these and the impacts on our lives.
If you’re reading this article, there is a good chance that you’re looking for resources to help you to improve your mental health. We understand—there is a LOT of information out there about anxiety, stress and depression, and a lot of advice about how to manage the symptoms of these and the impacts on our lives.
The good news is that a lot of this advice is valuable—and that you are able to choose what works best for you, whether this is therapy, self-help, medication, peer support or other strategies. Throughout all of it, there are also some important factors to look after to help protect your mental health. The good news is that you can get started on these straight away, without waiting for an appointment.
Sleep: Why is sleep so important to our mental health?
We’ve always known that sleep makes a big difference to our mood and ability to concentrate, as well as our physical recovery and learning (ever wonder why newborn babies sleep so much?). But, more recent research shows that sleep also has a major impact on our immune system and the prevention of chronic disease – and even our life expectancy!
People who regularly get less than 7hrs of sleep are at a higher risk of mental and physical health issues across the lifespan – as well as being less productive and happy at work and in their day to day lives.
Mind Ease has some great tips for improving the quality of your sleep. Everyone is different, but most of us find that having some kind of routine that helps us to unwind around bedtime, and making sure we have a regular sleep/wake time, can be transformational for our physical and mental health.
Diet: what we eat affects our mental health
Just like with sleep, we’ve always been told that what we eat affects our physical health. But, more and more evidence is building to demonstrate the effect of diet on our mental health. Research has shown that a diet high in processed food, sugar and trans fats can have a major impact on our mood. This makes sense when we consider that most of our serotonin (one of the chemicals that determines how happy we feel) is stored in our gut – and digestive issues can cause us to feel anxious, flat or irritable.
Research has shown that a diet high in processed food, sugar and trans fats can have a major impact on our mood.
Everyone has their own dietary preferences and different food that suits them. But, in general, a diet that is recommended is one that’s:
- high in fibre
- includes fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains
- low in sugar and alcohol
Fibre feeds our microbiome (the beneficial bacteria that lives in our gut) and helps us to digest the food we eat. It also helps to fill us up so that we aren’t tempted to snack on unhealthy food with low nutritional value.
Improving mental health through diet is an emerging science. If you suspect that your diet might be impacting your mood, it can help to keep a food journal or speak to a doctor about what you’ve noticed. They might recommend visiting a dietitian or nutritionist for support, or can give you some advice about dietary changes.
Eating regular meals and drinking enough water are also important, so that your energy levels are stable throughout the day.
Being hungry and dehydrated impacts our blood sugar and can cause us to feel agitated, tired or anxious.
Even if your diet isn’t the direct cause of your anxiety, eating well and regularly will likely help with your anxiety symptoms and help you to feel more stable and calm.
Exercise: the easiest intervention for anxiety
Of all the interventions for anxiety, exercise may be the easiest. After all, it is free and actually has an instant effect on our mood.
Just like with sleep and diet, exercise is not necessarily the ‘silver bullet’ for anxiety. But by engaging in regular exercise, we are likely to experience more stable moods, increased energy, better sleep and improved wellbeing.
One of the theories for why exercise is so effective in managing anxiety and reducing stress, is that it helps us to ‘complete’ the stress response. If you observe animals in the wild who are in a dangerous situation (eg. a zebra that has been chased by a predator), you will often see them exerting themselves physically (to escape the predator), and then going into a period of rest and recovery (eg. returning to their group, sleeping).
As humans, our exposure to stress—especially in the modern world—is a daily experience, whether this is a difficult colleague, a troubled relationship, or a mounting debt.
While we feel the effects of the stress, we never really get an opportunity to release all that adrenaline physically. After all, it isn’t appropriate to fight that difficult colleague, or run away from your telephone bill. Instead, we internalise the stress and, in many ways, never get to complete the ‘stress cycle’, meaning all that adrenaline and cortisol is stored up in our bodies.
After a while, this begins to impact our mood, and we can feel exhausted, irritable and burnt out. Sometimes the result is we start to “self-medicate” with alcohol or online activities, since these help us to feel a bit calmer and soothed.
While we feel the effects of the stress, we rarely really get an opportunity to release all that adrenaline physically.
Vigorous exercise such as high intensity interval training (HIIT), boxing, cycling or running are effective ways to release stress.
But, even something less demanding like a walk around the block, a yoga class or an online dance class will still help you to complete the stress response and get rid of some of that adrenaline.
Making a habit of daily exercise that you enjoy, and that works for you, is key to long-term wellbeing. Bonus points if it is social—such as a walk with a friend or partner, or playing a group sport such as soccer or tennis.
Are the three pillars of mental health a cure for anxiety?
As we’ve mentioned, these three pillars of mental health are not a ‘cure’ for anxiety.
Each person’s anxiety is different, and for many people it is necessary to get professional assessment and specific treatment. That said, paying attention to each of these pillars will help you to manage your condition, and improve your overall wellbeing.
Anxiety and stress—just like any other medical conditions— are much easier to manage when we are well rested, eating well and getting enough exercise. When one, or all, of these pillars is shaky, we can find ourselves going backwards quickly.
Mind Ease has some useful exercises that focus on practical strategies such as these. If you’d like reliable relief from anxiety, you can install Mind Ease for free here.
