Improve your wellbeing with these 10 simple steps. Photo / 123rf
Improve your wellbeing with these 10 simple steps. Photo / 123rf
Every week on Well+Being with The Washington Post, psychiatrists and psychologists suggest ways to improve our mental health. Here are 10 popular columns of 2024 with a summary of the advice shared by experts.
Cope with anxiety
Anxiety can be overwhelming and all consuming, writes Christopher W.T. Miller, a psychiatrist. If certain cues set off a cascade of worry and stress, we may fixate on them and magnify their meaning, keeping our mind and body in overdrive. This can make it hard to think our way through situations. Our thoughts can be emotion-driven, negative, repetitive and hard to change (what has been termed “perseverative cognition”).
There are many ways in which anxiety can manifest, and oftentimes people’s experiences don’t fit neatly into a certain category. Social anxiety, generalised anxiety, panic attacks and phobias are some common ways in which anxiety can be felt. But we can cope with anxiety with some helpful strategies such as giving ourselves a break and finding a middle space.
At some point, everyone gets depressed, says Robert Klitzman, a psychiatrist. Usually, these feelings are short lived, lasting a few minutes, hours or days. But millions of people have symptoms that persist longer. Symptoms can vary from mild and passing to severe and disabling, including loss of appetite, energy, concentration and ability to enjoy life. Depression can also interfere with our immune system, leading to infections and other medical problems such as cancer.
Luckily, for many people, depression can be prevented and treated. Exercise, a healthy diet, adequate sleep and social connections are some ways to address and cope with it.
Exercise, rest, and healthy relationships can help you manage your depression better. Photo / 123rf
Get adequate rest
As a sleep psychologist, I treat individuals, writes Lisa Strauss, a clinical psychologist. But the irony is that often their problems are inflamed by other people. Examples include snoring and caring for an infant throughout the night.
Emotions may run high on all sides and complicate interventions. But we can make choices that might benefit everyone’s sleep. Here are a few of the most common interpersonal scenarios I encounter and some suggestions that have helped my patients and may help you. For instance, if you have family members in distress, establish boundaries about hours you are available, schedule check-ins earlier in the evening and try to secure more services for the person.
Getting a proper rest can boost your wellbeing significantly. Photo / 123RF
Reduce stress
During times of stress, we often sense our heart racing, jaw tightening or stomach churning — feelings that end up heightening our negative emotions, says Jenny Taitz, a clinical psychologist. Soon, it becomes a vicious cycle where your body and your thoughts magnify each other.
The good news is that you don’t have to let that happen. By tapping into your body’s innate ability to calm itself, often within minutes, you can improve how you feel and get better at warding off stress symptoms before they strike.
Reduce stress by tapping into your inner self. Photo / 123RF
Let go of grudges
Holding a grudge against someone is common for most of us. While it’s human nature to get upset at being treated badly, holding on to ill will can hurt our mental health, writes Juli Fraga, a psychologist. There’s no shame in holding a grudge. But if you’d like to set your grudge free, here are four tips I share with my patients.
One way to set the grudge free is to ask yourself: “How is my grudge helping me?” and “How is it hurting me?”
Your answers can help you decide what to do next. For example, if your grudge is making you anxious or depressed, you could decide to talk with a trusted friend or therapist.
Be kind to yourself
We can be hard on ourselves. We often focus on our perceived limitations and get caught in a cycle of self-reproach and criticism. This self-punitive attitude can distance us from others, as we might feel unworthy of or a burden to other people, increasing our disconnectedness and loneliness, Miller says.
A kind and accepting stance toward oneself can decrease psychological distress and increase resilience to difficult situations. Shifting our default away from self-blame can open space for a broader appreciation of how we ended up where we are. Behind feelings of stuckness and disillusionment is often a story of suffering, disappointment and ongoing attempts to make things better.
Using mantras, like “I am calm”, helps disrupt rumination by filling your mind with something positive. Photo / 123rf
Quit in a smarter way
Many people think — and you might, too — that quitting reflects laziness, inadequacy or failure. From the time we are children, we are taught that “nobody likes a quitter”, writes Gregory Scott Brown, a psychiatrist.
My work, however, has taught me that quitting, itself, isn’t the problem. And quietly quitting — doing the bare minimum — can be a form of avoidance. But knowing how and when to quit is a superpower that can benefit your mental health.
Make one friend a year
In my psychotherapy practice, when someone is feeling lonely and craving more from their friendships, I encourage them to work on making one dear friend that year who could be someone they already know, writes Emma Nadler, a psychotherapist.
Gaining one closer friend may significantly boost your life satisfaction, as friendship is known to protect against stress and improve mental health. And one friend a year is manageable, yet could lead to three friends in three years and a handful of friends in five.
Food is a popular topic of conversation but not everyone knows how to discuss it in a healthy, inclusive way. Photo / 123rf
Aim for sustainability, not happiness
We all have dreams about our life and what we consider markers of success, whether personal or professional — good health, a satisfying job, a loving family, financial stability or something else. While some people achieve these goals in balanced and sustainable ways, others find it challenging, Miller says.
When these idealised scenarios remain out of reach — especially as we age and have less time to achieve them — we may feel guilt or shame. As an antidote to these bad feelings, we may rage against the world, create scapegoats to blame for what went wrong, beat ourselves up mercilessly or continue to push ourselves relentlessly.
But there are healthy ways to let go of these idealised versions of how our lives should have been, or should be, and instead focus on building a life, at any age, that is true to our needs and values.
Exercise not only improves immunity but also enhances vaccine effectiveness as you age. Photo / 123RF
Spark joy
We all have bad days or succumb to an occasional sour mood. However, an inability to feel joy is not the norm, Fraga writes. As a psychotherapist, I’ve seen this among my patients. Some of them believe that experiencing happiness will make them lazy, while others refuse to accept a compliment, even for a job well done.
No matter the cause, joylessness can affect our mental health, relationship satisfaction and wellbeing. Luckily, there are steps we can take to generate joy such as savouring small moments of pleasure and smiling, even when we don’t feel like it.
